7:05 am, June 8, 2023
Pod Point’s home chargers have been revealed as the best for EV owners in a What Car? study.
They offer the best combination of value for money and customer satisfaction, according to feedback from 4,130 electric vehicle owners who have chargers at home, the car buying platform said today.
Customer satisfaction – looking at whether the charger had gone wrong, how easy it was to use, and what extra features it had – comprised 75 per cent of the rating, with the cost of the charger including fitting making up the rest.
Pod Point, pictured above in use, achieved an overall score of 82.2 per cent, gaining the highest rating for value, with nine out of 10 chargers costing £750 or less overall. It scored well for satisfaction, too, with 85.7 per cent of owners telling What Car? they were very happy with their chargers.
Hypervolt took second place, with the highest satisfaction score of anyone (93.0 per cent), but its overall score was dragged down because of high installation costs.
Providers of units that can make use of home-produced energy, such as those from Myenergi and Ohme, also scored well for satisfaction, but higher prices brought their overall scores down.
At the other end of the scale, BP Pulse was given the second highest score for cost but many customers weren’t happy with their units and around 40 per cent wouldn’t recommend the brand.
What Car? consumer editor Claire Evans said: ‘A wide range of home chargers are available, ranging from simple units that just charge the car when they’re programmed to, to complex units that can help homeowners make the most of “green” energy.
‘Our research highlights the fact that buying the most expensive unit you can find won’t necessarily result in the best experience. It’s worth shopping around to find the most suitable system for you.’
About 80 per cent of people who own an EV charge their car at home and there are currently some 400,000 home and workplace vehicle chargers in the UK, according to data from ZapMap.
The best and worst home chargers
1 – Pod Point
Cost rating: 71.9%
Satisfaction rating: 85.7%
Overall rating: 82.2%
2 – Hypervolt
Cost rating: 43.0%
Satisfaction rating: 93.0%
Overall rating: 80.5%
3 – Myenergi
Cost rating: 44.6%
Satisfaction rating: 90.3%
Overall rating: 78.9%
4 – Easee
Cost rating: 44.0%
Satisfaction rating: 89.3%
Overall rating: 78.0%
5 – Rolec
Cost rating: 63.6%
Satisfaction rating: 82.3%
Overall rating: 77.6%
6 – Ohme
Cost rating: 47.5%
Satisfaction rating: 82.5%
Overall rating: 73.8%
7 – EO
Cost rating: 58.7%
Satisfaction rating: 78.7%
Overall rating: 73.7%
8 – Indra
Cost rating: 56.4%
Satisfaction rating: 78.2%
Overall rating: 72.7%
9 – BP Pulse
Cost rating: 70.7%
Satisfaction rating: 69.3%
Overall rating: 69.6%
Source: What Car?
