Home EV Charging
Home Charging FAQs
Yes. Most electric vehicles can be charged safely and conveniently at home using a dedicated EV charger installed by a qualified electrician.
Home charging is the most convenient and cost-effective way to keep your electric vehicle ready for everyday driving. Instead of relying on public charging infrastructure, you can simply plug your vehicle in when you arrive home and wake up to a fully or partially charged battery the next morning.
Most UK homeowners choose a 7.4kW AC home charger, which provides an excellent balance between charging speed and affordability. Many modern EV chargers also include smart features such as scheduled charging, energy monitoring and solar integration, helping you reduce running costs.
If you have off-street parking and access to your home’s electrical supply, installing a dedicated EV charger is usually straightforward. A professional installer will assess your property and recommend the most suitable solution for your vehicle and daily driving habits.
If you don’t have a driveway, there are still options available, including on-street charging schemes being introduced by local authorities across the UK.
The cost of charging an electric vehicle at home depends on your electricity tariff, battery size and how much energy you need to replace.
Home charging is typically the cheapest way to charge an electric vehicle. For many drivers, a full charge can cost significantly less than filling a petrol or diesel vehicle, particularly when using an off-peak electricity tariff.
If your home has solar panels, your charger may also be able to prioritise surplus solar energy, reducing your reliance on electricity from the grid.
The exact cost will vary depending on your energy supplier, vehicle efficiency and charging habits, but home charging remains one of the most economical ways to power an electric vehicle.
The time it takes to charge an electric vehicle depends on the size of the battery, the charger’s power output and the vehicle’s onboard charger.
For most homeowners, a 7.4kW AC charger will comfortably recharge a typical electric vehicle overnight, making it ideal for everyday use. Vehicles with smaller batteries will charge more quickly, while larger batteries naturally take longer.
Charging speed is influenced by several factors, including: battery capacity, charger power,(7kW, 11kW or 22kW), the maximum charging rate supported by your vehicle and battery temperature and current state of charge.
Because most drivers only replace the energy used during daily journeys rather than charging from empty every time, overnight charging is sufficient for the vast majority of electric vehicle owners.
Yes. Many modern EV chargers can use surplus electricity generated by your solar panels to charge your electric vehicle.
Solar-compatible EV chargers monitor the energy being produced by your photovoltaic (PV) system and automatically divert excess electricity that would otherwise be exported back to the grid. This allows you to maximise your use of renewable energy while reducing your electricity bills.
If you’re planning a new EV charger installation, it’s worth choosing a charger that supports solar integration so your system is ready both now and in the future, such as the Ratio io5.
While not every homeowner is legally required to have a smart EV charger, choosing one offers significant benefits in terms of cost, convenience and energy management.
Smart EV chargers connect to the internet, allowing you to control charging remotely through a mobile app. Features typically include scheduled charging, energy monitoring, remote start and stop, charging history and software updates.
Many smart chargers can also integrate with solar panels, dynamic load management systems and off-peak electricity tariffs, helping you make the most of cheaper or renewable electricity.
For most homeowners, a smart charger provides greater flexibility than a basic charger and helps future-proof your charging setup as electricity tariffs and energy technologies continue to evolve.
Most modern EV chargers require very little maintenance and are designed to operate reliably for many years.
Routine care is generally limited to keeping the charger clean, checking that the charging cable and connector remain free from damage, and ensuring the charging area is clear and safe to use.
All Ratio EV chargers also receive software updates automatically, helping maintain security, compatibility and performance without requiring any action from the owner.
With proper installation and occasional visual checks, most EV chargers will provide years of dependable service with minimal maintenance.
Ratio ticked all these boxes and more
At Garage Play we turn tired and run-down garages into a genuine new space for the home, this could be a gym, an office, or simply a neater, nicer garage space. As part of our offering we wanted to supply EV charging equipment, but we need it to be smart enough to cope with differing power availability and solar interoperability, reliable and robust enough to cope with everyday living, plus good looking to fit in with our total proposition. Ratio ticked all these boxes and more!
Malcolm Stapleton
Garage Play
Ratio provide us with the back-up and support to give us the confidence to install these solutions
We have been working with Ratio for a couple of months now promoting and installing their domestic chargers to our customer base. Customer satisfaction is vital to our business as word-of-mouth and repeat business is an important part of our overall marketing plan. Ratio provide us with the back-up and support to give us the confidence to install these solutions. I would happily recommend Ratio to any business looking for a reliable partner.
Ben Smyth
Director EV PowerPoint
The guys at Ratio give us the tools and support we need
We are looking to grow the EV side of our business for both domestic and commercial installations. The guys at Ratio give us the tools and support we need from one manufacturer to provide a leading solution for our customers in both these markets.
Ross Shore
RSS Electrical