Do I need an electrician to install an EV charger?
Yes. A home car charger is a new dedicated circuit from your consumer unit, and that is notifiable electrical work. It has to be designed, installed, tested and certified by someone competent, and the job has to be notified to Building Control. A registered electrician does that notification for you as part of the work.
There is a second reason that matters more day to day. A charger draws a heavy, sustained current for hours at a time, which is unlike almost anything else in a house. The circuit, the protection and the incoming supply all have to be assessed for that load before anything is fitted. Getting it wrong does not usually announce itself, it just quietly runs hot.
So the honest answer is that the charger itself is the simple part. The checks around it are the job, and they are what you are actually paying an electrician for.
It is notifiable work
A new circuit must be certified and notified to Building Control. Our NAPIT registration lets us do that for you.
The supply has to be checked
Your incoming supply and main fuse have to be able to carry the charger alongside everything else in the house.
Protection is specific
Charger circuits need particular earth-fault protection. A standard breaker is not enough on its own.
You get paperwork that counts
The installation certificate matters for your insurer, for any grant claim and when you come to sell.
Your questions, answered
Can I fit an EV charger myself?
No. It is a new circuit and therefore notifiable work. Fitting it yourself leaves you without a certificate, with a Building Control problem at sale, and with a possible insurance issue if anything goes wrong.
Does my consumer unit need replacing?
Sometimes. If your board predates safety switches, or has no spare way with the right protection, it needs upgrading first. We check and tell you before quoting, not on the day.
Do I need permission from my electricity supplier?
For most standard home chargers on a normal supply, no separate permission is needed, but the installation does have to be notified to the network operator. We handle that.
Is there a grant available?
There are schemes for some households, typically renters, flat owners and landlords rather than standard homeowners with a driveway. Ask when you call and we will confirm what currently applies to you and handle the claim if you qualify.
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