If you drive an electric car in Milton Keynes, you have two choices for charging: public chargers or a home wallbox. The price difference between them is enormous — and most people do not realise just how much they are overpaying at public chargers until they see the numbers side by side.
What Public Charging Actually Costs
Public charger prices vary by speed and network, but here are the typical rates in 2026 (source: Zapmap price index):
- Slow/fast chargers (7–22kW) — 40–55p per kWh. These are the chargers you find at supermarkets, car parks, and on-street posts.
- Rapid chargers (50kW+) — 65–79p per kWh. Motorway services, BP Pulse, Ionity, Tesla Superchargers (for non-Tesla vehicles).
For a typical 60kWh EV battery (like a Tesla Model 3 or VW ID.4), a full charge on a rapid charger costs £39–£47. Even a slow public charger runs to £24–£33.
What Home Charging Costs
Charging at home uses your domestic electricity tariff. Here is what that looks like:
- Standard tariff (~24p/kWh) — A full 60kWh charge costs £8–£14. That is less than a third of the rapid charger price.
- Off-peak tariff (7–10p/kWh) — On tariffs like Octopus Go or Economy 7, a full charge drops to £2.50–£5. Set your charger to run between midnight and 5am, and you barely notice it on your bill.
A smart charger handles the scheduling automatically. You plug in when you get home, it waits for the cheap rate, charges overnight, and your car is full by morning.
Cost Per Mile — The Real Comparison
This is where it gets stark. Based on an average EV efficiency of 3.5 miles per kWh:
| Charging Method | Cost per kWh | Cost per Mile | Annual Cost (8,000 miles) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public rapid (50kW+) | 65–79p | 16–23p | £1,300–£1,800 |
| Public slow/fast (7–22kW) | 40–55p | 11–16p | £900–£1,250 |
| Home (standard tariff) | ~24p | 6–8p | £500–£600 |
| Home (off-peak) | 7–10p | 2–3p | £200–£300 |
| Petrol (comparison) | — | 14–18p | £1,100–£1,450 |
A driver doing 8,000 miles a year on public rapid chargers spends £1,500+ annually. Switch to home off-peak charging and that drops to £200–£300. That is a saving of £1,200 or more every year.
Home Charger Installation Costs
A dedicated home charger is a one-off cost. Here is what the popular models run to, fully installed by us in Milton Keynes:
- Zappi — from £899 installed. Solar-compatible with built-in energy divert mode. Our most popular charger.
- Wallbox Pulsar Plus — from £799 installed. Compact, reliable, app-controlled.
- Andersen A2 — from £1,100 installed. Premium design with wood-effect finishes.
See our full comparison of best home EV chargers for detailed specs and pricing.
At £899 for a Zappi and £1,200+ per year in savings versus public charging, a home charger pays for itself in 8–12 months. After that, every charge is significantly cheaper than any public alternative.
The OZEV Grant — Up to £350 Off
The OZEV (Office for Zero Emission Vehicles) EV chargepoint grant covers up to 75% of installation costs, capped at £350 per installation point. As of 2026, it is available to:
- Renters (with landlord permission)
- Flat owners and residents of shared buildings
- Landlords installing chargers for tenants
Homeowners with off-street parking are generally not eligible — the grant was narrowed in 2022. However, the rules do change, so it is worth checking the latest eligibility on the GOV.UK website before you book.
Solar + EV Charger — Charge for Free
If you have solar panels (or plan to get them), a solar-compatible charger like the Zappi can divert surplus solar electricity directly to your car. During sunny months, that means charging for effectively nothing.
A typical 4kW solar system generates around 3,600 kWh per year. If 30% of that goes to your car, that is 1,080 kWh — roughly 3,780 miles of free driving. At the standard home rate, that is £260 of electricity you did not pay for. At public rapid rates, it would have cost over £700.
Pair solar with a battery and an EV charger through our solar and battery packages, and you maximise every unit your roof generates.
Smart Charger Requirement
Since June 2022, all new home EV chargers installed in the UK must be smart-enabled. This is a legal requirement, not optional. A smart charger:
- Can be controlled remotely via an app
- Can schedule charging for off-peak hours automatically
- Must be able to respond to grid signals (demand-side response)
- Must default to off-peak charging out of the box
Every charger we install meets this requirement. The Zappi, Wallbox, and Andersen are all smart-enabled and app-controlled.
What You Need for a Home Charger
Before we install a charger, we check three things:
- Off-street parking — You need a driveway, garage, or private parking space. Trailing a cable across a public pavement is not permitted.
- Consumer unit assessment — We check your fuse board can handle the additional load. Most modern boards are fine. If an upgrade is needed, we quote it upfront.
- Dedicated circuit — The charger runs on its own circuit from your consumer unit, protected by an RCBO. This is standard practice and included in every installation.
We handle all of this during the site survey. There is no charge for the assessment — it is included in the installation quote.
Get a Fixed-Price EV Charger Quote
Every EV charger installation quote we provide is fixed-price. No hidden extras, no surprises on installation day. We are based in Milton Keynes and cover all of Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, and Northamptonshire.
The numbers speak for themselves. A home charger saves you £1,000+ per year and pays for itself within months. If you have off-street parking, there is no reason to keep paying public charger rates.
Use our free quote tool or call us on 07516 762540 to get a price for your property.