EV charger installation prices by job type
| Install type | Typical Cornwall price (2026) |
|---|---|
| Standard 7kW home install (fitted) | £800–£1,200 |
| 7kW with the OZEV grant of up to £500 (eligible renters / flat-owners) | £300–£700 net |
| Smart charger with solar diversion (Zappi, Hypervolt) | £1,100–£1,500 |
| Tesla Wall Connector Gen 3 (hardware + install) | £950–£1,400 |
| Holiday-let tethered 7kW, coastal-rated | £900–£1,400 |
| 22kW three-phase (where supply exists) | £1,800–£3,000 |
| Workplace, 2–6 sockets (before WCS grant) | £3,000–£8,000 |
| Workplace, 6–20 sockets (before WCS grant) | £8,000–£25,000 |
Prices are indicative for straightforward installs by an OZEV-approved installer, including DNO notification and BS 7671 Section 722 commissioning. Your installer confirms a firm written price after a short survey (often remote, by photos) — see your options for getting one fitted and you'll usually have numbers within a few days.
Tethered or untethered — does it change the price?
A tethered unit (cable permanently attached) typically adds £50–£100 over the equivalent socket-only model. But an untethered socket needs your own Type 2 cable — £100–£200 for a decent one — so tethered usually works out cheaper overall, and it's the right answer for holiday lets, where guests rarely travel with a cable. The full trade-offs are in our tethered vs untethered guide.
What moves the price up or down
- Cable run. The single biggest variable in Cornwall. The first 10m or so is priced into the base install; beyond that expect £15–£30 per metre for cable and routing. Granite cottages with the meter in the porch and parking round the back, and farm properties around Launceston and Liskeard with the charger wanted on a distant barn, sit at the top of the range.
- Consumer unit (fuseboard) condition. A full board, a pre-RCD unit, or a 60A main fuse — common in the mining terraces around Redruth and Camborne — means an upgrade at £300–£600, quoted before work starts.
- Earthing. Where PME earthing can't be used outdoors and the charger lacks built-in PEN-fault detection, a TT earth rod adds £150–£300. Most modern smart chargers avoid this.
- Groundwork. Trenching and ducting to a detached garage adds £200–£600.
- Coastal spec. Salt-air locations — Penzance, St Ives, Newquay, the Lizard — want IP54-rated units with stainless fixings. A small premium that saves a corroded unit three winters in.
The grant — who actually gets it
The OZEV chargepoint grant covers 75% of buying and installing a socket, up to £500, and closes on 31 March 2027 — but only for renters and flat-owners whose home has private off-street parking. Residential landlords have their own grant, up to £500 per socket. Owner-occupiers in standard houses stopped being eligible in 2022. Not sure where you stand? Run the 2-minute grant eligibility checklist, or see the full OZEV grant page.
Workplace charging costs
For businesses, charities and public-sector sites, the Workplace Charging Scheme pays up to £500 per socket on up to 40 sockets — the grant covers 75% of the combined supply and install cost and your installer deducts it from the invoice. Typical Cornwall projects run £3,000–£8,000 before grant for 2–6 sockets and £8,000–£25,000 for 6–20, with dynamic load balancing often cheaper than a DNO supply uplift. Start with our Workplace Charging Scheme employer guide for the step-by-step application, then see the workplace charging service page for what installs involve.
How to pay less (honestly)
- Check your grant position first. A grant of up to £500 is the biggest single saving available — the eligibility checklist takes two minutes. And never book the install before OZEV approval lands, or the grant is forfeit.
- Put the charger near the fuseboard side of the house if you have the choice — cable run is the biggest cost lever you control.
- Send good survey photos. A clear shot of your consumer unit, meter and intended charger position gets you an accurate quote instead of a padded one.
- Don't over-buy power. 7kW covers 95% of homes; 22kW needs three-phase and only pays off for workplaces, farms with existing three-phase, and high-turnover lets.
Frequently asked questions
Is the price different across Cornwall?
The baseline is similar county-wide; what varies is the housing stock. Long-cable-run and older-fuseboard areas trend to the top of the ranges. See your local page for detail: Truro, Redruth, Bodmin, St Austell, Newquay, Penzance, Falmouth, St Ives, Launceston, Camborne, Liskeard, Wadebridge and Helston.
Does the price include the DNO paperwork?
Yes — reputable quotes include DNO notification and commissioning to BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 Section 722. G99 notifications on constrained rural supplies can add 2–4 weeks to the timeline but shouldn't add cost.
Why do quotes vary so much between installers?
Travel distance, how they price cable runs, and how busy their diary is. So get more than one quote. You can book a national installer online (for example Pod Energy, an affiliate link: we may earn a commission if you buy), search the government’s authorised installer list for local ones, or ask us for an introduction to a local installer. For the deeper line-by-line breakdown, our 2026 cost deep-dive covers every component.