How long does EV charger installation take?

So how long does EV charger installation take at your home? It depends on what’s behind the wall as much as what goes on it: your consumer unit, your existing supply, and where the charger is being mounted. We confirm the timing at your free survey, before anything is booked.

Here’s what decides the time, what happens step by step, and how to get ready for the day.

How long EV charger installation takes, and what decides it

What we check	Why it affects the time	When you’ll know
Your consumer unit	If it needs upgrading, that’s done as part of the same installation	At the survey
Your existing supply	A charger is a big new load, so we check there’s capacity for it	At the survey
Where the charger is mounted	It sets the length and route of the cable from your consumer unit	At the survey
A grant, if you’re applying for one	It doesn’t change the installation, but OZEV must confirm you’re eligible first	Before the installation is booked

Most of the thinking happens before the day, on the survey. By the time we arrive to fit the charger, we already know where it’s going, how the cable will get there and whether the consumer unit needs work. That’s why the installation day is about doing the work rather than working out the plan.

The whole timeline, at a glance

• Day 1, the free survey: we check your parking, your consumer unit and your supply capacity in one visit.
• Within 48 hours: we help you choose the right charger for your property, and you get a detailed, fixed quote.
• If you’re claiming a grant: OZEV has to confirm you’re eligible first, and it initially estimates up to 10 working days to assess applications.
• Installation day: a single visit for most homes, ending with testing, commissioning and handover.
• Afterwards: ongoing support from the same team whenever you need it.

Before the day: the survey

Every installation starts with a free, no-obligation survey, where we check three things:

• Your parking. Most home installations need a dedicated parking space near your consumer unit, so we look at where you park and where the charger could go.
• Your consumer unit. The charger is wired back to your consumer unit, so we look at its age and condition. If it needs upgrading, we’ll tell you on the survey and include the upgrade in your quote.
• Your supply capacity. A charger is a big new load on your home’s electricity supply, so we check how much capacity there is to spare.

That’s how every home EV charger installation in Dorset and Hampshire we carry out begins. We’ll also help you choose a charger. We install a wide range, including Ohme, myenergi, Wallbox, Rolec and Andersen, and recommend the right one for your property and budget. Our recent work in Christchurch includes the Andersen A2 EV charger in a deep red finish and a Fast Amps EV charger on a brick garden wall.

If you have solar panels or battery storage installed with us, we can design your charger setup to prioritise your own generation wherever possible.

What your quote covers

The cost depends on your property’s existing electrics and the charger you choose, so after the survey you get a detailed, fixed quote, with no hidden extras. It sets out:

• the charger you’ve chosen,
• the installation, including the cable run from your consumer unit,
• any consumer unit upgrade the survey found.

If you’re eligible for a chargepoint grant, the grant comes straight off your invoice.

If you’re applying for a grant

If you’re applying for an OZEV chargepoint grant, wait until OZEV has confirmed you’re eligible before the installation goes ahead. The chargepoint must not be installed before then, and the grant can’t be backdated. OZEV initially estimates up to 10 working days to assess applications on its new platform, so allow for that when you plan. Our guide to the EV charger grant for renters and flat owners explains who qualifies.

Ready to talk it through? Arrange your free EV charger survey and we’ll check your parking, your consumer unit and your supply in one visit, then confirm how long your installation should take.

On the day, step by step

You’ll see the same team who surveyed your home. The people who assess your property are the same people who install and sign off the work: our own qualified electricians, never a subcontractor.

1. Mounting the charger

The charger goes where we agreed on the survey, near your parking space and usually on an outside wall. Because most home installations need a dedicated parking space near your consumer unit, its spot is settled at the survey rather than on the day. The one in the photo above is a typical example: the charge point on the brickwork, with a holder beside it to keep the cable tidy.

2. The cable run

A cable runs from your consumer unit to the charger. How long it is, and the route it takes through walls and along the outside of the house, depends on how far your parking space is from the consumer unit. Along with your consumer unit and your supply, it’s one of the things that decides how long the job takes.

3. Any consumer unit upgrade

If the survey found that your consumer unit needs upgrading, it’s done as part of the same installation. Our qualified electricians install the charger, the wiring and any consumer unit upgrade needed. Upgrading an older consumer unit brings it up to modern safety standards, with RCD/RCBO protection. Our electricians based in Christchurch also do the upgrade on its own, from Highcliffe consumer unit work to consumer unit upgrades in Poole.

Connecting into the consumer unit means switching your power off for a while. We’ll let you know before it goes off, so you can plan around it.

4. Testing and commissioning

Once everything’s connected, the installation is tested and commissioned, so you know it’s safe and the charger works as it should. Testing covers the new circuit and its protection; commissioning gets the charger itself up and running.

5. Handover

You receive full handover paperwork, and you’re ready to start charging straight away. We’ll show you how the charger works, and how to use its app if it has one.

6. Grant photos, if you’re claiming one

If you’re claiming an OZEV grant, there’s one more job before we leave: the photos OZEV asks for with the claim. That means a close-up of the chargepoint, one showing its model and serial number, one with its parking space, and a wide view of the building or space around it. The grant comes off your invoice, and we make the claim.

Chargers across our area

The Fox ESS charge point in the photo above is in Blandford, and our other recent work includes chargers on brick walls in Christchurch, close to our base. Wherever you are in Dorset and Hampshire, the process is the same: a free survey from our Christchurch base, then a single visit for most installations, by the same electricians who take on our Dorset electrical work. For local examples, see EV charger installation in Christchurch or EV charger installers in Poole.

Getting ready for the day

A few things help the day run smoothly:

• clear access to your consumer unit and to the wall where the charger is going,
• your parking space free, so we can work around it,
• your wifi details, if your charger connects to the internet,
• a plan for the spell when your power is off while we connect the new circuit.

Good to know Your power goes off while the charger’s circuit is connected, and for a little longer when a consumer unit upgrade is done on the same visit.

After the installation

We don’t disappear after handover. As the same in-house team who surveyed and installed your charger, we’re on hand for ongoing support if anything needs looking at.

Thinking about solar as well? An electric car adds to what your home uses, which feeds into how many solar panels make sense.

So, how long will your EV charger installation take?

For most homes, a single visit. The exact time depends on your consumer unit, your supply and where the charger is going, and we’ll confirm how long your EV charger installation should take when we survey your home. Book a free home survey to get started.