Get Started

Check what your installation quote should contain before you sign it

A line-by-line worked example of a home charger installation quote, so you can see what each item should cover and which parts only a site survey can price.

See the latest updates on grants, VAT and installation rules

The line items a good quote sets out

A home charger installation is several separate pieces of work priced as one job. A quote that lists only a total, or only "charger and fitting", has skipped the part that lets you check whether the price is reasonable and whether the work is actually what your property needs.

The charger itself

This is the unit on your wall: its power rating, whether it has a tethered cable or a socket you plug your own cable into, and whether it's a smart charge point capable of off-peak scheduling. The quote should name the make and model.

The cable run

This covers the cable from your consumer unit to the charger position, including any trunking, drilling through a wall, or routing under or around existing pipework. Distance and route decide most of the cost here, and it's one of the few lines a fitter can only price properly after seeing the route in person.

Consumer-unit work

This is any work inside your consumer unit, the box that holds your circuit breakers, to add the circuit the charger needs and the protective devices it requires. If your consumer unit is old or full, this line can grow to include a partial or full replacement.

Earthing

This covers the work needed to give the charger a safe earthing arrangement. Some properties need an earth rod installed at the charger position, and that's extra material and labour.

Groundworks

Where the cable has to cross a driveway, a path, or open ground, groundworks cover the digging, the cable protection, and reinstating the surface afterwards. This is the line most likely to be an estimate.

Notifications

This covers telling your network operator (the DNO) that a charger is being connected, where that's required, and submitting a Part P notification for the electrical work. These are administrative steps with their own forms and timescales, and a quote that omits them is missing part of the job.

Commissioning

Commissioning is testing the installed charger to confirm it's wired correctly, earthed correctly, and working as the manufacturer intends before anyone hands you the cable. It should be a named line.

Warranty

This covers what's guaranteed on the equipment, what's guaranteed on the installation work itself, and for how long each one runs. The two are not the same thing and a quote should separate them.

What to check in an installation quote

Go down the quote line by line against what should actually be there. Some items a reasonable installer can price from photos and a few questions; others only become firm once someone has stood in front of your consumer unit and your parking space.

  • Charger unit named by make and model

    The quote should name the specific unit. The model determines whether it's tethered or socketed and what it can do with scheduling.

  • Cable run distance and route priced from a survey

    A quote written before anyone has seen the property is pricing a guess; the distance from consumer unit to charger position, and whether the cable runs through a wall, under a floor or outside, changes the labour and materials.

  • Consumer unit work stated as needed or not needed

    Whether your consumer unit needs a new circuit, a new breaker or a full replacement depends on its current rating and condition, which is for the electrician to assess.

  • Earthing arrangement identified before work starts

    Your earthing arrangement — TN-S, TN-C-S or TT — affects what protective equipment the installation needs, and a quote that doesn't mention it hasn't established this yet.

  • Groundworks itemised separately if trenching is needed

    Running a cable under a driveway or across a garden is a separate job from the electrical work itself, and should appear as its own line.

  • Network operator notification included

    Some installations need notifying to your network operator (DNO) before or after the work, and the quote should say whether this applies to your supply and who is doing it.

  • Building-control notification covered where it applies

    In England, certain charger installations fall under Part P notification requirements; the quote should state whether this applies and how it will be handled.

  • Commissioning and warranty terms written down

    The quote should state who tests the installation before handing it over and what warranty covers the work, separate from any manufacturer warranty on the charger itself.

A quote that prices every line without a site visit is pricing assumptions; treat any item marked as fixed before a survey with some caution.

What the Electric Vehicle Consumer Code commits an installer to

An installer who belongs to the Electric Vehicle Consumer Code has agreed to a set of commitments before any money changes hands. Membership is checkable, and what it covers is worth knowing before you sign anything.

A survey before a price is fixed

A code member commits to surveying the property before quoting a firm price. The survey is where an installer checks the things that actually move the cost: the rating of your consumer unit, the length and route of the cable, your earthing arrangement and whether your supply is shared with a neighbour (a looped supply). A quote given without a survey is an estimate, and the code treats it as one.

Your deposit is protected

Where a deposit is taken before work starts, a code member has committed to keeping that money protected until the job is complete, so a reader is not left exposed if the installer stops trading partway through the project. Ask how the deposit is held before you pay it.

The network operator is told

A home charge point usually has to be notified to your network operator, the company that owns and maintains the electricity cables in your street. A code member has committed to making this notification as part of the installation.

A warranty on the work itself

Separately from whatever warranty comes with the charger itself, a code member commits to a warranty covering the installation work: the wiring, the earthing and the commissioning. If something goes wrong with the fitting rather than the unit, this is the warranty that applies.

What to ask before you book

  • Whether the installer is currently a member of the Electric Vehicle Consumer Code, and ask for confirmation in writing
  • Whether the quoted price followed a site survey or was given without one
  • How any deposit is protected before work begins
  • Who is responsible for notifying the network operator, and when that happens
  • What the workmanship warranty covers and for how long

Common questions about installation quotes

What does a standard home charger installation actually include?

A standard installation covers the charger itself, a dedicated circuit back to your consumer unit, the cable run between the two, and the commissioning check that proves the unit works safely before the installer leaves. It also includes the paperwork: the Part P notification that the work has been carried out, and a record of the earthing arrangement the installer has worked with. Anything beyond a short, straightforward cable run usually moves you out of this standard scope.

What can turn a quote into something more expensive than the standard job?

A longer or more difficult cable run, consumer unit work beyond adding a single circuit, and any groundworks needed to get the cable from the house to the parking space all add to the price. So does a cross-pavement solution, where the cable has to cross a public footway and the method has to meet your network operator's own rules. None of these can be priced accurately without someone looking at the property, which is why a quote given over the phone is always provisional.

What does the building-control notification cover in England?

Electrical work on a fixed installation falls under Part P of the Building Regulations, and a charger installation has to be notified one way or another. Most installers do this themselves because they belong to a competent person scheme, which lets them self-certify the work and notify building control on your behalf. If an installer isn't part of such a scheme, the work has to be notified to your local authority building control separately, and you should ask which route applies before work starts.

Does my network operator need to know about the installation?

Your network operator, the distribution network operator (DNO) responsible for the cables in the street, sometimes needs to be told about a new charger before or shortly after it goes in. This depends on the power of the charger and the capacity already in use at your property. Whether notification is needed, and whether it has to happen before the work starts, is something the installer confirms once they've seen your supply.

What should an installer confirm before I sign anything?

Before any money changes hands, a reasonable quote sets out what the site survey found, what work is included for that price, and what happens to any deposit if the installer doesn't complete the job. It should also say what warranty applies to the workmanship, separately from the manufacturer's warranty on the charger itself. If any of this is missing from what you've been sent, it's worth asking for it in writing rather than assuming it's covered.

Why do two quotes for what sounds like the same job come out so differently?

The price depends on things that aren't visible from a phone call: the exact cable run, the condition and rating of your consumer unit, your earthing arrangement, and whether any groundworks are needed. Two installers looking at the same job can reasonably reach different figures if they've assumed different answers to these questions. A site visit, not a quote on paper, is what settles which figure actually applies to your property.