The EV Meter is a big old bus – easily the largest home charger we have reviewed – however, it is a smart looking thing and the design points to quality. It supports single-phase at 12kW and three-phase charging at 22kW, which is quite unusual but it may be real benefit for some who want real fast charging. There are, however, omissions within this unit. It is worth noting that EV Meter is a company more geared towards charging solutions for commercial premises and we will review those products separately because they do have nifty tap-and-go payment functionality, but as a home charging unit EV Meter’s Classic has shortcomings.
It’s yellow and large, but the LED display on the front is a smart and easy to read. It certainly looks the part – if you have a big wall even though EV Meter says that it takes up ‘minimal’s space. Not really: and it’s no shrinking violet in terms of the visual statement. The build quality is good, the material look tough and EV Meter is at pains to point out that it will easily stave off the elements and has been tested to the highest degree of electrical safety and you can see from rather exhaustive tech specs below.
Is it easy to use?
We think it is. The technology is simple and, as a result, it’s very user friendly and clear. You can control it by WiFi and Bluetooth and the absence of bells and whistles is in its favour. You can do all the usual things that a modern charger should do: it allows you to schedule charging, stop and start charging without fuss, apply charging limits and view and export your charging limits. We like the app, and we like the journey it takes you on. You can also share charging with family and friends via the app.
What else do I need to know?
It’s what is known in the trade as a level 2 charging station that charges faster than a household outlet, offering AC charging at a variety of charging speeds. You can have either a Type 1 or Type 2 socket: the Type 1 can charge up to 12kW while the Type 2 is a three-phase 22kW unit. It’s got a three-year warranty and you can either attach it to the wall of your home or put it on a pedestal. The Type 2 unit can either come as a tethered device with a fixed cable or a plug-in socket with a 5 metre cable and plug-in socket. Optional extras include dynamic load management, which should really be standard nowadays, and you can buy a longer cable at extra cost.
Not really. It’s a little on the pricey side at circa £900 and that is without installation. It doesn’t include dynamic tariff integration, so it’s not a case of investing up front and making savings on your electricity bills as you would with units that have that capability.
Type 1
Type 2
It’s a nice looking charger, but it is bulky and its main downside is the price. Also paying extra for automatic load management (tech to stop overrides tripping your fusebox) isn’t wonderful. The app is easy to use, and the user journey is pretty good. However, as an overall value offering, you’d probably opt for cheaper, slicker chargers. To be fair to EV Meter, this appears to be more of a side hustle: their meat-and-veg products are aimed at commercial premises where their highly usable tap-and-pay functionality is the ace card. All in all the Classic is an ok charger, but expensive.
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