Curious about the term ‘granny charger’ and what it means in the world of electric vehicles?
In our blog, we’ll explain everything you need to know about granny chargers.
A granny charger, also known as a “granny cable”, is a term used for slow, electric car charging using a UK domestic socket and a portable electric car charger. The name may sound strange, but a granny charger has earned its title because it’s typically something you would use to charge an EV when visiting your granny – or family member – when you don’t have access to a standard home or public EV charger.
For the design, a granny charger for an electric car has a standard UK household electrical 3-pin plug on one end that fits in a domestic socket and an EV connector (typically Type 1 or Type 2 socket) on the other end that connects to your EV. Make sure you get the correct granny charging cable for your EV, such as Granny Charger Type 1 for Type 1 electric vehicles and Type 2 granny charger for Type 2 connectors, or else you won’t be able to charge.
Granny chargers lack the aesthetic appeal of home EV chargers. They also have limited flexibility in terms of style and functionality. For example, unlike tethered home EV chargers, you can’t choose a cable length for an EV granny charger. Instead, an EV granny charger needs an extension cable if you require longer cabling. It’s important to note that home EV chargers are specifically manufactured for harsh weather conditions, and while granny charges themselves are waterproof – granny charger extensions are not, and that means they need to be monitored carefully.
Ohme Granny Charger
Most new electric cars come with a granny cable, or ‘in cable control box’ (ICCB). For example, new Teslas always come with a Tesla granny charger. If you are purchasing any second EV second-hand, you should investigate whether your electric vehicle will come with a granny charger, as it’s not always guaranteed.
The core advantage of an electric car granny cable is its flexibility. Being compact and lightweight, granny chargers are easy to carry in the trunk of a car and can be used wherever there’s a standard socket, whether it’s at home, work, or while travelling. While home charging points are installed on properties and cannot be transported (unless moving house), granny chargers are portable – which is why they are also sometimes referred to as ‘portable EV chargers’.
Granny chargers are a practical backup for EV owners, ensuring they can recharge their vehicles, even without home or public charging points, whenever and wherever they are. But while it may seem like granny EV chargers offer more flexibility, granny chargers are meant for occasional use and as a backup charging solution – not as a full-time everyday charger. For faster, more efficient and safer charging sessions, dedicated home charging units or public fast-charging stations are the preferred options.
Since granny cables are only for emergency use, they do not come with smart features that you would otherwise receive with a smart home EV charger, meaning you lose out on significant cost savings – and more. Additionally, granny chargers do not uphold the same safety levels as dedicated home chargers, lacking load balancing.
You can find out why charging your electric car with a granny charger and 3 pin socket is not the best solution in detail in our blog.
In our opinion, there are no best granny chargers in the UK, as they should not be used as a substitute for home EV chargers or public charging points because of the safety risks imposed if used frequently and excessively. Although, the previously manufactured Ohme granny charger was one of the best.
Home electric car chargers offer faster charging compared to granny cables, charging at a rate of 7kW instead of 2.3kW – that’s thrice the speed of a granny charger.
Flexibility and performance are key advantages of home EV chargers, too. For one, to stop charging on a granny charger, you must unplug or switch off the socket, whereas, for a home EV charger, you can stop and start charging via your home chargers app. Additionally, you can schedule charging during off-peak hours with a home EV charger – something you cannot do with a granny EV charger – which can result in hundreds of pounds worth of cost savings.
That’s not including the style and aesthetics of a home EV charger, either.
At We Power Your Car, we only sell the best home electric car chargers on the market – tried and tested to ensure we offer the safest, smartest and most reliable charging points.
With end-to-end home charging solutions, we can handle the entire process for you – from enquiry through to post-installation – including DNO applications and grant paperwork.
If you’re interested in a home EV charger, please contact our expert advisors at 03333 44 96 99. Our team are available to provide free, unbiased advice seven days a week – including bank holidays. Alternatively, complete the form below, and a member of our team will be in touch.
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This type of electric charger has it's own cable to charge your car.
This type of electric charger requires a seperate cable to charge your car.
Spread over a 60 month period.
Tenants and homeowners are eligible for finance.
You decide the amount of months.
Minimum of £1000.
We will contact you to process the credit application. Approval is subject to application, financial circumstances and borrowing history. 13.9% APR representative. T&Cs apply.
Your order is not confirmed until your application has been approved.
We lay SWA cable laid at 600mm deep, with a protective cable warning tape laid 150mm above the cable. These are laid on a sand or sifted sand soil bed then backfilled.
We position overhead cables at a minimum height of 3.5m and are run along a catenary wire. The cable run should not be accessible to vehicles.
Standard Installation
Our instant price is fixed if it falls within our standard installation package plus any additions that you have selected (extra cabling for example). This package covers the majority of homes in the UK. Before we undertake your installation we will carry out a digital survey to check that nothing has been missed. After reviewing the survey results some additional work may be required in order to complete your installation safely and to the required standards. If this is the case, we will contact you well before the installation date and advise the cost of any required work. You can then continue with your installation, or alternatively we will refund you in full if you do not want to proceed.
Included in our standard installation is :
• Fitting of a single phase charge point to a brick or plaster wall or other suitable permanent structure
• Up to 10 metres of cable, run and neatly clipped to the wall between the electricity supply meter / distribution board and the charge point.
• Routing of the cable through a drilled hole in a wall up to 500mm (20 inches) thick if this is needed.
• The fitting and testing of electrical connections and protections required for the charge point.
• An additional three way consumer unit, if required
• Installation of a Type A RCBO in an RCBO enclosure
• Up to 3 metres of plastic trunking to conceal interior wiring.
• An O-pen earth protection device if the charge point requires it. (This is NOT an earth rod)
• Up to 4 hours of labour from your installer to complete the work.
• Electrical testing of the whole installation.
• Handover and setup of the charge point and any app that may be needed.
Not included in our standard installation (additional work) :
• Where the installation requires additional cabling over and above the amount you have told us about.
• Upgrade/replacement of the main incoming supply fuse where the local DNO (eg Northern Powergrid) would need to attend site.
• If the charge point is to be mounted on a post/pedestal rather than an existing wall and where you have not selected a post as an extra cost option in your order.
• Installation of a charge point to a three phase supply.
• Where gas and water mains bonding (earthing) is not in place at your property. If this is not in place, additional work would be required before installation of the charge point.
• Any groundwork that has not been selected during the order process.
A Surge Protection Device is not included in our standard installation.
What else you need to know :
• On the day of installation, please ensure that the area around your consumer unit (fuse box), incoming electricity supply meter and proposed charge point location (including where the cable is expected to be run) is clear and free of obstructions.
• We will need your WiFi password as part of the installation process in order to connect your charge point to the internet. Please have this available for the installer. Details will not be kept.
• The charge point must be on your own designated off road parking.
• The charger will be fixed in line with current guidelines at a height where it cannot be hit by a vehicle.
• Our installers are not able to enter loft spaces; lift floorboards or flooring; take apart any furniture of work above a height of 2m. If you anticipate that any of this may be required, then please contact us and we can discuss in more detail and provide you with a quotation.
• Should there be extreme weather conditions our installers may not be able to continue with you installation if it is not safe to do so (for example flooding). They will always do their best to complete the work where they can.
If you have any questions then please contact our customer service team who will be happy to help. Please also read our terms and conditions.
