Short answer
The wallbox itself can be dismantled and taken with you. The cable in the wall or in the ground stays behind, as does the circuit in the meter cupboard. So at the new place a new cable and circuit are needed. Allow roughly the same installation costs as for a new charger, minus the charger itself. It is often more convenient to leave it in place and settle up with the buyer.
Who this article is for For anyone moving house who has an EV charger, or buying a home that already has one.
What you can and cannot take with you
Can be taken: the wallbox itself, the charging cable, and sometimes the metering module from the meter cupboard.
Stays behind: the cable in the wall or in the ground, the circuit in the meter cupboard, the mounting and the lead-through.
That means you start again at the new place: cable, circuit, protection and mounting. You just do not have to buy the charger.
The sums
With a new installation the charger is often a third to half of the total. The rest is labour, cable and the work in the consumer unit. So if you take the charger with you, you save that one part, but you do pay for:
- dismantling and safely terminating the old connection
- a new installation at the new place
- possibly a new metering module, if the old one does not suit the new consumer unit
What is more: does the charger suit the new situation? A single-phase charger in a house with three-phase is a waste, and the other way round does not work.
Leaving it behind and settling up
In practice the most convenient. For a buyer with an electric car an EV charger is a plus, and you can include it in the asking price or in the list of fixtures and fittings.
Do leave the installation tidy, with a statement of who connected it and what protection is fitted. That saves the buyer having to investigate.
Safely terminating the connection
If you remove the charger, there must be no cable end left in the wall or in the ground that could become live. It is terminated in a box, or the circuit is removed and marked on the circuit chart.
That is exactly the kind of detail that gets forgotten in a move and that the next occupant cannot know.
Buying a home with an EV charger
Ask for:
Four questions you can already ask at the viewing.
- who fitted it and when
- whether there is its own circuit and a suitable RCD, see which RCD for an EV charger
- whether it has load balancing, see load balancing
- the manual and the app details, because a charger still linked to the previous occupant's account is awkward
If in doubt, I will check it at the handover. That is a short visit and you know straight away where you stand.
From my own work
A customer in Elsloo wanted to take his Zaptec with him. The charger had been there for two years and the new house had a driveway on the other side. The cable stayed behind, there had to be new digging and the meter cupboard in the new house was full. In the end he left it in place and settled up with the buyer; at the new place a new charger went in that suited the situation better.
When to call an electrician
- You are moving and want to know whether taking it with you pays off
- You are buying a home that already has an EV charger
- The charger needs to be dismantled and terminated properly
I can dismantle the charger and safely terminate the connection, or check it before you buy a home with a charger. Request a quote.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take my EV charger with me when I move?
The wallbox yes, the cable and the circuit no. So at the new place a new installation is needed, you just do not have to buy the charger.
What happens to the cable that stays behind?
It is neatly terminated in a box, or the circuit is removed and marked on the circuit chart, so that no loose end can become live.
Is an EV charger a plus when selling?
Certainly for a buyer with an electric car. Do leave the details behind: who fitted it, what protection is fitted and the manual.
Further reading
EV charger at home: single-phase or three-phase, and which protection
The choice depends as much on your car as on your connection. With the costs, the RCD debate and why load balancing is not an optional extra.
Which cable to the EV charger, and what the distance does
The further the charger is from the meter cupboard, the thicker the cable has to be. That is usually the item that decides the price.
Load balancing: why your main fuse can cope after all
Without load balancing the car keeps charging at full power while the oven and the tumble dryer are on too. With load balancing the car automatically charges more slowly.
Questions and comments
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