Electric vehicle chargepoints come in 2 variations socketed and tethered. Both units will charge your EV at the same rate and have the features. The only difference is how you connect the chargepoint to your vehicle, ultimately it is down to personal choice but we have highlighted the difference below

Many EV and PHEV owners choose the tethered option, because it means they can leave their car’s charging cable in the boot. You simply park up and plug in. Ultimately the tethered unit is all about convenience.

However, while the tethered chargepoints are convenient they do have notable drawback. This drawback is futureproofing. As you will be aware, electric vehicles can have different sockets, Type 1 & Type 2. Should you ever change your vehicle to a different socket type or if in the future there is a shift to another kind of connector, you may find your next car isn’t compatible. This means you will need to buy and an adaptor or have the tethered lead retro fitted which can be un-cost effective.

Another drawback is, unless the unit has a handy way of neatly coiling the cable, you could end up with it trailing across the ground. If the lead is left in an untidy state or left on the floor in bad weather, this can cause water ingress and damage of you accidently drive over it. You will need to ensure you coil the cable up neatly each time.

Obviously, with the socketed chargepoints, you will have to supply your own charging cable. However, most plug-in cars are usually supplied with one. However, if you lose yours or simply want an additional cable, you can visit our online store.

Unlike a tethered charger, you will have to get the cable out of your vehicles boot for each time you want to charge your EV / PHEV and repeat the process when you unplug. However, without a cable, socketed units look neater on your driveway, and you can purchase cables of different lengths as required.

Unlike the tethered units, they are the best way of future-proofing your charger, as you can simply change the lead to suit each vehicle you may drive, for example moving from a Mitsubishi Outlander to Tesla Model 3.