How to quote for an EV charger installation

Fitting an EV charger is rarely just bolting a unit to a wall. The price depends on where the consumer unit is, how far the cable has to run, the earthing arrangement at the property, and whether the existing supply can take the extra load. Quote it off a photo and you'll hit problems on the day. Here is how to survey the job, what to factor in, and how to build a quote that holds up. This is for qualified electricians installing to current wiring regulations.

Survey before you price

An EV charger install needs eyes on the property, not just the parking spot. The questions that move the price are about the existing supply, the earthing and the route the cable has to take.

• Where's the consumer unit, and how far is it from where the charger goes?
• What's the cable route: a clear internal run, a wall to drill through, or an external run that needs protecting?
• What's the earthing arrangement at the property, and does it need additional protection for the install?
• Is there spare capacity at the consumer unit, or does it need a way or a separate enclosure?
• What's the customer's chosen charger, and does it need network or load-management connectivity?

Factor in the supply, earthing and load check

This is where EV installs differ from a normal circuit, and it belongs in the quote, not as a surprise on the day. Adding an EV charger means checking the property's earthing arrangement and whether extra protection is needed, and assessing whether the existing supply can carry the additional load alongside everything else in the house. Where the supply is tight, the answer can be load-management or, in some cases, involving the network. Build in what the job genuinely needs and explain why it's there. It protects the customer and it protects your registration.

Allow for the DNO notification

EV charger installs come with a notification step to the Distribution Network Operator, and how that sits depends on the install and the supply. Treat it as part of doing the job properly rather than an optional extra, and account for the time it takes. Mention it on the quote so the customer understands there's a process behind a compliant install, not just a unit on the wall.

The line items to include

Break the quote into clear parts so the customer sees what they're paying for and you don't leave anything out.

• The charger unit itself (the customer may want a specific make, with or without smart features).
• The dedicated circuit: cable, containment, the protective device and any consumer unit work.
• Earthing and additional protection appropriate to the property's arrangement.
• Cable routing and making good: drilling, clipping, trunking, and reinstating where you've run it.
• Testing, inspection, certification and the DNO notification.
• Labour for the install and commissioning, plus setting up any app or connectivity the customer needs.

Price your own labour and materials, and check grants separately

Price the unit, cable, protection and accessories from your suppliers, and your labour from the realistic time on site for the cable run and the supply work involved. Price your own materials and labour for the property in front of you, because a charger next to the consumer unit and one at the far end of a long external run are very different jobs. On grants and funding schemes: these change, and eligibility depends on the property and the customer's circumstances, so point the customer to the current official scheme rather than promising anything. Don't quote a grant figure as fact on your document.

Present the price cleanly

Pull it together as a clear scope, an itemised breakdown, your exclusions, the testing and notification you'll handle, any warranty on the unit and your workmanship, and the total with VAT shown separately if you're registered. A compliant EV install is a real piece of electrical work, so a quote that explains the supply, earthing and notification earns trust over a one-line text from a rival.

For the standard sections every quote should carry, see what every professional quote should include. For another electrical job where the regulations and certification belong on the quote, see how to price a house rewire.