How to Become an EV Charger Installer in the UK (2026 Guide)

EV charger installers design, install, commission, and maintain electric vehicle charging equipment. The work includes:

• Site surveys — assessing electrical supply capacity, cable routes, and mounting positions
• Electrical supply upgrades — sometimes a supply upgrade or new circuit from the consumer unit is needed
• Charger mounting — wall-mounted (most common for homes) or pedestal-mounted (workplaces, car parks)
• Cable installation — running SWA (steel wire armoured) cable from the consumer unit to the charger location, sometimes underground
• Electrical connections — connecting to a dedicated circuit with appropriate protection (MCB, RCD, or RCBO)
• Earth rod installation — PME earthing restrictions often require a local earth electrode for outdoor chargers
• Commissioning — configuring the charger, connecting to Wi-Fi/4G, setting up the customer's app
• Load management — installing CT clamps or smart energy management to prevent supply overload
• OZEV grant paperwork — processing government grant applications for eligible installations
• Testing and certification — electrical testing and issuing installation certificates

A typical home charger installation takes 2-4 hours for a straightforward install. Complex installations (long cable runs, supply upgrades, multiple chargers) can take a full day.

Step 1: Qualify as an Electrician

EV charger installation is specialist electrical work. You need:
• NVQ Level 3 in Electrical Installation
• 18th Edition Wiring Regulations (BS 7671)
• ECS card (Electrotechnical Certification Scheme)
• 2391 Inspection & Testing (recommended)

See our electrician guide for the full pathway. This takes 3-4 years.

Step 2: Take an EV Charger Installation Course

The City & Guilds 2919 (Requirements for Electric Vehicle Charging) is the industry-standard course. It covers:
• EV charging modes and connector types
• Electrical installation requirements for EV charging
• PME earthing considerations and earth electrode requirements
• Load management and supply capacity assessment
• BS 7671 requirements specific to EV charging
• OZEV grant scheme requirements

The course takes 1-2 days and costs £250-£500.

Step 3: Get Manufacturer Training

Most charger manufacturers require specific training to install their products:
• Ohme — Online training + practical assessment
• Pod Point — Installer training programme
• Andersen — Premium charger training
• Easee — Installer certification
• Tesla — Certified installer programme
• Zappi (myenergi) — Installer training

Manufacturer training is usually free or low-cost and can be completed in 1 day.

Step 4: Register as an OZEV Approved Installer

To install chargers that qualify for the government's EV chargepoint grant (up to £350 towards installation costs), you must be an OZEV (Office for Zero Emission Vehicles) approved installer. Registration requires being on a competent person scheme (NICEIC, NAPIT, etc.).

Step 5: Join a Competent Person Scheme

Register with NICEIC, NAPIT, or ELECSA to self-certify your installations under Part P. This is essential for any domestic electrical work including EV chargers.

A typical three-installation day:

7:30 AM — First job: a home charger installation in a new-build estate. Straightforward — short cable run from the garage consumer unit to a wall-mounted Ohme charger. Survey completed last week.

8:00 AM — Install earth rod in the front garden (required due to PME supply). Run 6mm SWA cable from the consumer unit to the charger location. Mount the charger, make connections, install CT clamp for load management.

9:30 AM — Commission the charger: connect to home Wi-Fi, set up the customer's app, configure scheduled charging (off-peak tariff). Test the circuit, issue the electrical certificate, process the OZEV grant application.

10:00 AM — Quick tidy up and handover to the customer. Total time: 2 hours. Customer pays £999, grant covers £350, customer's net cost: £649.

10:30 AM — Drive to second job: a workplace installation at a small office. Two 7kW chargers in the car park.

11:00 AM — This is more complex: run SWA cable from the main distribution board, across the car park underground, to two pedestal-mounted chargers. Install load balancing between the two units.

1:00 PM — Lunch while cables are being routed by the labourer.

1:30 PM — Complete connections, mount chargers on pedestals, commission both units with RFID access control. Test and certify.

3:00 PM — Third job: a home Tesla Wall Connector installation. Premium product, straightforward install.

3:30 PM — Mount charger, run cable, connect, commission. Set up the Tesla app. Certificate and handover.

4:30 PM — Paperwork in the van: three certificates, three OZEV applications, three invoices.

Today's earnings: Three installations = approximately £2,500-£3,000 revenue. After charger costs (supplied by customer in two cases, supplied by you in one), cable, and sundries, profit is approximately £1,800-£2,200. For a single day's work, that's exceptional.

EV charger installation offers some of the best earnings in the electrical trade.

Employed EV Installer:
• Qualified installer: £32,000-£42,000
• Senior installer/team leader: £40,000-£50,000
• Surveyor/designer: £35,000-£48,000

Self-Employed EV Installer:
• Part-time (adding to existing electrical work): £10,000-£25,000 additional income
• Full-time: £50,000-£75,000
• High-volume with team: £80,000-£150,000+ (business revenue)

Earnings per installation:
• Home charger (simple): £500-£800 profit (2-3 hours work)
• Home charger (complex/long run): £800-£1,500 profit (half day)
• Workplace charger (per unit): £600-£1,200 profit
• Public/rapid charger: £2,000-£5,000+ profit (specialist work)

*Sources: ONS, Glassdoor, OZEV data, ECA industry reports.*

Key earnings insight: A self-employed EV installer completing 3-5 home installations per day (simple installs) can generate £1,500-£4,000 daily revenue. Even at 3 per day, 4 days per week, that's £300,000+ annual revenue. After all costs, net earnings of £70,000-£100,000 are realistic for an efficient, well-marketed operation.

Career path:

Years 1-4: Electrician training → Foundation electrical qualifications
Year 4-5: EV specialist → Add City & Guilds 2919, manufacturer training, OZEV approval
Years 5-8: Established EV installer → Self-employed or leading a team. £50,000-£75,000.
Years 8+: EV charging business → Multiple teams, commercial contracts, maintenance agreements. £80,000-£150,000+.

Market outlook — why this is future-proof:

• 1 million+ EVs on UK roads in 2026 — growing 30%+ annually
• 2035 ban on new petrol/diesel cars — every new car will need a charger
• 300,000+ public charge points needed by 2030 (from ~70,000 today)
• Workplace Charging Scheme — government grants driving workplace installations
• New-build regulations — all new homes must have EV charger infrastructure from 2022
• Fleet electrification — companies converting vehicle fleets to electric

Growth areas:
• Rapid/ultra-rapid charging — 50kW-350kW public chargers (specialist, high-value work)
• Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) — Bi-directional charging, emerging technology
• Solar + battery + EV integration — Complete home energy systems
• Fleet installations — Commercial depots with 10-100+ chargers
• Maintenance contracts — Recurring revenue from commercial charging networks

For the foundational qualifications, see our electrician guide. Also consider adding solar panel installation for the complete green energy offering.

*Last updated: March 2026. Salary data sourced from ONS, OZEV, ECA, and industry surveys.*