Andersen A3 vs EO Mini Pro 3: Designer Style or Compact Practicality?

The Head-Turner vs the Disappearing Act

Here's an interesting dilemma: two British-designed EV chargers, both priced well above the market average, both solving problems that most competitors don't even acknowledge exist. The Andersen A3 wants your charger to look like a piece of architecture. The EO Mini Pro 3 wants your charger to practically vanish.

These two aren't natural rivals on paper — one costs nearly £300 more than the other — but they attract the same type of buyer: someone who cares about more than just kilowatts. Perhaps your charger sits on the front of a period property and you'd rather it didn't look like an industrial appliance. Or perhaps your mounting space is genuinely tiny — a narrow pillar, a cramped garage wall, a listed building where every square centimetre matters. Either way, you're shopping with your eyes as much as your spreadsheet, and that's perfectly valid.

In a nutshell:

• Andersen A3 (£995): The best-looking home charger in the UK, with 247 finish options, a hidden cable system, and a 7-year warranty — but you pay handsomely for it.
• EO Mini Pro 3 (£699): The smallest charger on the market at roughly A5-sized, with solar diversion included as standard and the most versatile connectivity options in its class.

Spec Comparison

Design and Build Quality

This is where the Andersen A3 genuinely stands alone — not just against the EO, but against every charger on the UK market. With 247 colour and finish combinations spanning anodised aluminium, Accoya wood panels, and carbon-fibre-effect trims, it's less "wallbox" and more "wall art." As electrifying.com notes, the A3 features a magnetic lid and a brush system that sweeps debris off the cable as you wind it back inside — a genuinely clever touch that keeps things tidy and your hands clean.

The EO Mini Pro 3 takes the opposite approach entirely. At just 215 × 140 × 100mm and weighing a mere 2.5kg, it's about the size of a hardback book. If the Andersen wants to be noticed and admired, the EO wants to be forgotten about entirely. For tight spaces — a garage pillar, a narrow wall between a door and a window — the Mini Pro 3 may be the only charger that physically fits.

The Andersen is built from anodised aluminium and feels properly premium. The EO is compact and functional. Both carry an IP54 weatherproof rating, so neither will have any trouble with British weather, but the Andersen's construction and seven-year warranty suggest it's built to last considerably longer. That warranty is more than double the EO's three years, and it's worth factoring in when you're comparing total cost of ownership.

Smart Tariff Integration

Both chargers support smart tariff scheduling, but they take slightly different routes. The Andersen A3 works with Octopus Intelligent Go and OVO Charge Anytime — two of the UK's most popular EV tariffs. Octopus Intelligent Go is particularly useful, offering rates around 7p/kWh during off-peak hours and intelligently shifting your charging sessions to the cheapest slots. However, as heatable.co.uk points out in their review of Andersen's range, the smart features are "competent but not best-in-class" — you get the basics done, but don't expect the deep automation of an Ohme or Hypervolt.

The EO Mini Pro 3 offers smart tariff presets for Octopus Go, EDF Go Electric, and others. It also has an interesting trick up its sleeve: British Gas/Hive Power+ integration, which credits back 25% of your charging costs if you're within the Hive ecosystem. On typical UK mileage of around 7,400 miles per year, a Tesla Model 3 owner would use roughly 2,114 kWh annually. At Octopus Go's 7.5p/kWh off-peak rate, that's about £159 per year — so a 25% cashback through Hive could save you an additional £40 or so annually. Not life-changing, but it adds up.

Neither charger is the smartest on the market in terms of pure tariff automation, but both will comfortably handle scheduled overnight charging on cheap rates — which is how the vast majority of UK EV owners charge.

Solar Compatibility

Both chargers offer solar integration, but the EO Mini Pro 3 has a meaningful advantage here: it includes a CT clamp as standard for solar diversion. This means you can start sending surplus solar energy to your car without buying any additional hardware. The Andersen A3 also supports solar charging via its app, though the data provided doesn't specify whether additional hardware is included or required.

That said, neither charger is going to match a dedicated solar-optimised unit like the Myenergi Zappi for granular control over surplus energy. If solar diversion is your primary motivation, you'd be better served looking at the Zappi. But if solar is a "nice to have" alongside other priorities — aesthetics for the Andersen, compact size for the EO — both will do the job.

App and Connectivity

The EO Mini Pro 3 wins the connectivity battle convincingly. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Ethernet are all built in, with optional 4G available for locations where Wi-Fi signal is weak or unreliable. Ethernet is particularly valuable — it's the most stable connection option and eliminates the frustrating dropouts that plague Wi-Fi-only chargers mounted on exterior walls far from the router.

The Andersen A3 relies on Wi-Fi alone. For most installations where the charger is within reasonable range of your home router, this will be perfectly fine. But if your charging point is at the far end of a long driveway or in a detached garage, the EO's Ethernet and optional 4G provide genuine peace of mind.

Both chargers offer their own apps for scheduling, monitoring, and charge tracking. Neither app is considered best-in-class, but both cover the essentials competently.

Price and Value

The price gap is substantial — you're looking at roughly £300 more for the Andersen at every level. That premium buys you the hidden cable system, 247 finish options, anodised aluminium construction, and a warranty that's four years longer. Whether that's worth it depends entirely on how visible your charger is and how much you value kerb appeal.

The EO Mini Pro 3 is itself not cheap — at £699, it's pricier than several excellent 7.4kW chargers. You're paying for the miniaturised form factor, the included CT clamp for solar, and the triple connectivity options. If size isn't a constraint, there are arguably better-value chargers at this price point, but nothing else comes close to fitting in such a small space.

Who Should Buy Which?

Buy the Andersen A3 if:

• Your charger will be prominently visible on the front of your house and aesthetics genuinely matter
• You want a finish that complements your property — from heritage colours to Accoya wood
• A 7-year warranty gives you peace of mind over the long term
• You appreciate the hidden cable system and hate messy trailing leads
• You're happy paying a premium for British-designed craftsmanship

Buy the EO Mini Pro 3 if:

• Your mounting space is genuinely constrained — narrow walls, pillars, or tight garages
• You want solar diversion with a CT clamp included at no extra cost
• Reliable connectivity matters and you'd prefer Ethernet or optional 4G over Wi-Fi alone
• You're in the British Gas/Hive ecosystem and can benefit from Power+ cashback
• You want a capable smart charger without the Andersen's design premium

Our recommendation: For most buyers choosing between these two, the deciding factor isn't really features — it's priorities. If your charger sits front and centre on your property and you want something that looks genuinely beautiful, the Andersen A3 is unmatched. Nothing else on the market comes close to its finish options and hidden cable design. But if you need a small, capable, well-connected charger that just gets the job done without fuss — and you'd rather keep £300 in your pocket — the EO Mini Pro 3 is the smarter buy. Its included solar CT clamp and Ethernet connectivity give it practical advantages the Andersen can't match.

Read our full Andersen A3 review or EO Mini Pro 3 review.

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