Easee One vs Pod Point Solo 3S: Budget Pick vs Hassle-Free Package

The Lightweight Bargain vs the All-In-One Package

These two chargers sit at opposite ends of the UK home charging market — not in terms of raw power (both deliver 7.4kW on single-phase), but in how you buy them and what you get for your money. The Easee One is the cheapest dedicated smart charger we've tested, coming in at just £405 for the unit alone. The Pod Point Solo 3S costs £999, but that price includes professional installation — no separate electrician to find, no extra invoices.

If you're a new EV owner trying to decide between these two, the question isn't really "which charger is better?" — it's "do I want maximum control and the lowest possible price, or do I want someone to handle everything for me?" Both are OZEV-approved, both charge at the same speed, and both will happily top up a Tesla Model 3 overnight. The differences lie in the details: connectivity, warranty, flexibility, and the installation experience itself.

In a nutshell:

• Easee One (£405): The lightest, cheapest smart charger on the market with built-in lifetime 4G connectivity and room to expand to three units.
• Pod Point Solo 3S (£999): A fully installed package from one of the UK's most established charging brands, backed by an industry-leading 5-year warranty.

Spec Comparison

App and Connectivity

This is where the Easee One punches well above its price tag. It comes with a built-in eSIM providing lifetime 4G connectivity at no ongoing cost — a genuinely impressive inclusion at £405. If your Wi-Fi signal doesn't reach the driveway (a common problem in UK homes where the router sits in the hallway and the charger lives on a garage wall twenty metres away), the Easee simply falls back to 4G. You'll never lose the ability to schedule charges or monitor usage remotely.

The Pod Point Solo 3S relies on Wi-Fi alone. That's perfectly fine if your router is nearby or you've invested in a mesh Wi-Fi system, but it does mean you could lose smart functionality if the connection drops. The Pod Point app itself is functional — you can schedule charging sessions and monitor energy use — but multiple reviews describe it as basic compared to competitors. The Easee app, by contrast, offers consumption tracking, remote control, and access sharing, and topcharger.co.uk notes it also supports RFID access control and over-the-air firmware updates via that always-on 4G connection.

Neither charger offers direct smart tariff integration of the kind you'd find with an Ohme, so if you're on Octopus Intelligent Go or Agile and want your charger to automatically chase the cheapest half-hour slots, you'll need to rely on your car's own scheduling or your energy provider's app. Both chargers do support basic scheduled charging through their respective apps, which is enough to take advantage of fixed off-peak windows like Octopus Go's 00:30–04:30 slot at around 7.5p/kWh.

Solar Compatibility and Load Management

If you have solar panels — or plan to install them — the Pod Point Solo 3S has a clear advantage here. It's listed as solar compatible, meaning it can work alongside your PV system to make use of excess generation. The Easee One does not support solar integration, which is a notable omission if you're trying to build a joined-up home energy setup.

Both chargers offer some form of load management. The Easee One features dynamic load balancing and can manage up to three charging units from a single 32A electrical supply, though topcharger.co.uk notes this requires additional Easee hardware (the Easee Equaliser). That multi-charger capability is a genuine differentiator if your household runs two or three EVs — a scenario that's increasingly common. The Pod Point Solo 3S offers adaptive load management to protect your home's electrical supply, ensuring the charger dials back if other high-draw appliances are running.

Build Quality and Design

The Easee One is remarkably compact and light. At just 1.5 kg and roughly the size of a small hardback book (256 × 193 mm), it's the lightest charger we've come across. As heatable.co.uk puts it, the Scandinavian design is deliberately discreet — smaller than an A4 sheet of paper with a neat LED "robot face." That tiny footprint makes it a natural choice if aesthetics matter to you, and the low weight means installation is straightforward on virtually any wall surface.

The Pod Point Solo 3S is noticeably larger and heavier — 330 × 290 mm and up to 6 kg in tethered form. It's not ugly by any means, but it's a more traditional-looking wallbox. The upside of the tethered version is convenience: a 5-metre cable permanently attached means you simply grab and plug in, with no rummaging in the boot. The untethered version, at 3.5 kg, is still more than double the Easee's weight. Both units carry an IP54 weatherproof rating, so either will handle British rain without complaint.

Installation Considerations

Here's where the buying experience diverges sharply. The Easee One is sold as a unit only, meaning you source and pay your own OZEV-approved installer. Typical installation runs £400–600, giving you a total installed cost of roughly £805–£1,005. The advantage? You choose your electrician. You can read their reviews, get multiple quotes, and pick someone local with a proven track record.

The Pod Point Solo 3S takes the opposite approach: installation is included in the £999 price, and you must use Pod Point's own installation service. You cannot buy the unit separately. Pod Point assigns a third-party contractor from their network, and you don't get to choose who turns up or vet their reviews beforehand. For some buyers, that's a welcome simplification — one payment, one point of contact, job done. For others, it feels like captive-audience pricing with no ability to shop around.

Price and Value

On pure numbers, the Easee One can undercut the Pod Point by up to £194 at the lower end of installation costs — or end up costing roughly the same if your installation is complex. After the OZEV grant (available to eligible renters and flat owners, providing up to £350 off), the Pod Point drops to an attractive £649 all-in, while the Easee could go as low as £455.

The Easee's value proposition is remarkable when you consider it includes lifetime 4G connectivity, integrated RCD Type-B and open PEN protection (which can save £100+ on additional components during installation), and dynamic load balancing for multi-charger setups. The Pod Point counters with a 5-year warranty — two years longer than the Easee's — and the sheer convenience of not having to manage the installation process yourself.

Who Should Buy Which?

Buy the Easee One if:

• You want the lowest possible total cost and are happy sourcing your own installer
• Reliable connectivity matters — the lifetime 4G eSIM is a genuine standout feature
• You have (or plan to have) multiple EVs and want to expand to up to three chargers
• You prefer a compact, lightweight, discreet unit on your wall
• You want integrated electrical protections (RCD Type-B, open PEN) to simplify installation

Buy the Pod Point Solo 3S if:

• You want a single price covering everything — charger, installation, no surprises
• A 5-year warranty gives you peace of mind over the long term
• You have solar panels and want a charger that's compatible with your PV system
• You'd rather not research and vet electricians yourself
• You prefer a tethered option with a built-in 5-metre cable for grab-and-go convenience

Our recommendation: For most Tesla owners comfortable with a small amount of DIY research (finding a good local installer), the Easee One is the smarter buy. It's cheaper, lighter, better connected, and expandable — and the lifetime 4G alone justifies the choice. However, if you genuinely want zero hassle, value a longer warranty, or need solar compatibility, the Pod Point Solo 3S earns its higher price through convenience and coverage. Neither charger offers smart tariff integration, so if that's your priority, you may want to compare all chargers to explore alternatives.

Read our full Easee One review or Pod Point Solo 3S review.

Compare all chargers →