Ohme Home Pro vs Zaptec Go 2: Smart Savings Today or Future-Proof Tech?

Smart Savings Today vs Future-Proof Tech

These two chargers represent fundamentally different philosophies about home EV charging. The Ohme Home Pro is laser-focused on saving you money right now — its deep integration with smart energy tariffs like Octopus Intelligent Go means it can automatically charge your Tesla (or any EV) at rates as low as 7p/kWh. The Zaptec Go 2, meanwhile, is betting on the future — it's the UK's first V2G-ready AC home charger, designed for a world where your car becomes a mobile power station that sells energy back to the grid.

You might be choosing between these two if you're a forward-thinking EV owner who wants more than a basic "dumb" charger. Perhaps you've got solar panels (both support solar integration), or you're on a smart tariff and want to maximise savings. The £172 price difference and their contrasting feature sets make this a genuinely interesting comparison — one that comes down to whether you want proven savings today or hardware that's ready for tomorrow's energy revolution.

In a nutshell:

• Ohme Home Pro (£535): The UK's best charger for smart tariff integration, officially recommended by Octopus Energy and capable of paying for itself within a year through automated off-peak charging.
• Zaptec Go 2 (£707): A future-proofed, V2G-ready charger with a 5-year warranty and three-phase support, built for drivers who want their hardware to last well into the next decade.

Spec Comparison

Smart Tariff Integration

This is where the Ohme Home Pro truly shines — and where the gap between these two chargers is widest. The Ohme has direct API-level integration with Octopus Energy, OVO, and other UK smart tariffs. It's officially recommended by Octopus for their Intelligent Go tariff, which extends your off-peak window to six hours and gives you electricity at roughly 7p/kWh. The charger doesn't just schedule charging during a fixed off-peak window; it communicates directly with your energy provider to find the cheapest half-hour slots and automatically shifts your charging to match. As electriccarguide.co.uk notes, the Home Pro's "compatibility with Octopus' energy tariffs makes it stand out as a product designed to minimize EV electricity usage and costs."

The Zaptec Go 2 takes a different approach. Its MID-approved energy meter provides accurate, billing-grade consumption data, and its OCPP 1.6J compliance means it can work with third-party energy management systems. You can schedule charging through the Zaptec app, and the subscription-free 4G keeps it connected without Wi-Fi. But it lacks the Ohme's direct tariff API integration — you won't get the same set-and-forget automation that makes the Ohme so compelling on Octopus Intelligent Go or Agile.

For anyone currently on (or planning to switch to) a smart tariff, the Ohme's advantage here is significant. At 7p/kWh on Intelligent Go versus a standard rate of around 24p/kWh, a typical Tesla Model 3 driver covering 7,400 miles annually could save roughly £350-£400 per year. That's enough to cover the Ohme's purchase price in well under two years.

Power, Charging Speed, and Future-Proofing

On a standard UK single-phase supply — which covers the vast majority of British homes — both chargers deliver identical 7.4kW charging. That means roughly 8.5 hours for a full 0-100% charge on a 60kWh battery, or around 25-30 miles of range per hour. For overnight charging, this is more than adequate.

Where the Zaptec Go 2 pulls ahead is three-phase support. If you're one of the small percentage of UK homes with a three-phase supply (or you're planning an upgrade), the Go 2 can deliver up to 22kW — cutting that same full charge to approximately 2.7 hours. The Ohme Home Pro is single-phase only, with no upgrade path. As mcnallyev.uk highlights, single-phase limitation is a notable constraint for the Ohme.

Then there's V2G — vehicle-to-grid technology. The Zaptec Go 2 is the UK's first V2G-ready AC home charger, meaning it has the hardware to support bidirectional energy flow once the technology and regulatory framework mature. In theory, this will let your EV sell stored energy back to the grid during peak demand, potentially earning you money. In practice, V2G is still in its early stages in the UK, and it may be several years before it becomes mainstream. You're paying a premium for future capability, not present functionality.

Solar Integration

Both chargers support solar energy integration, but they approach it differently. The Ohme Home Pro has solar diverting built in, allowing it to use excess solar generation to charge your car rather than exporting it to the grid. This is handled through the app and works with existing solar panel installations.

The Zaptec Go 2 can auto-switch between single and three-phase charging to optimise solar integration — a clever feature if you have a three-phase supply and a larger solar array. For most single-phase UK homes, however, this advantage is largely theoretical.

If you already have solar panels and want a straightforward diversion setup, the Ohme's built-in solar diverting is the simpler, more accessible solution. If you have a three-phase supply and a substantial solar installation, the Zaptec's flexibility could be more useful.

App, Connectivity, and Design

The Ohme app is widely regarded as one of the best in the UK EV charging space. It offers detailed cost tracking per session, real-time charging updates, and full control over schedules and smart charging routines. The Home Pro also features a colour LCD display on the unit itself, so you can check charging status at a glance without reaching for your phone — a feature evergy.co.uk highlights as a key differentiator even within Ohme's own range.

The Zaptec app is functional but relatively basic by comparison. It handles scheduling, monitoring, and remote control, but it lacks the depth of tariff integration and cost analytics that make the Ohme app so compelling. Both chargers offer 4G connectivity without needing Wi-Fi — the Ohme includes a 3-year SIM, while the Zaptec's 4G is subscription-free with no stated time limit.

Design-wise, the Zaptec Go 2 is the more compact unit with a clean Scandinavian aesthetic. The Ohme is slightly larger but benefits from that built-in colour display. The Ohme's IP65 rating edges out the Zaptec's IP54, meaning it offers better protection against dust and water jets — a minor but practical advantage for exposed outdoor installations. One practical note: the Ohme comes tethered with a 5m cable included, while the Zaptec is untethered, so you'll need to supply your own Type 2 cable (typically £100-£200 extra).

Price and Value

The Ohme Home Pro is £172 cheaper at the unit level, and that gap widens when you factor in that the Zaptec requires a separate charging cable. A decent 5m Type 2 cable adds £100-£150, pushing the real-world price difference to roughly £270-£320. For a standard single-phase UK home, the Ohme delivers more immediate, tangible value through its smart tariff savings. The Zaptec's longer 5-year warranty partially offsets the higher cost, offering two extra years of peace of mind.

Who Should Buy Which?

Buy the Ohme Home Pro if:

• You're on Octopus Intelligent Go, Octopus Agile, or another smart tariff (or plan to switch)
• You want automated, set-and-forget charging at the cheapest possible rates
• You prefer a tethered charger with a cable always ready to plug in
• You have solar panels and want built-in solar diverting
• You want the best app experience with detailed per-session cost tracking

Buy the Zaptec Go 2 if:

• You want V2G-readiness and are willing to invest in future-proof hardware
• You have (or plan to install) a three-phase power supply
• You prefer an untethered charger for a cleaner wall-mounted look or cable flexibility
• A 5-year warranty matters more to you than upfront savings
• You need OCPP compliance for integration with third-party energy management systems

Our recommendation: For most UK Tesla owners and EV drivers today, the Ohme Home Pro is the smarter buy. Its unmatched smart tariff integration delivers real, measurable savings from day one — pair it with Octopus Intelligent Go and you could be charging at 7p/kWh, saving hundreds of pounds annually. The Zaptec Go 2 is a genuinely impressive piece of hardware with a compelling future-proofing story, but you're paying a significant premium for V2G capability that isn't yet mainstream. If you have a three-phase supply or are genuinely committed to being an early V2G adopter, the Zaptec makes sense. For everyone else, the Ohme's combination of lower price, superior tariff integration, and proven daily savings makes it the charger we'd recommend.

Read our full Ohme Home Pro review or Zaptec Go 2 review.

Compare all chargers →