Tesla Wall Connector vs myenergi Zappi GLO: Tesla Ecosystem or Solar Savings?

The Ecosystem Play vs the Solar Specialist

These two chargers sit at opposite ends of the home EV charging philosophy. The Tesla Wall Connector (Gen 3) is a sleek, competitively priced unit designed to slot seamlessly into the Tesla ownership experience — clean app integration, over-the-air updates, and a price that undercuts most of the competition. The myenergi Zappi GLO, meanwhile, is built for homeowners who want to squeeze every last kilowatt from their solar panels and build a whole-home energy ecosystem over time.

If you're a Tesla owner without solar panels, this comparison might seem straightforward. But if you've got a PV array on your roof — or you're planning one — the Zappi GLO's solar diversion capabilities change the maths entirely. And with the Zappi GLO costing £304 more than the Tesla unit, you'll want to know exactly what that premium buys you.

In a nutshell:

• Tesla Wall Connector (Gen 3) (£475): The best-integrated charger for Tesla owners, with a 4-year warranty and competitive pricing that's hard to beat for grid-only charging.
• myenergi Zappi GLO (£779): The undisputed king of solar EV charging, with Eco+ mode that can charge your car entirely from surplus solar — essentially for free.

Spec Comparison

Smart Tariff Integration

This is where the Zappi GLO pulls ahead for cost-conscious drivers who don't have solar panels. The Zappi GLO is compatible with Intelligent Octopus Go, which offers electricity at around 7p/kWh during off-peak hours. The charger can communicate directly with the tariff to ensure your car charges at the cheapest possible times — no manual fiddling required.

The Tesla Wall Connector, by contrast, has no built-in smart tariff integration. You can schedule charging windows manually through the Tesla app (setting it to charge between 00:30 and 04:30 on Octopus Go, for example), but it won't dynamically respond to variable-rate tariffs like Octopus Agile. Tesla does offer its own Tesla Energy plan, but for the broadest tariff flexibility, the Zappi GLO is the stronger option.

As viablepower.co.uk notes, smart chargers that link directly to tariffs can deliver significant savings without you having to lift a finger. If tariff optimisation is your primary concern, it's worth noting that chargers like the Ohme Home Pro go even further than the Zappi in this area — but between these two, the Zappi wins comfortably.

Solar Diversion: The Zappi GLO's Party Piece

This is the feature that justifies the Zappi GLO's price tag — if you have solar panels. The Zappi GLO offers three charging modes: Fast (draws full power from the grid), Eco (blends solar and grid power), and Eco+ (charges exclusively from surplus solar generation). In Eco+ mode, you're literally charging your car for free using energy your panels would otherwise export for a few pence per kWh.

Let's put some numbers on it. A typical 4kW solar array in southern England might generate around 3,800kWh per year. If you're exporting surplus energy at the Smart Export Guarantee rate of roughly 4-6p/kWh, you're earning pennies. Divert that energy into your car instead, and you're offsetting grid electricity that costs 24-28p/kWh on a standard tariff — or even 7p/kWh on a smart tariff. Over a year, a solar-charging household could realistically save £200-400 on fuel costs depending on their generation and driving habits.

The Tesla Wall Connector has no solar diversion capability whatsoever. If you want to use solar energy to charge via the Tesla unit, you'd need a separate solar battery or manual scheduling around peak generation hours — neither of which is as elegant or efficient as the Zappi's built-in CT clamp monitoring. The Zappi GLO also integrates with the wider myenergi ecosystem, including the eddi hot water diverter and libbi home battery, letting you build a comprehensive home energy management system over time.

App and Connectivity

The Tesla app experience is, frankly, superb — and it extends well beyond charging. Your charging schedule, session history, energy costs, and notifications all live alongside your car's controls in a single, polished interface. Over-the-air updates mean the Wall Connector gains new features without you doing anything. As smarthomecharge.co.uk notes in their review, the user experience scores a perfect 5/5, though they flag customer service as a weaker point at just 2/5.

The myenergi app has improved significantly since the original Zappi launched, but it still isn't quite as slick. It handles scheduling, energy monitoring, and ecosystem management well enough, but users coming from the Tesla app may find it a step down in polish. The Zappi GLO does offer both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity (versus Wi-Fi only on the Tesla), which can be helpful during initial setup. However, the GLO removed the on-unit display that was present on the older Zappi 2.1 — a change that has divided opinion among existing myenergi users.

One notable difference: the Tesla Wall Connector supports power sharing across up to six units on a single circuit, making it excellent for households with multiple EVs. The Zappi GLO supports RFID access for up to 126 users — a feature more relevant to shared driveways or small business settings.

Build Quality and Installation

Both chargers are well-built, but the Zappi GLO has a clear edge in weatherproofing. Its IP65 rating means it's fully protected against water jets from any direction — ideal for an exposed driveway or coastal location. The Tesla Wall Connector's IP44 rating protects against splashing water, which is perfectly adequate for most sheltered UK installations but less reassuring if your charger will be fully exposed to the elements.

The Tesla unit is noticeably more compact at 353mm × 152mm × 124mm compared to the Zappi GLO's 439mm × 282mm × 130mm. If aesthetics and wall space matter to you, the Tesla's minimalist design is hard to beat. The Tesla also offers a slightly longer tethered cable at 7.3 metres versus the Zappi's 6.5 metres — a meaningful difference if your parking spot is further from your consumer unit. The Zappi GLO does offer an untethered option, giving you flexibility if you have multiple EVs with different cable preferences.

Installation costs are comparable for both units at £400-600 for a standard fit, though the Zappi may require a CT clamp installation if you're using solar diversion, which your installer should include as standard.

Price and Value

The Tesla Wall Connector is £304 cheaper at the unit level, which translates to a meaningful difference in total installed cost. For grid-only charging, the Tesla offers better value — you get a longer warranty (4 years vs 3), a longer cable, seamless Tesla app integration, and OTA updates for less money.

However, if you have solar panels, the Zappi GLO's solar diversion can pay back that £304 premium within one to two years through free solar charging. As qualityheating.co.uk highlights, the Tesla Wall Connector is a top choice for Tesla owners, but it simply cannot match the Zappi's energy management capabilities for solar households.

Who Should Buy Which?

Buy the Tesla Wall Connector (Gen 3) if:

• You're a Tesla owner who values seamless, single-app control of your car and charger
• You don't have solar panels and want the best value grid-only charger
• You want the longest warranty available (4 years)
• You have or plan to have multiple EVs and want power sharing across up to 6 units
• You prefer a compact, minimalist design

Buy the myenergi Zappi GLO if:

• You have solar panels (or are planning an installation) and want to charge from surplus solar for free
• You want built-in smart tariff support, particularly Intelligent Octopus Go compatibility
• You need a fully weatherproof charger (IP65) for an exposed installation
• You want the flexibility of an untethered option
• You're building a whole-home energy ecosystem with myenergi products like the eddi or libbi

Our recommendation: For the majority of Tesla owners charging from the grid, the Tesla Wall Connector is the smarter buy. It's £304 cheaper, has a longer warranty, a longer cable, and the app experience is genuinely best-in-class. But if you have solar panels — or you're investing in a PV system alongside your EV — the Zappi GLO is worth every penny of that premium. Its Eco+ mode turns your roof into a free fuel station, and the myenergi ecosystem gives you a growth path towards genuine energy independence. Buy for your energy setup, not just your car.

For the full specs-level breakdown, see our Tesla Wall Connector (Gen 3) vs myenergi Zappi GLO comparison page.

Read our full Tesla Wall Connector (Gen 3) review or myenergi Zappi GLO review.

Compare all chargers →