myenergi Zappi GLO vs Hypervolt Home 3 Pro: Solar Specialist or All-Rounder?

The Solar Specialist vs the All-Rounder

These two chargers come up in the same conversation more than almost any other pairing in the UK EV market — and it's easy to see why. Both are designed and manufactured by British companies, both carry OZEV approval, and both go well beyond basic "dumb" charging. Yet they take fundamentally different approaches. The myenergi Zappi GLO is built from the ground up around solar energy, offering the most sophisticated surplus-diversion system you can buy for a home wallbox. The Hypervolt Home 3 Pro takes a broader view, delivering solid performance across every category — smart tariffs, solar, build quality, and design — without trying to be the absolute best at any single one.

If you already have solar panels on your roof, or you're planning an installation in the next year or two, the Zappi GLO will be on your shortlist automatically. But if you want a charger that handles everything competently, looks smart on the wall, and shrugs off whatever British weather throws at it, the Hypervolt deserves serious consideration. The £89 price gap between them makes this a genuine decision rather than an obvious one.

In a nutshell:

• myenergi Zappi GLO (£779): The undisputed king of solar diversion, with three charging modes that let you run your EV entirely on free surplus energy from your panels.
• Hypervolt Home 3 Pro (£690): The best all-rounder in the UK market — competent solar integration, excellent build quality, and the toughest weather rating of any home charger.

Spec Comparison

Solar Diversion: Where the Zappi GLO Pulls Away

This is the category that justifies the Zappi's existence — and its higher price tag. The Zappi GLO offers three distinct charging modes. Fast mode draws full power from the grid, just like any other charger. Eco mode blends solar surplus with grid power to maintain a minimum charge rate even when clouds roll in. And Eco+ mode is the headline act: it charges your EV *exclusively* from surplus solar generation, meaning every mile is effectively free once your panels have paid for themselves.

As electriccarguide.co.uk notes in their review, this solar integration is the Zappi's standout feature, and it extends into the wider myenergi ecosystem. Pair the Zappi with an eddi hot water diverter or a libbi home battery and you can build a complete home energy management system where virtually nothing goes back to the grid at the export rate.

The Hypervolt Home 3 Pro does offer solar integration via an included CT clamp, and it works — your car will prioritise surplus solar when it's available. But as mackie-electrical.co.uk observes, the Zappi's Eco and Eco+ modes handle surplus more sophisticatedly than the Hypervolt's approach. If solar is the *primary* reason you're buying a smart charger, the Zappi GLO is the clear winner. If solar is a nice bonus on top of smart tariff charging, the Hypervolt's simpler implementation will serve you perfectly well.

Smart Tariff Integration

Both chargers support smart tariff scheduling, which is where the real savings live for the majority of UK EV drivers. Pair either unit with a tariff like Octopus Intelligent Go (~7p/kWh off-peak) or Octopus Go (7.5p/kWh between 00:30 and 04:30), and you're looking at annual charging costs of roughly £150–£160 for typical UK mileage of 7,400 miles — compared to £500+ on a standard variable tariff.

The Zappi GLO is confirmed as compatible with Intelligent Octopus Go, which is significant because that tariff offers a generous six-hour off-peak window and can intelligently schedule your charge around your departure time. The Hypervolt Home 3 Pro also integrates with smart tariffs through its app, letting you schedule charging for the cheapest overnight slots.

Where neither charger quite matches the competition is in tariff depth. As viablepower.co.uk points out, the Ohme Home Pro — with its built-in 4G SIM and deep API integration — remains the benchmark for tariff-conscious drivers. Both the Zappi and Hypervolt rely on Wi-Fi, which means a dodgy router could theoretically disrupt a scheduled charge. That said, for the vast majority of homes with reliable broadband, this is a non-issue.

Build Quality and Design

The Hypervolt Home 3 Pro wins this round convincingly. Its IP66 rating means it's protected against powerful water jets (a step above the Zappi's IP65 splash protection), and the IK10 impact resistance rating means it can withstand 20 joules of impact — roughly equivalent to a football kicked at full force. If your charger sits on an exposed wall next to a driveway where footballs, wheelie bins, or delivery vans pose a threat, this matters.

The Hypervolt is also the more compact and lighter unit at 270 × 170 × 110mm and 4.5 kg, compared to the Zappi's 439 × 282 × 130mm and 5.4 kg. Add in the interchangeable colour covers, and the Hypervolt is simply the better-looking charger for most homes. The Zappi GLO comes in black or white, which covers most tastes but doesn't offer the same level of customisation.

One design note: the Zappi GLO has removed the on-unit LCD screen that was present on the older Zappi 2.1, pushing all monitoring to the app. Some users will miss the at-a-glance status display, though in practice most people check their phone rather than walking outside to read the charger.

Power and Charging Speed

The Zappi GLO has a notable advantage here for the small percentage of UK homes with three-phase power: it's available in a 22kW version that would charge a 60kWh Tesla Model 3 in roughly 2.7 hours. For the vast majority of single-phase UK homes, however, the difference is marginal — 7kW (Zappi) versus 7.4kW (Hypervolt). That 0.4kW gap translates to the Hypervolt completing a full 60kWh charge in about 8.1 hours versus the Zappi's 8.5 hours. Over a typical overnight window, this difference is irrelevant.

The Hypervolt offers more flexibility on cable length, with 5m, 7.5m, and 10m options available at purchase. The Zappi's tethered version comes with a 6.5m cable, though an untethered option is available if you prefer to use your own cable — handy if you charge multiple vehicles with different connector preferences.

Price and Value

The £89 difference in unit price is meaningful but not dramatic. As evenergyhub.com and localev.uk both note, the Zappi's premium is justified if you have solar panels — the free charging from Eco+ mode can save hundreds of pounds a year, quickly recouping the extra outlay. Without solar, that £89 buys you superior build quality, a choice of cable lengths, and an extendable warranty with the Hypervolt.

Speaking of warranties, the Hypervolt's option to extend from 3 to 5 years for £100 is excellent value. The Zappi GLO sticks at 3 years standard, though myenergi does offer upgrade options.

Who Should Buy Which?

Buy the myenergi Zappi GLO if:

• You have solar panels or are planning to install them within the next couple of years
• You want to charge your EV entirely from free surplus solar using Eco+ mode
• You're building a myenergi ecosystem with eddi or libbi for whole-home energy management
• You have three-phase power and want 22kW charging speeds
• You need RFID access for a shared driveway or small business (supports up to 126 users)

Buy the Hypervolt Home 3 Pro if:

• You want the toughest, most weather-resistant charger on the market (IP66 + IK10)
• You need a longer cable — the 7.5m or 10m options solve real problems for many UK driveways
• You value design flexibility with interchangeable colour covers
• You want the security of an extendable 5-year warranty
• You want competent solar integration without paying the Zappi premium

Our recommendation: For most UK homeowners without solar panels, the Hypervolt Home 3 Pro is the better buy. It's £89 cheaper, tougher, more compact, and does everything a typical driver needs. But if you have solar panels — or you're seriously planning them — the Zappi GLO is worth every penny of its premium. No other home charger matches its solar diversion capabilities, and the ability to charge your car on free sunshine is a genuinely transformative feature that pays for itself over time.

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For the full specs-level breakdown, see our myenergi Zappi GLO vs Hypervolt Home 3 Pro comparison page.

Read our full myenergi Zappi GLO review or Hypervolt Home 3 Pro review.

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