Andersen A3 vs Zaptec Go 2

> V2G boundary: A “V2G-ready” label or ISO 15118 support does not by itself provide bidirectional power conversion, export approval or a live energy service. Confirm the compatible car, genuinely bidirectional hardware, certified complete system, installer, service and network approval before assigning value to the claim. Read the UK V2G explainer.

£262 buys you a philosophy, not a faster charge

The Andersen A3 costs £900. The Zaptec Go 2 costs £638. Both deliver 7.4kW on a standard single-phase supply — the same rate, the same overnight top-up, the same morning battery. The £262 gap buys no extra kilowatts. What it buys is a different answer to the question: what do you want a charger to be?

• Andersen A3 — a piece of exterior architecture. Hidden cable, anodised aluminium, 247 colour combinations, seven-year warranty. You are paying for the thing you see.
• Zaptec Go 2 — a bet on what comes next. marketed as V2G-ready, MID-approved meter, subscription-free 4G, OCPP 1.6J. You are paying for the thing you cannot use yet.

Neither is wrong. But they suit different buyers so completely that choosing between them is less about specs and more about temperament.

The Andersen A3's case: visible design, hidden cable

Most chargers look like they belong on the side of a car park. The A3 does not. Its retractable 5.5-metre cable tucks inside the unit when not in use — no dangling Type 2 lead, no wall hook, no cable coiled on the ground. No other domestic charger on the UK market does this. The anodised aluminium front will outlast the plastic housings on the Hypervolt Home 3 Pro or Easee One, and Andersen's 247 finish options — wood inlays, colour-matched panels — mean you can treat it as part of the house rather than something bolted to it.

The seven-year warranty is the longest in the catalogue. That matters at £900, because you are entitled to expect longevity from something that costs almost as much as two VCHRGD Seven Pros.

The trade-off is the 5.5-metre cable. Hidden cables need housing inside the unit, so there is no option to go longer. If your parking spot sits more than about four metres from the mounting point, the A3 may not reach. Measure first. And the smart features — app scheduling, Intelligent Octopus Go integration, solar awareness — are competent rather than exceptional. The Ohme Home Pro at £539 does more with tariff data for £361 less. You are not buying the A3 for its software.

The Zaptec Go 2's case: a charger that bets on tomorrow

V2G — vehicle-to-grid — is the headline. The Go 2 is the only AC home charger in the UK certified ready for it. In theory, your car feeds energy back to the grid when prices peak, and charges when they drop. In practice, the UK's V2G infrastructure is still patchy, the list of compatible vehicles is short, and the commercial terms are evolving. You may wait years before the feature earns a penny.

What works today is the MID-approved energy meter — legally certified readings, useful if you expense business mileage or need accurate billing — and the subscription-free 4G. No Wi-Fi dependency, no annual fee. The unit also auto-switches between single- and three-phase, so if you move to a property with a three-phase supply, the Go 2 scales to 22kW without replacement. At 3.2 kg, it is one of the lightest chargers on the market — though being untethered, you will need to carry and plug your own cable each time.

If V2G scepticism is keeping you away, note that the Indra Smart PRO at £395 also positions itself as a V2G pioneer — our Zaptec Go 2 vs Indra Smart PRO comparison unpacks that choice in detail.

What £262 does not buy

It does not buy a better charge speed, a smarter tariff brain, or a tougher IP rating — both are IP54. It does not buy a tethered cable on the Zaptec or a longer cable on the Andersen. The A3 connects via Wi-Fi only; the Go 2 has Wi-Fi, 4G, and Bluetooth. The A3 carries a seven-year warranty against the Go 2's five. On Octopus Go or EDF GoElectric, both schedule off-peak charging adequately, though neither matches the half-hourly tariff chasing of the Ohme Home Pro on Octopus Agile.

Both are OZEV-approved. Eligible renters and flat owners can claim the £500 grant, which brings the Zaptec Go 2 to £138 for the unit and chips into install costs, while the A3 drops to £400 — still premium, but less dramatically so.

Which to buy

Buy the Andersen A3 if:

• The charger mounts on a wall visible from the street or your front door, and you want it to look like it belongs there
• You value the hidden cable system enough to accept the 5.5-metre limit
• A seven-year warranty matters — you plan to stay in this house

Buy the Zaptec Go 2 if:

• You want V2G readiness and accept the timeline is uncertain
• You need a MID-approved meter for business mileage or billing
• You prefer untethered flexibility and may move to a three-phase property

For most buyers, the Zaptec Go 2 is the more rational purchase — £262 cheaper, with features that have a plausible future payoff and a MID meter that pays off now. The Andersen A3 is not a rational purchase. It is a considered one, for people who have looked at a plastic box on a brick wall and thought: not on my house. If that is you, nothing else in the catalogue will do.