Zaptec Go 2 vs EO Mini Pro 3

> 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.

The £115 between a bet and a sure thing

These two chargers occupy different corners of the market despite landing within a couple of hundred pounds of each other. The Zaptec Go 2 at £638 is an AC charger marketed as V2G-ready because it publishes ISO 15118 communication support — a forward-looking claim on a technology still finding its feet. The EO Mini Pro 3 at £523 makes no such promises. It is, instead, the smallest mainstream charger you can buy: 215 × 140 × 100 mm, roughly the footprint of an A5 notebook. One sells you a future; the other solves a present problem.

• Zaptec Go 2 — V2G-ready, untethered, three-phase capable, five-year warranty. £638.
• EO Mini Pro 3 — the smallest tethered unit on the market, solar CT clamp included, three-year warranty. £523.

What V2G readiness costs — and what it doesn't yet deliver

V2G-ready is Zaptec's headline label, but the Go 2 is not certified to export as a standalone UK installation. Zaptec says a certified complete system is required. You are paying £115 more than the EO for present-day features such as its MID meter, 4G, warranty and three-phase support; do not price in future export.

What the Zaptec does deliver today: a MID-approved energy meter (legally certified readings, useful if you expense business mileage or share a supply), subscription-free 4G connectivity, and OCPP 1.6J compliance for third-party energy management. These are real, functional advantages. The 4G alone is worth noting — no annual fee, no reliance on a garage Wi-Fi signal that drops out when the door is closed. The EO offers optional 4G, but it is an extra module and an extra cost.

The trade-off: the Zaptec is untethered. You supply your own Type 2 cable, which adds £80–£150 to the real cost. That narrows the headline £115 gap to something closer to £200–£265 all-in.

Size, tethering, and the wall you have

The EO Mini Pro 3 exists because some walls are awkward. At 2.5 kg and barely larger than a paperback, it mounts in spaces the Zaptec — already compact at 3.2 kg — still cannot. A narrow pillar between two garage doors. A recessed alcove beside a front entrance. If the physical constraint is real, the EO is often the only mainstream option that works.

It also comes tethered with a 5-metre cable. Plug in, charge, done — no coiling a separate lead, no hunting for it in the boot. For a household that just wants the simplest daily routine, tethered wins every time.

The EO's connectivity is solid: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and — unusually — an Ethernet port. In a detached garage with thick walls, a wired connection is more reliable than any wireless alternative. That Ethernet port is a quiet but practical detail the Zaptec lacks.

Smart tariff handling: neither charger leads the field

Both chargers support scheduled charging, which is enough for fixed-window tariffs like Octopus Go (8.5p/kWh, 00:30–05:30) or EDF GoElectric (6.99p/kWh, 23:00–06:00). Set a timer, forget it.

Neither, however, matches the Ohme Home Pro for half-hourly tariff optimisation on Octopus Agile. If variable-rate chasing is the priority, the Ohme at £539 — £99 less than the Zaptec, £16 more than the EO — is the right charger. The Ohme Home Pro vs Zaptec Go 2 comparison covers that angle properly.

One EO-specific note: British Gas customers on the Hive Power+ tariff get 25% of charging costs credited back through the Hive Power+ version of this charger. That is a structural discount no other unit offers — but it locks you into the British Gas ecosystem.

EO is also retiring its own app and migrating users to ev.energy. The charger you buy today will not be managed by the software on EO's older marketing materials. Worth knowing before you commit.

The verdict

Buy the Zaptec Go 2 if:

• You believe V2G will mature within the next five years and want the only certified-ready AC unit
• You need MID-approved metering for business mileage claims or shared supplies
• You have or plan to install a three-phase supply (the Zaptec scales to 22 kW)

Buy the EO Mini Pro 3 if:

• Your mounting space is tight — this is the smallest charger on the market
• You prefer a tethered cable and a plug-in-and-go routine
• You are a British Gas customer who can use the Hive Power+ 25% cashback

For the majority of single-phase UK homes with a standard-sized wall and no immediate V2G ambitions, the EO Mini Pro 3 at £523 is the more grounded purchase. It does less on paper, but everything it does is useful today. The Zaptec is the more interesting charger. The EO is the more sensible one. Sensible, on a wall you look at for a decade, tends to age better.