Cord One EV charger review

Verdict

The Cord One home EV charger is an appealing choice mainly because of its simplicity and ease of use. Yes, there are chargers from rivals that offer more connectivity and tech integration, but Cord is already ushering-in new connected apps and access to a wider range of energy tariffs. Excellent customer service and support help make the Cord One a truly convenient option.

• Price: from £879 (inc. installation)
• Contact: cord-ev.com

People are still feeling confused when it comes to choosing how their car should be powered. Is a petrol model the way to go, or maybe a hybrid? Then there’s plug-in hybrids and, of course, the big move over to an all-electric car.

In truth, if you do your research and are clear on what you need for your own individual lifestyle, then making a decision shouldn’t be too difficult. One thing's for sure though, if you do crossover to battery power you’ll want a good home charging setup to help make your new EV life as simple and efficient as possible.

That’s where Cord EV comes in. Like the crowded electric car marketplace, the variety of home EV chargers currently on offer makes things extremely competitive, which means it’s important to stand out from the rest by doing something different. The Birmingham-based company says it wants to make electric vehicle charging easy and accessible to all, so we thought we’d put them to the test.

Customers have the choice of the tethered Cord One charger (with a five or seven-metre cable) or the Cord Zero, which is available tethered (with a five or eight-metre cable) or untethered, allowing you to attach your own cable. The Zero has a matt black finish, while the Cord One is available in gloss black or white. Both are compact in size with an overall height of between 320mm and 344mm.

Taking into account the size of my driveway which can comfortably fit two cars side by side, I decided to test the Cord One with a five metre cable. This is the entry point to the range and costs from £879 fully installed, although you won’t have to cough up much extra to secure a Zero charger, because that starts from just £899.

I must admit, I was a bit sceptical about the process beforehand, particularly about the installation and whether the charger would look out of place on the exterior wall. A call from Cord’s customer service team put me at ease; letting me know exactly what the process would be, and arranging a home survey with a technician to check on any requirements and talk through where best to position the charger. There is the option of a virtual survey using your mobile phone, but it was reassuring to know a professional had taken a thorough look in-person first.

The home survey was extremely helpful and again the customer service team were proactive in contacting me to set up a convenient installation date. The process of connecting the Cord One charger was straightforward and took just a few hours, with the engineer taking time afterwards to run me through everything and answer any questions.

In terms of getting on and using the charger, it’s been faultless so far. My job can mean that I have various types of car on the driveway, but the One has both wifi and 4G connectivity, so I can stay in control using my smartphone. 

Cord chargers are operated by the Monta app, which allows me to charge overnight on a cheaper energy tariff, or schedule a top up whenever I want. There have been no glitches at all to speak of, although a reassuring three-year warranty is offered for peace of mind.

Cord is making EV home charging an uncomplicated process. And, with further updates to the app and more integrated tech (including compatibility with Octopus Intelligent Go later in 2025) it’s an easy product to recommend.