Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology lets your EV send power back to the grid during peak hours, potentially earning you money while helping to balance demand. It sounds brilliant in theory. The problem? Until recently, you couldn’t actually buy a V2G charger for your home without joining a trial or waiting indefinitely.
That’s finally changing. A handful of V2G chargers are now available to purchase in the UK, though the reality is more complicated than the press releases suggest.
Which V2G Chargers Can You Actually Order?
At the time of writing, there are three main options for UK customers who want V2G capability at home.
The Wallbox Quasar 2 is the most established option. It’s a 7.4kW bidirectional charger that costs around £4,500 to £5,000 before installation. Wallbox started taking UK orders in 2023, and units are now shipping, though lead times can stretch to several months depending on demand.
The Indra V2G charger has been used in numerous UK trials and is now available for purchase through selected installers. Pricing typically lands around £5,500 including installation, though this varies significantly depending on your existing electrical setup. Indra has the advantage of proven reliability in UK conditions, having been deployed in projects with Octopus Energy and others.
The Kaluza V2G charger, developed by OVO Energy’s tech arm, is currently only available through specific energy tariffs and partnerships. You can’t simply order one online, but if you’re an OVO customer with a compatible vehicle, it’s worth enquiring. When it is available, expect similar pricing to the other options.
The Car Compatibility Problem
Here’s where things get frustrating. Even if you buy a V2G charger, your EV needs to support bidirectional charging, and most don’t.
Currently, the Nissan Leaf (from 2013 onwards with the CHAdeMO connector) is the most accessible V2G-compatible vehicle. The newer Nissan Ariya also works. That’s basically it for readily available options.
The Hyundai Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6, and Kia EV6 all have the hardware for bidirectional charging, but V2G functionality isn’t officially enabled in the UK yet. Hyundai and Kia keep saying it’s coming, but actual availability remains unclear.
This means you’re realistically looking at buying a Nissan if you want V2G today, which is a significant limitation. The Leaf is a perfectly decent car, but it’s not everyone’s first choice, particularly if you’re doing longer journeys where its less efficient motorway performance and CHAdeMO charging (which is being phased out at many rapid charging sites) become issues.
What About Installation Costs?
The charger itself is only part of the expense. Installation typically adds another £1,000 to £2,000, depending on your home’s electrical setup and how far the charger is from your consumer unit.
You’ll need a compatible energy tariff to actually export power back to the grid at worthwhile rates. Octopus Energy offers specific V2G tariffs for trial participants, though these aren’t yet widely available. Without the right tariff, your expensive V2G charger is just a very pricey standard home charger.
Do the Sums Actually Stack Up?
A standard 7kW home charger costs around £800 to £1,200 installed. You’re therefore paying an extra £4,000 to £5,000 for V2G capability.
The typical claim is that V2G can save you £300 to £800 per year on energy bills by buying cheap electricity at night and selling it back during peak hours. Let’s be optimistic and say you save £600 annually.
That’s a payback period of roughly seven to eight years, assuming energy prices and tariff structures don’t change (they will), your car remains compatible (software updates can be unpredictable), and you actually remember to plug in every day (be honest with yourself here).
Compare that to a standard home battery system. A 10kWh home battery typically costs £6,000 to £8,000 installed. It does roughly the same thing as V2G, but works with any EV and doesn’t add charge cycles to your vehicle’s battery. The economics are similar, but you’re not dependent on having the right car.
Should You Buy One?
If you already own a compatible Nissan and you’re genuinely interested in energy optimisation, V2G could make sense, particularly if you can access one of the better time-of-use tariffs. You’ll be an early adopter, with all the complications that entails, but the technology does work.
For everyone else, I’d wait. The car compatibility situation needs to improve dramatically before V2G becomes practical for most drivers. The premium over a standard charger remains steep, and the tariffs that make V2G financially worthwhile aren’t yet widely available.
If you’re installing a charger now and think you might want V2G in future, make sure your electrical setup can handle it (your installer should future-proof the cabling), but save your five grand for now. This technology is coming, but for most people, it’s not quite ready yet.