Cord One EV charger review

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.