Installing an EV charger at home in Cape Town: what's involved

More Cape Town households are buying electric and plug-in hybrid cars, and most owners do nearly all their charging at home overnight. The cable that comes with the car can plug into a normal wall socket, but it charges slowly and puts a long, heavy load on a circuit that was never designed for it. A wall-mounted charger on its own circuit is faster and built for the job.

What the installation involves

• A dedicated circuit. The charger gets its own cable run and circuit breaker from your distribution board (DB), with the correct earth leakage protection. Nothing else shares that circuit.
• A local isolator. A switch next to the charger so it can be safely turned off for maintenance without touching the rest of the house.
• Mounting and cable route. We place the charger where it suits your parking and run the cable neatly in conduit or trunking.
• Testing and paperwork. The new circuit is tested before we leave, and you get the compliance paperwork for the work done.

Any fixed EV charger installation must follow the national wiring standard, SANS 10142-1, and be done by a qualified electrician. It is not a DIY job.

What affects the price

We quote every job individually because homes differ so much. The main things that move the price are:

• Distance from the DB to the charger. A longer cable run means more cable and more labour.
• Spare capacity in your DB and supply. If your board is full or your supply is already working hard, it may need an upgrade first. We check this before quoting so there are no surprises.
• Indoor or outdoor mounting. Outdoor chargers and isolators need weatherproof fittings.
• Which charger you use. Many car brands supply a wall charger with the car. We can install that one, or advise you on one to buy.

Can I charge my car from my solar system?

Often, yes. If you already have solar panels and an inverter, a charger can be wired so the car uses your solar power during the day. Whether this works well depends on the size of your solar array, your inverter and your batteries, so we look at your setup first and advise honestly.

Complexes and apartment blocks

We have installed chargers in shared basement parking. In a sectional title scheme you will normally need permission from the body corporate first, and we need to know where the nearest suitable supply is.

How to get a fast, accurate quote

WhatsApp us these four things and we can usually give you a good idea straight away:

1. Your car make and model
2. Your suburb
3. A photo of your DB (door open)
4. A photo of where you park, and roughly how far it is from the DB

See the chargers we have installed, including Victron, BYD, Geely, Jetour and iCAR.

Last updated: November 2026. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules can change, so check with us or the relevant authority before you go ahead.