Wallbox Pulsar Max vs Ohme

Both sides of this comparison are compact, grant-eligible smart chargers with native Intelligent Octopus Go support, so the usual tie-breaker — tariff compatibility — doesn’t break the tie. What does: warranty length, solar plans, and the format you want on the wall. The Wallbox Pulsar Max (from £496) is the pick for solar households and anyone who values the longer warranty; the Ohme ePod (from £409, or £949 installed) and Ohme Home Pro (from £999 installed) are the pick when low-fuss smart-tariff charging is the whole job.

Where the Wallbox Pulsar Max wins

Warranty is the clearest gap: purchases from October 2025 carry 5 years of cover, against 3 years on both Ohme units.

Solar is the second. The Pulsar Max supports full solar diversion once you add the optional Power Meter; neither the ePod nor the Home Pro diverts excess PV, so households with panels who want to self-consume have only one real option here.

The hardware case is also strong. At 198 × 201 × 99mm with six colour options, it is genuinely small, rated IP55/IK10, and UK units include built-in PEN fault protection, so no earth rod is needed. It delivers 7.4kW and supports both single- and three-phase supplies, where the Ohmes are 7kW single-phase only. Tethered buyers can choose a 5m or 7m cable — the ePod is socket-only.

Where the Ohme wins

Price is the headline. The ePod undercuts the Wallbox by £87 on unit cost (£409 vs £496) and is one of the lower-cost OZEV-listed smart chargers; its installed price starts at £949, with the Home Pro quoted at £999 fitted.

Ohme also offers a choice of format the single Wallbox unit can’t: the discreet untethered ePod, or the Home Pro with a tethered 5m cable and an on-unit screen showing charging status and cost at a glance. Both charge automatically at the cheapest times with no manual scheduling, and the established UK brand ships regular software updates.

The deciding factors

Price: the ePod is the cheapest way in at £409 for the unit (£949 installed). The Pulsar Max is £496 before installation — and before the Power Meter if you want solar diversion. The Home Pro is quoted at £999 installed.

Warranty: 5 years versus 3 — two extra years of cover favour Wallbox.

Solar and tariff fit: all three integrate natively with Intelligent Octopus Go, so tariff savings are a wash. If you have or plan solar panels, only the Pulsar Max can divert excess generation. One caveat: the Pulsar Max connects by Wi-Fi and Bluetooth only, with no Ethernet fallback, so check your signal reaches the install spot.

Whichever side you land on, fitting costs matter as much as hardware price — find a home charger installer to get quotes for your setup.