When people start looking into home EV chargers, the tethered vs untethered question tends to catch them off guard. Most customers haven't thought much about it before — and then suddenly it's the thing holding up the whole decision.
It's worth getting right, because unlike most settings you can tweak after installation, the hardware you choose is what you're living with for years. Here's what you need to know.
What does tethered actually mean?
A tethered charger has a cable permanently attached to the unit — it's built in, always there, and you just pull it out and plug it into your car. Think of it like the cable on a petrol pump forecourt. You don't bring your own.
The Humax MX7 comes in two tethered versions: a 5-metre cable and a 7.5-metre cable. The right length depends on how far your parking spot sits from where the charger will be mounted.
And untethered?
An untethered charger — often called a socketed charger — has a Type 2 socket on the unit instead of a fixed cable. You supply your own cable, plugging one end into the wall unit and the other into the car.
The Humax MX7 Socket works this way. The charging performance is exactly the same as the tethered versions — 7.4kW either way. The difference is purely in how the cable is handled.
The honest case for tethered
The main reason most people in the UK go tethered is straightforwardness. You come home, you plug in, done. There's no cable to fetch, no second connection to make at the wall, and nothing to forget in the boot of a hire car.
That last point matters more than it sounds. A lot of EV owners who start out keeping their Type 2 cable neatly coiled in the boot eventually find it in a carrier bag, tangled with a screen wash bottle, or left behind after a long trip. With a tethered unit, the cable is always exactly where it should be.
Families tend to find this especially useful. If your partner, a teenager, or a house-sitter needs to charge the car, tethered removes any possibility of confusion. Walk up, plug in.
The trade-off is that you're committing to a cable length. The 7.5m option on the MX7 covers most driveway setups comfortably, but if your parking layout changes down the line, the cable is what it is. It's worth spending a few minutes with a tape measure before you order.
The honest case for socketed
The socket model genuinely suits some households better. If you own two EVs with different cable configurations, or you're installing a charger at a property that multiple people will use with their own vehicles, not being tied to one fixed cable makes sense.
There's also an aesthetic argument. Without a cable hanging off the unit, a socketed charger looks cleaner on the wall — just a neat box with a port. Some people care about this, particularly if the charger is visible from the street or from inside the house.
The practical downside is that you're relying on having the right cable to hand. Most EV drivers get used to it quickly, but it does add a step. You're also taking on the cost of a decent Type 2 cable, which can run from £20 to upwards of £80 depending on quality and length.
A quick comparison
| Tethered | Socketed | |
|---|---|---|
| Cable always ready | Yes | No — you supply your own |
| Daily convenience | Simpler for most households | Requires a small extra step |
| Appearance | Cable hangs when not in use | Cleaner look on the wall |
| Flexibility | Fixed cable length | Works with any Type 2 cable |
| Multi-EV homes | Less ideal | Better suited |
| Charging speed | 7.4kW | 7.4kW |
| MX7 options | Tethered 5m / Tethered 7.5m | MX7 Socket |
So which should you go for?
If you have one car, a straightforward driveway, and want home charging to feel as simple as possible — tethered is almost certainly the better fit. It's what the majority of UK homeowners choose, and for good reason.
If you have two EVs, or you're buying the charger for a property rather than purely for your own use, the socket model gives you more flexibility without sacrificing any of the MX7's features.
Either way, the decision doesn't affect the charger's performance, smart charging features, or anything else under the bonnet. It's purely about how the cable sits in your day-to-day life.
If you're unsure, get in touch before you order — we're happy to talk through your setup before anything is confirmed.
Why the MX7 comes in both
The MX7 was designed for the range of real situations UK homes actually present — different driveways, different households, different parking arrangements. Whether you go tethered or socket, the V2G-ready hardware, solar charging compatibility, app control, and five-year warranty are all the same.