There is no security score for an EV charger — no test mark or rating that grades how well it resists attack, the way a safety listing grades electrical safety. How secure a smart charger is gets decided by four layers working together: the maker’s update policy, the platform or app service behind it, the account layer you sign in through, and the network it sits on. Each layer is judged from evidence — a document or a setting — not from a label on the box.
Key Takeaways
- No score or mark grades a charger’s security; posture is set by four layers, and the weakest one decides.
- Two layers are the maker’s and platform’s documents; two — accounts and network placement — are the buyer’s own work.
- A feature list and a protocol version are both capabilities, not security evidence.
- No EVDANCE listing states a security feature; the layers are written confirmations for connected models.
Why There Is No Grade to Look Up
The marks a charger does carry answer different questions. A safety listing assesses the electrical design; a radio approval assesses the transmitter. Neither grades cybersecurity, so a charger can be fully certified and still have an unexamined security position. The clearest written counterexample is regulatory: Great Britain’s Smart Charge Points Regulations 2021 include security requirements for charge points sold there, which shows the question can be pinned down when a market chooses to. Elsewhere, the buyer does the pinning — using the framework in our certifications guide to separate what each mark actually covers.
The Four Layers That Set the Posture
Posture is set by the weakest layer, not the strongest claim. Work through all four:
| Layer | What it decides | The evidence to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| The maker’s update policy | Whether security fixes are published at all, and for how many years after the model ships | A written update policy and a stated support period for the exact model |
| The platform and app service | How the backend behind your chargers controls access and handles its own security | The platform’s published security practices, and whose service it is, named in the agreement |
| The account layer | Who can sign in, start sessions, change settings — and how access is taken away again | The controls the shipped account actually offers: individual credentials, revoking a user, sign-in protections |
| Network placement | What the charger can reach, and what can reach the charger | Your own site design: whose network the units join, and whether they sit apart from office systems |
Notice that two of these layers belong to the buyer, not the maker. A well-maintained charger on a careless network, behind shared accounts, has a weak posture no datasheet can fix — the layers behind how smart EV chargers work are also the layers an assessment has to cover.
Two Traps When Judging
- A feature list is not an assessment. An app, OCPP or RFID names a capability. None of them states that anyone has examined how the product resists attack, or what happens when a flaw is found.
- A protocol version is not a verdict. The generation of the charger’s management protocol says where the security machinery lives in the design. Whether it is implemented, and run properly on your network, decides the real protection.
Connected EVDANCE Models, as Listed
EVDANCE’s connected listings state features, in these words: the EV-ACT3204PE 22 kW wallbox states RFID and app; the EV-AC03201T dual-connector station states OCPP 1.6J and RFID; the EV-ACS3210E portable states app and energy monitoring and is described as OCPP-ready. No EVDANCE listing states a security feature or a cybersecurity certification for any model. For a security-sensitive deployment, the four layers above are therefore written-confirmation items: raise them through the contact page before the site depends on the answer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a security rating or label I can check before buying?
There is no widely used score for chargers comparable to a safety listing. What exists is evidence of different strengths: a regulated market’s security requirements, a maker’s written update policy, and a platform’s published practices. Judge from those, layer by layer.
Does a safety mark such as CE or ETL mean a charger is cybersecure?
No. Those marks assess the electrical design and, for radio equipment, the transmitter. Cybersecurity is a separate file and a separate question — one reason our certifications guide treats each mark by what it actually covers.
What is the single most useful question to ask a seller?
“How long will you publish security updates for this exact model, and may I have that in writing?” A maker with a real answer has thought about the product’s connected life; a vague answer is itself evidence.
Related Reading
- How Do Smart EV Chargers Work?
- Smart vs Non-Smart EV Chargers: What Installers Actually Want
- EV Charger Certifications Explained: CE, UKCA, UL, ETL, CB and What Buyers Should Ask For
- Do Home EV Chargers Need Wi-Fi?
