For a charger maker, compliance with the UK Smart Charge Points Regulations 2021 is a file before it is a feature list. What the regulations demand is read from their current official text, model by model and channel by channel, and the maker’s deliverable is the evidence behind the unit: the scope decision, the statement supplied with the product, and the technical file supporting it. A datasheet that says “smart” settles none of that.
Key Takeaways
- Maker compliance is a per-model file — scope decision, statement, evidence — read from the current text.
- Marking, installation protection and certification are separate files; none answers for this one.
- No EVDANCE listing claims Smart Charge Points compliance — the UK version’s position is a written confirmation.
- Date every decision; re-read the text at every model, firmware or channel change.
The Maker’s Seat Is Not the Buyer’s Seat
Most writing about these regulations speaks to owners and installers: what a compliant unit does on the wall. The maker’s questions sit earlier. Before a unit ships, the maker must establish which models the regulations reach, through which channels, and what evidence it must produce for each. A brand importing under its own label carries the same questions. This article works through them — as questions, answered from the current text of the Smart Charge Points Regulations 2021, not from anyone’s paraphrase.
The Maker’s File: Five Questions to Close
| Question to close | Where the current text answers it | Evidence the maker keeps |
|---|---|---|
| Is this exact model in scope? | The regulations’ scope and definitions, read against the model and its intended use | A recorded, dated scope decision per model |
| Through which channels is it offered? | The text’s treatment of sale and supply, per route — own brand, importer, private label | A per-channel note of who carries the seller’s duties |
| What statement accompanies the unit? | The text’s provisions on documentation supplied with a charge point | The statement as issued, filed against the model and version it covers |
| What sits behind the statement? | The text’s provisions on records the seller must hold | A technical file matching the shipped configuration, not the flagship variant |
| What happens when the model changes? | The text, re-read at every hardware, firmware or app change | A change log tying each revision to a fresh scope decision |
Two habits make the file hold up: every answer names the model and configuration it covers, and every answer is dated. Treat any undated compliance claim — your own included — as an open question.
Three Files That Are Not This File
- The marking file. Whether a unit carries UKCA or CE for the British market is a separate question, covered in our guide to UKCA vs CE for chargers sold in Great Britain.
- The installation file. Earthing, PEN fault protection and the site’s protective arrangement belong to the installation, under the wiring standard and the IET Code of Practice.
- The certificate file. Test certificates answer what a laboratory examined; who owns them in a private-label arrangement is its own discipline, set out in our guide to certificate ownership.
The EVDANCE Position, Stated Plainly
The EVDANCE models most often raised for the UK are the EV-ACT3204PE 22 kW three-phase wallbox (tethered Type 2 cable, RFID and app, IP66, CE) and the EV-ACS3210E 32 A Type 2 portable charger (single-phase, about 7 kW, IP66, app and energy monitoring, described by its listing as OCPP-ready). Neither page claims compliance with the Smart Charge Points Regulations, and neither claims built-in PEN fault protection. So for a UK version of either unit, the questions above are closed with EVDANCE in writing — its position under the regulations, and the statement and file behind it — through the OEM and private-label programme or by contacting us. A listing’s features are not evidence; the written position is.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our charger has an app and scheduling. Does that make it compliant?
No. Features are what a unit does; compliance is what the maker can evidence against the current text, per model. The file — scope decision, statement, evidence — is what a buyer or authority can ask for.
We sell another maker’s charger under our own label. Whose file is it?
The regulations place duties on the party selling the charge point, so a private-label brand cannot treat the file as somebody else’s problem. Establish from the current text which duties land on your business, and hold — or contractually secure — the evidence behind your statement.
Can we rely on a summary of the regulations instead of the text?
No. Summaries age and paraphrase. The full text is published and free to read; work from it, and re-read it when the model, the channel or the text changes.
Related Reading
- UKCA vs CE for EV Chargers Sold in Great Britain
- EV Charger Certifications Explained: CE, UKCA, UL, ETL, CB and What Buyers Should Ask For
- Who Owns the Certificate in a Private-Label EV Charger?
- Smart vs Non-Smart EV Chargers: What Installers Actually Want
