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Consumer Advocate Tool

Is your EV charger installation quote fair?

Pick the line items from your quote, enter your ZIP, and see what a fair bid should cost based on public electrician labor units and state wage data.

Want to see the math first? View the full data tables & methodology →

We use your state’s median electrician wage (BLS OEWS 2024) plus standard burden to reconstruct a fair labor cost.

Add each task the electrician listed
Are you supplying the EV charger yourself?
Is your electrician part of a manufacturer installer network?

Tesla Wall Connector Installer Network, ChargePoint Home Flex, Enphase Certified, JuiceBox Pro, etc. Network partners pay wholesale for the charger.

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Deducted from your total before comparison so we only judge the install side.

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Want the full picture?

Not sure if you even need the panel upgrade?

ChargeRight’s full $12.99 assessment uses NEC 220.82 load calculations and AI panel photo analysis to tell you if you actually need an upgrade — before you pay for one you don’t need.

Get the $12.99 Panel Assessment

How we calculate the fair bid

Labor

Per-task labor hours sourced from publicly available trade references: RSMeans 2024 summaries, Mike Holt Enterprises forum consensus, and US DoE / DoL electrical estimating guides. NECA’s Manual of Labor Units is copyrighted and never used verbatim — all values trace back to a public source cited in each line item.

Wages

US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 release, SOC 47-2111 (Electricians), state-level median hourly. Public domain.

Labor hours

Per-task hours use the NECA labor-unit standard — the industry reference for code-compliant, professionally-installed work — applied against your state’s median electrician wage. This gives a single fair estimate for quality work, not a two-tier comparison.

Burden multiplier

Base hourly wage is multiplied by a state-specific burden factor (1.30–1.45x) to account for benefits, truck, tool, and overhead costs. Default 1.35x is the national industry-typical rate for residential electrical work.

ZIP to state

US Census Bureau ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) to state mapping, derived from published USPS prefix ranges. Public domain.

Materials

Per-unit material costs are retail averages from Home Depot and Grainger (April 2026). Contractor pricing may differ, but retail establishes an upper bound for a fair-bid sanity check.

Disclaimer

Estimates are derived from publicly available trade references. This tool is not an official NECA Manual of Labor Units calculation. Actual prices vary by contractor, region, material cost fluctuation, site conditions, and job complexity. Use this as a sanity check, not a binding quote. ChargeRight is a consumer transparency tool, not a licensed electrical contractor.

See every labor unit, wage rate, and material cost →

Full data tables with sources for every number behind the estimate.

Already got a quote that feels off? Report it here to help other EV owners.

Bid Check FAQ

How the Bid Check works, how it compares to Qmerit, and what to do with a quote that doesn't match the math.

What is the ChargeRight Bid Check?

Bid Check compares an EV-charger installation quote against typical local labor rates, NEC code requirements, and ChargeRight's NEC 220.82 load calculation for your home. It flags line items that are inflated, unnecessary, or missing, so you can negotiate or get a second opinion.

How is Qmerit different from ChargeRight?

Qmerit is a national installer-referral network that subcontracts to local electricians and adds a margin. Qmerit quotes commonly run 2 to 9× higher than independent licensed electricians for the same scope. ChargeRight is not an installer, it's a consumer assessment tool that helps you know what you actually need before you call anyone.

Why are EV charger installation quotes so different from each other?

Quotes vary because installers price for the worst-case scope (full panel upgrade) when they don't have a load calculation in hand. With a NEC 220.82 report showing your panel has capacity, electricians can quote the actual job (circuit addition, ~$500 to $1,500) instead of the upsell (full upgrade, $3,000 to $5,000+).

Can ChargeRight tell me if my installer is overcharging?

Yes. The Bid Check report compares the quote line-by-line against typical local pricing and against your home's actual NEC load calculation. If the installer is recommending a panel upgrade your math doesn't support, the report flags it and gives you talking points for the next call.

Do I need to do the panel assessment before the Bid Check?

Yes. The Bid Check uses your panel assessment as the baseline. Without the NEC 220.82 calculation, there's no factual basis to challenge a quote. The bundle pricing covers both.

What if my electrician disagrees with the ChargeRight report?

That's fine, and useful. The report shows the math step by step. A good electrician will either explain where your inputs are off (which usually means re-running with corrections) or accept the calculation. If they refuse to look at the math, that's a signal to get another quote.