Electric vehicle chargers aren’t usually beautiful. For most of us, they’re simply boxes, utilitarian lumps of glossy plastic and glowing LEDs fixed to a wall or post. Necessary, perhaps, but rarely admired.
A Cotswolds-based company, Simpson & Partners, believes that can change. The British design brand says it’s redefining what an EV charger can be, transforming a purely functional object into something worth looking at. Its range of home and commercial chargers is designed around what the founders call “quiet luxury”, a philosophy that prizes craftsmanship and understatement over flash and fuss.
The idea is to create products that blend into their surroundings rather than shouting for attention. “Good design should complement your home, not compete with it,” says co-founder and creative director Mandy Simpson. A Central Saint Martins graduate who worked for DKNY in New York and later joined the M&S design team in London, Simpson draws on a background where proportion, material, and detail matter as much as functionality.
According to the company, each charger is built to feel less like a piece of technology and more like an architectural accessory, something that sits comfortably beside natural stone, painted timber, or contemporary steel. Rather than plastic, the housings use solid metal and are hand-assembled at the company’s Cotswolds facility. The chargers are said to combine precision electronics with durable construction, designed to last decades rather than years.
Prices start at £649 for a basic wall-mounted 7kW unit, with a more design-led version at around £740. Those wanting something bolder — such as a freestanding 22kW charger — will see prices rise to roughly £1,482 before installation. That places Simpson & Partners’ chargers firmly in the premium bracket, though the company clearly believes design-conscious buyers are willing to pay more for a charger that looks the part.
Aesthetics aside, the range covers most use cases: two power options (7kW or 22kW), wall-mounted or freestanding installations, tethered or untethered cables, and features such as app control, solar integration, and load balancing. The company claims the result is smart technology presented with quiet confidence rather than visual noise.
Personalisation is another point of pride. Buyers can choose from more than 130 colour combinations, or pay extra to have their charger colour-matched to their home or car. “A charger shouldn’t fight with a home or a car,” says Simpson. “It should feel like it was always meant to be there.”
That focus on design, the company says, has drawn interest from architects, premium developers, and private clients looking for something beyond the usual functional box. “Engineering shouldn’t be loud to be powerful,” adds co-founder and technical director David Simpson. “We build chargers that last, with solid metal construction and precision electronics.”
It’s a confident pitch. While most of the EV chargers on the market compete on price or charging speed, Simpson & Partners appears to be carving out a niche based on materials, form, and craftsmanship — an approach that might appeal to those who see their driveway as an extension of their home’s design.
Simpson & Partners describes its chargers as “beautifully British”, combining engineering precision with an appreciation for subtle, lasting aesthetics. Whether that proves a winning combination in the long term remains to be seen, but there’s no denying that the idea of a thoughtfully designed, Cotswolds-built charger has appeal.
