Why Was a Shipment of ROMADA EV Chargers Stopped at the UK Border?

A wall-mounted EV charger from a brand called ROMADA was blocked from entering the UK in September 2026. The shipment never reached store shelves or driveways.

The Charger That Never Arrived

A product safety report published on 15 September 2026 describes an EV charging cable with a wall-mounting power supply. The brand is ROMADA. The model is KQ02. The report carries reference number 2609-0021.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards classifies the risk as serious. The category is electrical appliances and equipment. The measure taken was import rejected at border. No recall was needed because the units never cleared customs.

What the Fault Actually Is

The output cable earthing conductor is the same length as the live and neutral conductors. In a cable strain event or a vehicle drive-off incident, the protective earth conductor can disconnect before the live conductors. When that happens, accessible metal parts are no longer effectively earthed while they remain connected to the electricity supply. A person who touches a live part could receive an electric shock.

The product also failed the earth bond test. That result indicates the continuity of the protective earthing path may be inadequate. The charger does not meet the requirements of the Radio Equipment Regulations 2017.

How the Design Creates the Hazard

Earthing works only if the protective conductor stays connected longer than the live conductors when the cable is pulled. Standard practice makes the earth wire slightly longer inside the cable assembly. If tension builds, the live wires break first. The earth remains intact. The metal casing stays at ground potential.

In this charger the three conductors share the same length. Pull force acts on all of them equally. The earth can snap at the same moment as the live wires or even earlier. Once the earth is gone, the casing can float to mains voltage. There is no fuse or breaker that detects this condition because the circuit itself remains complete.

What the Border Rejection Means

Local Authority Trading Standards notified the hazard. The import was rejected at the border. That phrase means the consignment was stopped before it entered the UK market. The report does not state how many units were in the consignment. It does not say whether any units from earlier shipments were already sold in the UK.

The SKU list includes 048607, KQ02-1.8, B04000000001409022734, WI49803276, M0100000000010472173, and No. 158. The country of origin is China. A product image and a PDF report are linked from the GOV.UK page.

If You Already Own One

The report does not describe a recall for units already in private hands. It does not mention injuries. It does not say whether the manufacturer has been contacted or whether a redesign is planned. Anyone who bought a ROMADA KQ02 charger from a UK seller should check the SKU against the list above. The charger is a wall-mounted box with a tethered cable. If the SKU matches, stop using it and contact the seller or Trading Standards.