Choosing a test
Do you need an EICR, PAT testing, or both?
The two names are often used as if they were one job. Match the test to the thing being checked: the fixed installation, the portable equipment, or both.
Reviewed 6 October 2026 by Michael (Technical Supervisor) and George Opsenica (Director, Codeex Maintenance Ltd). General guidance, not a reading of your own report and not legal advice.
Review details
- Michael: electrical guidance within the recorded review scope.
- George Opsenica: service information and presentation.
Two different checks
An EICR concerns the fixed electrical installation.
PAT concerns inspection and testing of portable electrical equipment.
Neither test automatically replaces the other.
A request can need one of them, or both, depending on whether the fixed installation, the portable equipment, or each of them is what you actually need checked.
Appliance inspection and testing arrangements depend on the equipment, its use and the responsible person’s risk assessment.
| Question | EICR | PAT |
|---|---|---|
| What is checked | Fixed wiring, boards and fixed equipment | Equipment that plugs in |
| What it leaves out | Plug-in appliances | The fixed installation |
| Can one replace the other | No | No |
| When both apply | The installation is in the request | The plug-in items are in the request as well |
Choose from the words in the request
1. Installation
If the request names the consumer unit, the circuits or a condition report, the job is an EICR of the fixed installation.
2. Plug-in items
If the request names plug-in items, such as a kettle, a lamp or a heater, the job is PAT.
3. Both named
If the request names both the installation and the plug-in items, the two jobs stay separate.
A rented flat is a different question
Where the question is a private-rented flat and which duty applies there, use the rental EICR and PAT guide rather than this comparison.
Related pages
Match the test to the equipment.
PAT is for plug-in items. An EICR is for the fixed installation.
- 5.0Google (58)
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- From £142.80 inc VAT
- EICR usually ready within 24h