The named tariffs and recommendation below cover England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has a separate electricity market and needs a current comparison of the suppliers and EV products available there.
Information to collect before comparing tariffs
Use a year of half-hourly electricity data where it is available. A monthly total cannot show how much demand can move into a cheap period or how much electricity the rest of the home uses at the higher rate.
Record:
- annual household electricity use before EV charging
- expected EV mileage and measured miles per kWh where available
- energy normally added between charging sessions
- arrival and ready times
- vehicle AC charging limit
- chargepoint make, model and configured power
- solar generation, battery capacity and export tariff
- electricity and gas standing charges
- any period when the car cannot remain plugged in
Estimate EV energy from recent driving rather than the full traction battery capacity. A car driven 30 miles does not normally need a full-battery recharge that evening.
For a first comparison:
annual electricity cost = cheap-period kWh × cheap rate + other kWh × day rate + daily standing charge × 365
Add tariff fees and subtract bill credits separately. If gas would remain with the same supplier or move elsewhere, include that cost as well. For a solar home, calculate export income separately rather than netting it into an unexplained saving.
Fixed-window and managed EV tariffs
A fixed-window tariff charges a lower rate between stated times each day. The home schedules the chargepoint or car inside that window. Compatibility is usually based on the smart meter and EV ownership rather than a supplier connection to a particular car or charger.
A managed tariff connects to a supported EV or chargepoint. The driver sets a ready time and required charge, and the supplier chooses charging periods. Cheap smart-charging slots may appear outside the normal overnight window, but those additional slots are not a fixed daily entitlement.
Compare the two structures directly:
| Check | Fixed window | Supplier-managed charging |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment integration | Usually no supplier control of the car or charger | Supported EV or charger and working account connection required |
| Charging time | Limited to the stated cheap window unless higher-rate charging is used | Supplier schedules within the plug-in period and tariff limits |
| Predictability | Cheap times are known in advance | Additional smart slots vary |
| Failure mode | A local schedule can continue without a vehicle API | Loss of API, internet or supplier control can affect scheduling |
| Home battery | Easier to coordinate with a known window | Dynamic slots may cause the battery to discharge into the EV unless controlled |
The managed option is useful when its integration works and the car is plugged in for long enough. The fixed option is easier to verify and can be better for unsupported equipment or a home-energy controller that relies on known times.
Current EV tariff snapshot
The figures in this section were checked on 23 July 2026. Rates, terms and eligibility can change. Obtain a postcode quote and read the current tariff terms before switching.
| Tariff | Advertised cheap charging | Equipment route | Cheap rate for the home |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligent Octopus Go | 8p/kWh for up to six hours of smart EV charging; core window 23:30–05:30 | compatible EV or chargepoint | core window and any supplier-scheduled smart slots |
| Octopus Go | postcode-specific rate; 00:30–05:30 | any EV or chargepoint, subject to smart-meter eligibility | fixed five-hour window |
| EDF GoElectric | 6.99p/kWh; 23:00–06:00 | any EV or chargepoint with a connected smart meter | fixed seven-hour window |
| E.ON Next Drive Smart | 8p/kWh; fixed 00:00–06:00 window plus supplier-scheduled smart charging outside it | compatible EV or supported smart chargepoint with the E.ON Next Home app | whole home in the fixed window and during supplier-scheduled smart slots |
| OVO Charge Anytime | monthly-plan or pay-as-you-go credit for managed EV charging | compatible EV or chargepoint | no: household use stays on the underlying home tariff |
EDF currently advertises a £75 exit fee on GoElectric. E.ON Next states no exit fee for the current Next Drive products. Octopus is offering fixed EV tariff rates during the current period of price volatility. Treat each of these as dated terms, not permanent product features.
The table is not a league table. A lower night rate can be offset by a higher day rate, standing charge or export loss. OVO’s credit model cannot be compared as if it were a simple pence-per-kWh whole-home tariff.
Our current recommendation
As at 23 July 2026, our general recommendation is Intelligent Octopus Go for a compatible household with one EV that normally needs no more than six hours of managed charging per day.
That recommendation rests on:
- a six-hour whole-home cheap period every night
- cheap billing for supplier-scheduled EV charging outside that core period
- a choice between integrating a supported car or chargepoint
- an Octopus Go fallback where the equipment is not supported
- export options within the same supplier for homes with solar
The recommendation changes where those conditions do not hold. EDF GoElectric currently advertises a lower night rate and a seven-hour fixed window, so it deserves a direct whole-bill comparison for a driver who wants predictable overnight charging. Octopus Go is the simpler Octopus option for unsupported hardware. OVO Charge Anytime can suit a household that wants managed EV charging without putting all home use onto an EV two-rate tariff.
Intelligent Octopus Go also has a six-hour smart-charging limit. A home regularly needing more energy than the car can accept in six hours should calculate the higher-rate overrun or compare a longer fixed window. Multi-EV households need to check how the tariff limit is shared.
Octopus referral disclosure
This page contains an Octopus Energy referral link. Under the offer checked on 23 July 2026, a new customer who signs up directly through the link receives £50 account credit and Energy Stack receives £50 account credit.
Get an Octopus quote using the Energy Stack referral link.
The code is solemn-boat-668. The tariff information on this page does not depend on using the link. If a friend or family member has an Octopus referral link, using theirs provides the same current new-customer reward.
The referral credit is not part of the tariff rate. Keep it as a one-off bill credit when comparing more than the first year.
Day rate, standing charge and whole-home use
Move the household’s half-hourly data onto each proposed tariff. Apply the cheap rate only where the tariff terms allow it. Everything else uses the day or underlying household rate.
Large flexible loads can strengthen a whole-home EV tariff:
- home battery charging
- immersion heating
- dishwasher and washing-machine cycles that are safe to run at the chosen time
- heat-pump hot-water production where the system design supports that schedule
Loads that cannot move make the day rate more important. Electric heating, daytime home working, cooking and a heat pump operating through cold weather can outweigh a very low EV rate if the daytime price is materially higher.
Standing charges vary by tariff and region. Use the postcode quote rather than a national example. Multiply the difference in daily standing charge by 365 and include it in the annual comparison.
Smart meter, vehicle and chargepoint compatibility
Time-of-use billing requires a smart meter that the supplier can read half-hourly. A meter being labelled smart is not enough if it is not communicating or the supplier cannot use its half-hourly data.
Managed charging adds another compatibility check. Confirm the exact car model, model year, account type and chargepoint. Use the supplier’s live checker rather than a preserved list.
The supplier may integrate through:
- the vehicle’s API
- the chargepoint account
Connect only the route the supplier instructs. Two independent charging schedules can conflict. Record the manual or boost-charge method and its price, the permitted ready-time range and what happens after an API or internet failure.
Changing the car, chargepoint login or account permissions can break an integration that previously worked. Recheck the schedule after a vehicle-app password change, charger replacement or supplier switch.
Home batteries and smart charging
A home battery sees EV charging as a large electrical load unless the system has been designed or configured to treat it differently. During a supplier-scheduled slot, the battery may discharge into the car even though the tariff is providing cheap grid electricity.
Check:
- whether the EV circuit sits inside or outside the battery’s measured load
- whether the battery can hold its state of charge during EV charging
- the interaction between the battery schedule and dynamic EV slots
- the battery charge-power limit within the cheap window
- the value of stored solar that would otherwise be exported
A fixed window is easier to coordinate because the battery schedule is known. A managed tariff can still work, but the controls need an explicit method rather than an assumption that the charger and battery will exchange tariff information.
Solar export and supplier combinations
An import tariff and export tariff are separate contracts, but some combinations are restricted or priced differently. Check the export rate and eligibility before moving the import account.
For an Octopus comparison, examine the current Outgoing Octopus options alongside Go or Intelligent Octopus Go. Do not assume the highest Octopus export product can be paired with every import tariff or installation route.
Compare:
- export rate and any time bands
- import-tariff compatibility
- whether a battery may export grid-charged energy
- MCS and export MPAN requirements
- metering and half-hourly data
- effect of diverting solar into the EV instead of exporting it
Solar charging is not automatically cheaper than off-peak grid charging. The relevant value of a solar kWh is the export payment that is given up. Charging losses and battery operation also belong in the calculation.
Fixed terms, exit fees and switching sequence
Record the tariff end date, fixed or variable status, exit fee and what happens at the end of the term. A variable tariff may change its rates under its terms. A fixed tariff can still have operating rules for smart charging and compatibility.
Some EV tariffs can be selected only after the household has switched to the supplier and its smart meter is connected. During that interval, electricity may be billed on another tariff. Do not treat the EV product as active until it appears on the account with the correct rates.
Before switching:
- save the current tariff rates and end date
- download recent half-hourly usage
- record export-tariff terms
- check smart-meter communication
- complete the live vehicle or charger compatibility check
- take meter readings and keep the opening bill
- verify the first scheduled charging session and first bill
If the first bill does not show the expected half-hourly rates, raise it promptly. App charging data can help explain a session, but the supplier’s metered billing record determines the charge.