Be prepared for a real electric shock. If you’ve got an EV which you charge at home and haven’t swapped to a special energy tariff, you’re likely to be wasting around £500 per year.
This is because the energy suppliers are very keen to have electric car owners signing up. Not only will your consumption shoot up because of the charging, but you are likely to plug in at night when demand is low. This makes you a perfect customer, and as a result there are plenty of keen deals.
Sifting through the offers can be a bit of a minefield, so we’ve been crunching the numbers for you to compare some of the best tariffs for electric car users right now.
We’ve had to make certain assumptions though. For the purposes of this feature, we have based the figures on a typical example using a postcode in what energy companies classify as the 'Eastern' region - but the figures will vary based on your circumstances, car and even the charger. So always get a personal quote to see which works out best for you.
Energy tariffs - the figures
Just for clarity, we need to throw some numbers at you so you can see how we worked out our figures. Skip this next paragraph if you trust us and just want to get to the results.
According to Ofgem, the average power consumption for a three-bed house on a dual fuel supply (so using gas for heating) is 2,700kWh per year. If this customer bought a family-size electric car such as a Nissan Leaf or VW ID.3 with a real-world efficiency rate of 3.8 miles per kWh, covering 8,500 miles every year and charging exclusively at home it would add an extra 2,236kWh to the total.
At the standard Ofgem price cap rate of 24.86p per kWh, the electricity to keep the car running would add £555.87 a year or £46.32 per month to the energy bill. That’s still usefully cheaper than running a petrol car but shifting to a special tariff could see that fall to just £13 per month.
To keep things simple for our spreadsheet we assumed that all the car charging would be done at night in the off-peak period, which is easily possible for the average driver: five hours on a wall box supplying 7.1kW would be enough for 135 miles of driving on our sample car – more than enough to cover most daily journeys.
We also simplified things by saying all the other domestic power usage would be at the peak rate. If you can shift some of your other electricity consumption to overnight by using timers, the overall savings will easily exceed £500 per year. For example, a dishwasher cycle falls in cost from around 40p to 13p.
Why you need a certain car or charger to get the best EV energy deals
Energy companies really like to have flexibility around supply. When it is the middle of the night, the weather is mild and the wind is blowing there will be lots of surplus power sloshing around in the grid and they will be very happy if they can zap it into your electric car’s battery. When we’ve all arrived back from work and switched on the oven, TV and electric heater the companies would really rather not have to fire up another power station in order to charge electric cars too.
But there is an even more sophisticated solution which sees the supplier talk to your car or wallbox and start the charge when there is the lowest demand on the grid. You just tell the app how much power you need in the battery and when you want to drive away and the technology sorts it all out with no other input from you needed.
Doing this results in even cheaper rates – Octopus for example is 1.5p/kWh cheaper off peak for its Intelligent Go tariff versus its standard Go rate. But there is a catch – currently these intelligent or smart tariffs only work with certain cars and chargers. The list is growing all the time but currently it is around 280 models from Audi, BMW, Cupra, Ford, MINI, Porsche, Nissan (but only the Ariya) Renault, SEAT, Skoda, Tesla, VW or Volvo (not Octopus). The two chargers are Ohme and Indra. Octopus has also recently added the MyEnergi Zappi and Wallbox too, and Andersen and Simpson & Partners are due to sign up soon.
If you have one of these you’ll get the best deals, but it’s not worth changing your existing car or charger to get them as the difference in cost between the best ‘intelligent’ tariff and the cheapest standard off peak is around £100 per year. It’s worth bearing in mind if you are choosing a new car or charger though.
Octopus has recently announced a new V2G tariff which it says offers free charging at home. We haven't included this yet as it requires a very expensive charger and is limited to a narrow selection of cars. When the situation improves we will update the rankings.
Remember the gas
Many homes in the UK will still be running gas for heating and hot water, and it will usually make sense to combine your supplies into a 'dual fuel' tariff to get the best deal. For simplicity we haven't looked at the gas prices in this round up, but if you do require gas then you may find that it tips the balance towards one supplier. For example, Ecotricity's gas is currently cheaper than Octopus so it may make it cheaper as an overall package.
Based on our sums and prices in mid-January 2025, these are currently the best home tariffs on offer to electric car owners – but please read the details to see if there is one which might suit your unique circumstances better.
10. EDF EVolve
Edfenergy.com
Cost/year: £1,226.07
Peak: 24.86p
Off peak: 14.86p
Standing charge: 61p
Off peak hours: 5
Go through to EDF's 'Electric Cars' menu and you are given a choice of three packages. One is called GoElectric overnight and says it is better for high mileage drivers, then there's a tariff which is reserved for PodPoint charger customers. The third offering is called EVolve and is "for low to medium drivers". We ran the numbers on this and can’t really see any reason to choose it over a rival. Even the special PodPoint rates are on the high side.
On the plus side, the peak rate is the cheapest of any provider here (other than EDF's other tariff), at 24.86p per kWh. The company guarantees this rate will never be higher than the Ofgem price cap, but this is offset by an off-peak charge which is double the best here. This means for our sample you will pay £671.22 for your peak power – a tenner less than the next best from Octopus.
The off-peak rate will always track at 10p less than this top rate - in this case that means 14.86p/kWh, which is valid for five hours every night. That is a nice saving compared to the peak but is by far the most expensive here, costing £182.46 more than the best Octopus rate every year.
You'll be also stung on the standing charges too, as they are the among the highest in this set at 60.98p per day. There's a £25 exit fee too.
9. Ecotricity EV Tariff
Ecotricity.co.uk
Cost/year: £1,204
Peak: 30.79p
Off peak: 8p
Standing charge: 53.3p
Off peak hours: 5
It’s a welcome return for long-term electric car supporters Ecotricity, which was the first energy company to launch a special tariff but dropped out a few years ago.
The new package has one highly competitive rate, making it cheaper than the ‘benchmark’ Octopus Go prices for off-peak. But this saving is wiped out by the second highest peak rate of any of the tariffs in this list and a standing charge which has shot up since last year.
Like the others here you get five hours of cheap charging, but you’ll need to reset all your timers when the clocks change though, as the low-cost electricity is from 12am-5am in winter and 1am-6am when the clocks change for summer.
The Ecotricity tariff is also fixed for 12 months. While this gives some security, it will also mean you are locked in if prices fall and there’s a £100 exit charge (per fuel - so £200 if you take gas too). There's no requirement to own a certain type of charger or need to prove EV ownership - the package is open to anyone with a smart meter.
8. Good Energy - Good for heavy users
Goodenergy.co.uk
Cost/year: £1,152
Peak: 30p
Off peak: 6.8p
Standing charge: 51.68p
Off peak hours: 5
Good Energy isn’t a household name, but most electric car drivers will have heard of its subsidiary Zapmap. The previous tariff was far from competitive, so the company has bounced back with a far more punchy offer.
You are offered five hours of off-peak power from midnight until 5am at a very competitive 6.7p, undercutting everyone except Eon – and even then it’s by fractions of a pence.
Unfortunately the peak rates are the second highest at just over 30p/kWh and any hope of big savings in our spreadsheet is wiped out by one of the highest standing charges of any company in this ranking.
Good Energy has also added an exit fee of £75 if you want to leave them before the end of the tariff, but the reviews say the customer service is highly rated. They also offer customers a free subscription to ZapMap Premium, worth £29.99. If you are a very heavy user or charge a car and home storage battery it might work for you.
7. Octopus Go
Octopus.energy
Cost/year: £1,114
Peak: 26.3p
Off peak: 8.5p
Standing charge: 58.93p
Off peak hours: 5
Electric car drivers get quite evangelical about Octopus Go, and that includes me. It’s no exaggeration to say it has saved me personally hundreds of pounds while I’ve been using it. But at the current rates it has fallen way down the charts to a shocking 7th place in the rankings.
So what’s happened? Rivals have caught up and the Octopus’ prices have swum upwards. The peak rate of 26.3p is now one of the highest, costing £38 per year more than EDF. The off peak tariff stays the same as last year, providing power at 8.5p/kWh between 00:30 - 05:30 every night and it works with any car, charger and anything else you want to plug in overnight. But that is only middling these days – E.On is £40 a year less. The standing charges are towards to top end of our chart at 58.93p per day too.
It looks as though the company's bosses listened to our call for an extra hour of cheap power - from July 2024 it matched the rivals' five hour off-peak period. This means you'll no longer need to top up expensively if you need more miles for a longer trip.
6. British Gas Electric Driver V14
Britishgas.co.uk
Cost/year: £1,083
Peak: 27p
Off peak: 7.9p
Standing charge: 48.7p
Off peak hours: 5
After recent price changes, British Gas has slipped back in front of Octopus’ Go tariff, having cheaper off peak rate. The fractionally lower standing charge helps too.
The off peak times from 00:00 to 05:00 compared to Octopus’ 00.30 to 05.30 may suit some users more too, especially if you have to wait to turn on domestic devices rather than using a timer, as it will get you to bed earlier.
There is a way to get even cheaper energy too. If you have a Hive EV charger (a rebranded and more expensive EO unit) and Hive EV Charging, you get a 4p/kWh credit, so you could be paying an equivalent of just 3.9p/kWh.
Annoyingly the company has added a £100 exit fee though - something which wasn't there on the previous tariff. Our other bit of advice is to keep checking the BG site as the prices are constantly changing. The off peak rate went up in the few days it took us to upload these results and the ranking changed as a result!
5. Intelligent Octopus Go (certain cars/chargers only)
Octopus.energy
Cost/year: £1081
Peak: 26.3p
Off peak: 7.0p
Standing charge: 58.93p
Off peak hours: 6
This is a bit of a fall from grace for Octopus’ flagship tariff and left us a little shocked – it was in first place last year, but rivals have overtaken it so even some non-intelligent products are cheaper in our average use example. The company seems to squirm when this is the situation though so may realign things before too long. We will keep you posted!
Until then, the peak prices now look high at 26.3p and the 7p off peak is matched by OVO and beaten by Good Energy and Eon. The standing charge is no longer competitive at 59p per day, either.
But the Intelligent products are not open to everyone. If your car or charger are compatible you will be treated to off peak prices for at least six hours, which will include the rest of your household usage, from 11.30pm to 5.30am.
Key to it is an app which you set up to say how much charge you want and when you want to leave in the car. Then the Octopus software works out when there is excess supply in the grid and automatically charges your car while you sleep.Having six hours of cheap power could be crucial, if you can programme appliances – or a second electric car – to charge overnight.
4. EDF GoElectric - Best for heavy peak users
Edfenergy.com
Cost/year: £1,043
Peak: 22.94p
Off peak: 8.99p
Standing charge: 61p
Off peak hours: 5
The second tariff offered on EDF's 'Electric Cars' menu is called GoElectric overnight and looks far more attractive than the EVolve.
The peak rate is the cheapest of any product we could find at 22.94p per kWh and company says this rate will never be higher than the Ofgem price cap. This makes peak costs the lowest in this test by some margin, and means this will be your best choice if you use a lot of energy during the day. The off-peak charge is better than EDF’s other tariff and not too far off the pace at 9p/kWh, but it will still cost around £50 more per year than the front runners in this list.
Any chance of a podium finish here is wiped out by the standing charges though, as they are a whopping 60.98p per day. There's a £75 exit fee too.
On the plus side the tariff works with any car, and it could make sense if you are a heavy user of energy during the peak times - perhaps because you have to charge occasionally during the day or work from home.
EDF offers an interesting option too. They will install a Pod Point's Solo 3S EV charger and spread the cost across two-year fixed tariff with a higher standing charge. It’s a cheap way of getting a charger if you need one, and the off peak charge is slightly cheaper at 8.49p per kWh too.
3. Scottish EV Saver - Good for daytime users
Scottishpower.co.uk
Cost/year: £1,037
Peak: 25.6p
Off peak: 7.45p
Standing charge: 50.8p
Off peak hours: 5
After a few months of a so-so deal for electric car drivers, Scottish Power seems to have pulled out all the stops with a pair of interesting options including one which seems to be blinding deal – although it’s quite tricky to find.
The EV Saver is available as an add-on option to normal tariffs, so there are a few different choices including some which benefit a charity and fixed-price deals. Then the EV Saver is added once you are signed up, which gives a credit on your bill so you only end up paying an off-peak rate of 7.45p/kWh for a full five hours from midnight to 5am. That’s enough for 138 miles of range in my sample car.
As the daytime rate is the same as ‘normal’ tariffs rather than being bumped up, the EV Saver’s daytime peak rate is reasonable at 25.6p/kWh. The standing charge is a 50.8p per day too – among the cheapest here.
This means our annual total comes out at £1,037, and the exit fee has been abolished if you want to swap suppliers too.
The other interesting option could work well if you want to charge day and night at a lower rate. EV Optimise allows you to smart charge at the greenest and cheapest times, with no time restrictions, for 10p per kWh. You set when you need your car to be charged by and how much power you need in the ScottishPower App and the software zaps the car when it is best for the power flows. EV Optimise can be added to most ScottishPower tariffs free of charge.
2. E.On Next Drive – Best 'dumb' tariff open to all
Eonnext.com
Cost/year: £1,021
Peak: 25.4p
Off peak: 6.7p
Standing charge: 50.8p
Off peak hours: 7
The main attraction of E.On’s Next Drive is a huge seven hours of the lowest-priced electricity, compared to the five hours offered by most rivals here. It’s a ‘dumb’ tariff so open to any car or charger and the off-peak rate stretches from midnight to 7am. Those extra two hours would give 54 more miles of range every day in my example electric car.
That means this tariff could be the cheapest for drivers who clock up more miles than average and might need to take on more charge overnight. You’d also be able to run other energy sapping appliances for longer too – for example using an immersion to heat the water ready for the morning rush to the shower would be easy as the power is still cheap at 7am.
After a recent price cut the off-peak rate has been cut to 6.7p per kWh, making it the cheapest here. The peak cost is very competitive too, only being beaten here by OVO. Only the standing charge cost lets the side down, at a middle-ranking 50.84p per day, which is enough to see it in second place overall by just a few pence.
As a little extra, E.On Next customers are offed a free one year subscription to Zoom EV, an online platform that gives benefits and discounts on things like public charging, parking, and car hire.
1. OVO Charge Anytime (certain cars/chargers only)
Ovoenergy.com
Cost/year: £1,020
Peak: 25.3p
Off peak: 7p
Standing charge: 49.9p
Off peak hours: N/A
OVO has clawed back its place at the top of our chart following a price cut which has seen it become a few ‘squid’ cheaper than arch-rival Octopus - but there’s is a wrinkle which means its savings might not be as big in the real world, and you might be better off with our second-placed E.On.
But first, the positives. Like the Octopus Intelligent tariff, OVO’s Charge Anytime uses clever tech to monitor when the grid has excess supply and charges your car. You choose how much power you need and by when, and it starts the charge automatically. This requires you to have a compatible car and/or charger, and OVO no longer offers any specific EV tariffs for anyone without this connectivity.
If you do qualify, OVO will give a rebate on your bill for every kWh of energy which goes into your car using the scheduled charging, making it the equivalent of 7p/kWh; that’s the same as Octopus. However the peak rate is now cheaper, at 25.25p versus 27.1p.
If you need your car in a hurry, you can override your smart charging schedule with the Charge Now function and you'll be charged at the standard peak rate.
The standing charge is where the OVO falls down slightly, costing an extra £4.09 per year. But here’s the rub. OVO only offers the cheaper rate on the electricity which flows through the charger, and not on any other energy used in the home overnight. If you are able to programme appliances so you can run the dishwasher and washing machine overnight then it’s very likely that E.On and Octopus’ advantages would soon grow in the average family house.
Verdict - which are the best electricity tariffs for electric cars?
First, the cheapest deal for you will depend on all sorts of variables so get a quote using your own figures – but hopefully this will give you an idea of where to start so you don’t spend a day tapping details into websites.
If you have a compatible car or a charger you are likely to get the best deals as they allow the supplier to manage the charging depending on the demand on the grid. That’s something to bear in mind if you haven’t yet bought your EV or chosen your charger. Assuming your set up is compatible with these intelligent tariffs, OVO looks the cheapest, but doesn’t have the Octopus Intelligent benefit of supplying the cheaper rate power to your car and other appliances in your house.
But for the first time since we have been looking at this survey, it is a ‘dumb’ tariff which is likely to be cheapest for most users. According to our spreadsheet E.On’s Next Drive is going to cost just 47p per year more than OVO Charge Anytime, but the off peak times are a huge seven hours every night and it works with all the appliances in your house, not just the car charger. That means you could claw back that 47p in just one night. It might not be the official number one in our spreadsheet but it would be our first choice.
