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 more than £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. The turmoil in the energy markets has meant that some companies have temporarily removed their special EV tariffs and others have increased their prices or insisted on fixed term contracts - we will update the prices when we hear about new deals.
We’ve had to make certain assumptions for the purposes of this feature. I 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 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 24.67p per kWh (between 1 April and 30 June 2026), the electricity to keep the car running would add £551.62 a year or £45.97 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 43p 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 and does vary slightly by energy company, but currently it is around 280 models from Audi, BMW, Cupra, Ford, Mini, Porsche, Polestar, Nissan (but only the Ariya) Renault, Seat, Skoda, Tesla, VW or Volvo. The chargers are Ohme, Indra MyEnergi Zappi, Andersen, Simpson & Partners, Wallbox, Hypervolt, NexBlu, VCHRGD, and Sync.
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.
Based on our sums and prices in late April 2026, 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.
12. Octopus Go
Octopus.energy
Cost/year: £1,329.55
Peak: 34.3p
Off peak: 9.5p
Standing charge: 52.2p
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 12th place in the rankings – that’s dead last.
So what’s happened? Rivals have caught up and the Octopus’ prices have swum upwards, with the rates offered to new customers – and those switching from other Octopus tariffs – now looking too expensive.
The peak rate of 34p is now one of the highest, costing £165.24 per year more than E.On. The off-peak tariff rises too providing power at 9.5p/kWh between 00:30 - 05:30 every night. It works with any car, charger and anything else you want to plug in overnight. But that is not great these days – only OVO charges more.
On the plus side, the standing charges are reasonable at 52p per day. If you are an existing Octopus customer you will usually be on a better rate than this, but it is expected to rise. New sign ups have to commit to being fixed at the higher rates or face an exit fee.
11. Good Energy
Goodenergy.co.uk
Cost/year: £1,315.05
Peak: 33.2p
Off peak: 9p
Standing charge: 59.9p
Off peak hours: 5
Good Energy isn’t a household name, but most electric car drivers will have heard of its subsidiary Zapmap.
You are offered five hours of off-peak power from midnight until 5am at a reasonable 9p, undercutting Octopus Go and matching British Gas. Unfortunately the peak rates are the third highest at just over 33p/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.
10. Scottish EV Saver
Scottishpower.co.uk
Cost/year: £1,309.68
Peak: 33.0p
Off peak: 8.5p
Standing charge: 62.3p
Off peak hours: 5
Scottish Power has a couple of interesting options for EV drivers including one which seems to be blinding deal – but both are difficult to find on the website and the customer service chap we spoke to had no idea how it worked either – which didn’t inspire much confidence.
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 end up paying an off-peak rate of 8.5p/kWh for five hours from midnight to 5am. That’s enough for 138 miles of range in my sample car.
As the daytime rate isn’t the same as ‘normal’ tariffs though, and so gets bumped up to a steep 33p/kWh. The standing charge is a 62.34p per day too – the second most expensive here. Thisn is by no means clear on the website, which left me feeling confused and a little irritated.
The EV Saver tariff works with any electric vehicle and any home charger, but is not nearly as competitive as the intelligent EV Optimise.
9. Intelligent Octopus Go (certain cars/chargers only)
Octopus.energy
Cost/year: £1,296.01
Peak: 34.34p
Off peak: 8.0p
Standing charge: 52.9p
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 at the start of 2025, but rivals have overtaken it, and even the 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.
Existing customers may well be charged less currently – but anyone new to the company or wanting to switch to Intelligent Go from another Octopus tariff will be forced to pay these higher prices and commit to a fixed term contract.
The peak prices now look high at 34.3p and the 8p off peak is matched by E.on and Scottish. The standing charge is still competitive at 52p per day.
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 battery percent you need, and when you want to depart 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, a storage battery or a second electric car to charge overnight.
8. British Gas EV
Britishgas.co.uk
Cost/year: £1,285.29
Peak: 33.2p
Off peak: 9p
Standing charge: 51.2p
Off peak hours: 5
After recent price changes, British Gas has sneaked back in front of arch-rival Octopus’ tariffs, having cheaper peak and off peak rates. The fractionally lower standing charge helps too, and it works with any EV and charger as it is time based rather than ‘intelligent’.
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 and Hive Power+, you get a 25% discount on the charging so you could be paying an equivalent of just 6.75/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.
7. So Energy
so.energy
Cost/year: £1,279.19
Peak: 31.6p
Off peak: 8.8p
Standing charge: 63.2p
Off peak hours: 5
Never heard of So Energy? I hadn’t either, but it’s backed by Ireland’s state-owned utility supplier so isn’t likely to disappear overnight.
For its first appearance in this chart it went straight in at number 2 with a really competitive offer. But it was short lived, and the offer was taken down amid the global strife and has just reappeared – with much higher rates.
The off-peak rate of 8.8p runs between the hours of 12am and 5am, for all your household power – not just the energy going through the charger.
This is combined with a daytime price of 31.6p, which isn’t the best but is far from the worst too. The standing charge is the stinger though. At 63.2p per day it’s the highest here and will cost £43.73 more than British Gas.
Feed the prices into the spreadsheet and it means there are very few situations where it makes sense to choose So over rivals.
6. Fuse Energy Smart EV
fuseenergy.com
Cost/year: £1,224.24
Peak: 25.2p
Off peak: 15.5p
Standing charge: 54.0p
Off peak hours: 5 or 7
It’s by no means easy to get a quote from Fuse for an EV tariff, and our first attempt meant we had to put up with some mild hounding from a salesman who wanted to sell us a charger install.
Eventually we got the figures though, and they could make some sense if you are a lower mileage driver or use a lot of energy during the day. The first option is a standard off-peak variable rate which has costs of 26.5p during the day and 19p per kWh for a seven-hour period from 1.30am to 8.30am.
This would put it right at the bottom of our table with an annual cost of £1,337, so instead we looked at the Smart EV package.
The peak rate of 25.2p is one of the lowest and the standing charge is competitive too. But the off-peak rate is the highest here at 15.5p per kWh, lasting from midnight to 5am.
It’s a smart tariff too, so will only work with chargers from Easee, ChargePoint, EVBox, Garo, Go-e, Heidelberg, Hypervolt, KEBA, MyEnergi, Ohme, Pod Point, Schneider Electric, Tesla, Wallbox, and Zaptec.
Unlike other providers, the management is all based on the charger rather than the car. The software can connect to your car to monitor your battery level and boost your charge if needed, but it’s not essential.
5. OVO Charge Anytime (certain cars/chargers only)
Ovoenergy.com
Cost/year: £1,201.88
Peak: 24.9p
Off peak: 14p
Standing charge: 54.0p
Off peak hours: N/A
OVO topped our previous chart, but it has had a radical rethink of the way it offers energy to electric car drivers – and we are not sure it is of real benefit to the consumer unless your circumstances are pretty specific.
Whereas its old package was a combination of low prices across the board, OVO is now offering subscription bundles with a set monthly fee, along with a conventional pay as you go tariff with an off peak rate which is double what it was last year.
Go for a subscription and the Standard package is £27.50 per month on top of a conventional tariff costs and includes 175kWh of charging, plus an annual £120 of public charging credit which can be used with several suppliers. That would buy around 12.5kWh extra per month from public points. It also includes accidental damage cover for your charger, which may not be needed as it’s likely to be covered by your home insurance.
There are other higher use packages too, but I concentrated on the Standard as it is best suited to the average user in my calculations.
Using Standard wouldn’t give us enough to cover the miles so would need an extra 11.33kWh as a top up to cover our monthly journeys – that takes the annual total to £1,201.12. If you had occasion to make use the full £120 public charging voucher too that would take it back down to £1,081 – putting it in second place.
Ignoring the public charging and using the PAYG tariff means you would have the flexibility to use more or less than the 175kW without being penalised, and the peak rates are the second cheapest. But that 14p off peak rate – hurt its competitiveness. The standing charge is reasonable though.
Bear in mind you’ll be required to have a compatible car and/or charger, and OVO no longer offers any specific EV tariffs for anyone without this connectivity. OVO also only offers the cheaper rate on the electricity which flows through the charger, and not on any other energy used in the home overnight.
Apologies for all the figures, but I can put it simply – you will need to be a pretty specific use case for OVO to best option.
4. EDF GoElectric
Edfenergy.com
Cost/year: £1,182.27
Peak: 30.3p
Off peak: 7p
Standing charge: 57.1p
Off peak hours: 5
This tariff previously was our top choice, but has now fallen off the podium – but it still will make sense for anyone who does a lot of miles, or if you take advantage of the incentives on offer.
GoElectric’s peak rate is 30p per kWh, reneging on an earlier promise that the cost would never be higher than the Ofgem price cap. The off-peak charge though is the cheapest here at 6.99p/kWh, and as it is a ‘dumb’ tariff, it can be used for seven hours to power anything else in your home.
If you do have a compatible car or charger, then you can opt in for EDF's Smart Charging, which means you get £5 credit on your monthly bill - amounting to £60 annually - as long as you regularly use the Smart Charging schedule.
These savings are wiped out by the standing charges though, as they are on the steep side at 57.1p per day. There's a £75 exit fee too, but the company is currently offering a £50 credit when you sign up for an EV tariff.
EDF offers another couple of interesting options too. They will install a Pod 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. Current or new Pod charger owners who paid up front can also access a special tariff rate of 6.49p/kWh across a seven hour period and also access cashback rewards for smart charging.
3. E.On Next Fixed - Best ‘dumb’ tariff
Eonnext.com
Cost/year: £1,179.21
Peak: 28.1p
Off peak: 9p
Standing charge: 60p
Off peak hours: 7
The main attraction of E.On’s Next Fixed 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 could be useful 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 before 7am.
After a recent price increase the off-peak rate is now 9p per kWh, making it on the higher side, but the peak cost is more competitive at 28p/kWh. Only the standing charge cost really lets the side down, at a stiff 60p per day.
2. E.On Next Smart (certain cars/chargers only)
Eonnext.com
Cost/year: £1,116.62
Peak: 24.9p
Off peak: 8p
Standing charge: 60p
Off peak hours: 6
Adding smart capability to E.On’s Next package makes it much more tempting, especially for heavy users who need to charge often. The off-peak rate is 8p/kWh – among the lowest we could find and matching Octopus’ Intelligent tariff. It also means you get the same low rate for any other power you use from midnight to 6am.
The daytime peak rate is where E.On scores though, with a price of 26.6p per kWh, which is lower than the company’s non-smart Next tariff. But it’s the hefty 60p per day standing charge which really hurts E.On’s chances of a win here.
As it’s a smart tariff, you’ll need to plug your car in for as long as possible and the car will talk to the network to choose the greenest time to charge. Unlike rival suppliers though, E.On doesn’t make use of smart charger and instead relies on the software in compatible cars. Currently it works with most models from Audi, BMW, Cupra, Mini, Nissan, Porsche, Seat, Skoda, Tesla and Volkswagen.
1. Scottish EV Optimise
Scottishpower.co.uk
Cost/year: £1,041.35
Peak: 24.9p
Off peak: 8.0p
Standing charge: 51.9p
Off peak hours: N/A
Scottish Power’s EV Optimise isn’t a tariff as such, and is described as an ‘add-on’ option for any of its other products. It can be bolted on to most of ScottishPower tariffs free of charge. As it’s an add-on, the off-peak rate and standing charge will stay the same as the existing tariff but you can get a low rate for EV charging.
As with the other ‘smart’ products it allows you to charge at the greenest times when there is surplus supply in the grid, with no time restrictions, for the equivalent of 8p per kWh.
Using a compatible car or charger, 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.
We used the most competitive basic tariff we could find for the figures, which meant a peak rate of 24.9p/kWh – the lowest here – and a standing charge of 51.88p, which is just a fraction behind the cheapest from British Gas.
According to our sums this would mean an annual cost of £1,041 – that’s £288.20 less than Octopus’ Go tariff. The only drawback is that the off peak rate would only apply to the power fed to the car and not to other items in the house, such as appliances, heaters and batteries.
Scottish also has an offer, with a rate of 5p/kWh, for customers purchasing an Easee charger. The smart charging rate applies for a year from the date of installation.
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, Scottish Power looks the cheapest with its EV Optimise add on - but doesn’t have the benefit of supplying the cheaper rate power to your car and other appliances in your house. If you are able to shift your laundry, dishwasher and water heating to overnight using timers then E.On’s Next Smart will make more sense.
For anyone without a compatible car or charger, E.On could be the winner too as its Next Drive is a ‘dumb’ tariff which offers a huge seven hours of the lowest-priced electricity, compared to the five hours offered by most rivals here.
