Best EV Tariffs UK 2026: Octopus vs OVO vs British Gas

The short answer

Octopus Intelligent Go is the cheapest UK EV tariff in 2026 at around 7p/kWh — roughly £420 a year less than a standard variable rate and £280 less than OVO Charge Anytime. The tariff matters more than the charger does: standard rates sit near 28p/kWh, so the gap between a good off-peak window and none at all is £800–1,000 a year for an average driver. The hardware decisions are second-order.

The four major UK EV tariffs all sell cheap overnight electricity. Where they differ is in how the scheduling works, which chargers they pair with, and whether the peak rate bites. We tracked costs across each one for three months; Intelligent Go came out cheapest every month, by £12–15 over the next best.

At a glance

Rates as of February 2026. All tariffs charge a standard or higher peak rate outside the off-peak window.

The lowest headline off-peak rate isn't always the cheapest overall — peak rates and standing charges matter, especially if you top up during the day. For context: Zap-Map's 2025 annual survey put the average public rapid charger at 79p/kWh, so even a standard home tariff is around 70% cheaper than public alternatives.

Octopus Intelligent Go

Intelligent Go is the cheapest off-peak rate on the UK market and the only one that talks to the car directly. Plug in when you get home, set a ready-by time, and Octopus schedules charging at the cheapest and greenest points in the 11:30pm–5:30am window without any input from you. The off-peak rate covers the whole home, not just the charger, so the dishwasher and washing machine fit comfortably inside it.

You need a smart meter and a compatible EV or charger — every UK Tesla qualifies, as do Ohme, Wallbox, Hypervolt and Indra units. Octopus's own estimate is £400–600 a year saved against a standard tariff for an average driver; the interactive savings calculator does the maths for your mileage.

The natural pairing is the Ohme Home Pro — the officially recommended charger, with direct integration and access to extended off-peak windows. A Tesla on its own will also work natively without any specific charger, which makes the Tesla Wall Connector at £478 a sensible default.

Octopus Go

Octopus Go is the simpler sibling: a flat 8.5p/kWh between 12:30am and 5:30am, no API, no automatic scheduling. You set a timer on the car or charger to start and stop. It works with any EV and any charger — basic units included — which makes it the right pick when the setup is modest, or when the EV isn't on Intelligent Go's compatibility list.

Annual saving against a standard rate runs around £300–500 — slightly less than Intelligent Go because of the higher off-peak rate and shorter window. The Tesla Wall Connector handles scheduling natively through the Tesla app, which is the path of least resistance.

British Gas EV Power+

British Gas Electric Drivers sits between the two Octopus tariffs at ~7.9p/kWh from midnight to 5am, whole-home. The premium tier (EV Power+) drops the rate further for Hive-compatible chargers. British Gas's own estimate is around £490 a year against their standard variable tariff; £400–500 against the current Ofgem cap.

It's worth a look if you're already a British Gas customer or want a Hive-compatible setup. Otherwise the higher off-peak rate, shorter window and lack of true smart scheduling mean Intelligent Go usually wins on cost.

OVO Charge Anytime

Charge Anytime used to be 7p/kWh and would have been a near-tie with Intelligent Go. It doubled to 14p/kWh in November 2025, which is the problem. Instead of a fixed off-peak window, it schedules charging at the cheapest and greenest points throughout the day; the flexibility is genuinely useful, but at twice the rate of the alternative it doesn't pay off.

OVO also sells monthly subscriptions — Standard at £27.50/month, Premium at £37.50/month — that bundle home charging, public-charge credits and charger insurance. They don't close the gap to Intelligent Go for most drivers.

Annual savings are around £200–350 against a standard rate at 14p/kWh — roughly half what Octopus delivers.

Annual cost

A Tesla Model 3 driver doing 8,000 miles a year, charging entirely at home:

Based on Model 3 efficiency of ~4 miles per kWh, 100% home charging.

Which to pick

Intelligent Go is the default for most Tesla owners — cheapest rate, longest window, no scheduling to manage, and Tesla support is native. Pair it with the Ohme Home Pro for the lowest possible running cost, or with any Tesla and any charger if you want a simpler setup.

Octopus Go is the like-for-like fallback when an EV isn't on the Intelligent Go list, or when you prefer setting your own schedule. EV Power+ is a respectable alternative if you're already with British Gas. Charge Anytime, at its current 14p/kWh rate, is harder to recommend.

Switching

The mechanics are straightforward: check you have a smart meter (or request one from your current supplier — they're free), sign up on the new supplier's website, wait two to three weeks for the switch to take effect, then schedule the charger or Tesla to draw inside the off-peak window. Savings start the moment the tariff goes live. It's the single most effective change you can make to Tesla running costs.

For a per-mile breakdown of every UK EV tariff, see the UK EV Charging Cost Index. For charger pairings, the best smart EV charger guide lines up the matches.

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