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Octopus Energy · tariff review

Octopus Intelligent Go

Editorial update By Joe McGrathRates checked 30 Sept 2026
Off-peak
7.6p/kWh
Peak
36.6p/kWh
Cheap window
11:30pm–5:30am (6 hours)
Standing
47p/day*
Eligibility
Any timed charger

* Representative standing charge. The supplier quote varies by postcode and region.

Verdict

Still the default, but no longer on price. 7.6p/kWh sits above EDF GoElectric, which also runs an hour longer, and since May the scheduler will only book six hours of charging in any 24. What Intelligent Go keeps is the machinery: the vehicle API means a Tesla needs no smart charger at all, and an Ohme Home Pro hands scheduling off entirely. The current product is a 12-month fix with a £50 exit fee, so it is no longer quite the walk-away tariff it was. Go to EDF if the rate is the only thing you are buying. Sister tariff: see how it stacks up against Octopus Go.

Restriction: Smart-scheduled charging capped at 6 hours per 24 (midday to midday) since 7 May 2026 — the overflow bills at the peak rate

Annual household estimate

EV cost and the rest of the bill, kept separate.

£1,377

estimated annual total · fixed

EV electricity
£217
Household electricity
£988
Standing charge
£172
Saving vs baseline
£286
Refine estimate and view assumptions
  • · 10,000 miles a year
  • · 3.5 miles/kWh vehicle efficiency
  • · 2,700kWh household electricity excluding the EV
  • · 100% of EV charging off-peak
  • · Non-EV household use costed at the tariff peak rate
  • · Standing charges are representative and postcode-dependent

Evidence and restrictions

What the rate means in practice.

A guaranteed six-hour window, 11:30pm–5:30am, at 7.6p/kWh — under a third of the standard variable rate. It is no longer the cheapest fixed rate on the market: EDF GoElectric now runs 6.66p/kWh across seven hours. What Intelligent Go still has is the scheduling. Pair it with a compatible smart charger like the Ohme Home Pro and Octopus grants extra off-peak slots during the day when wholesale prices fall.

Since 7 May 2026 there is a ceiling on that. Smart-scheduled EV charging is capped at six hours in any 24-hour period, measured midday to midday; anything beyond it bills at the peak rate.

Best for: Tesla owners who want scheduling handled for them and are happy to charge during 11:30pm–5:30am.

How It Works

When you sign up, Octopus connects to your EV via its vehicle API (Tesla, BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen, and others are supported) or through a compatible smart charger. You set your departure time and desired charge level in the Octopus app, and the system automatically schedules charging during the cheapest periods. With a compatible charger like the Ohme Home Pro, the charger communicates directly with Octopus to request additional off-peak slots beyond the standard 6-hour window. Those slots now sit under the six-hour daily cap: the cheap half-hours can land anywhere in the day, but there are only twelve of them.

For Tesla owners specifically, the vehicle API integration means your Tesla communicates directly with Octopus — no special charger required. However, pairing with an Ohme charger enables the most aggressive off-peak scheduling.

Who It Suits

Intelligent Go is ideal for anyone who charges overnight at home. If you can plug in for 11:30pm–5:30am and don't need your car until morning, eligible charging is billed at 7.6p/kWh. For the site's default mileage and efficiency assumptions, the EV-electricity estimate is £217 a year; household use and postcode-dependent standing charges are calculated separately on the page.

Cost Breakdown

These figures isolate EV charging electricity. They do not include household use or postcode-dependent standing charges.

ScenarioCost per full chargeEV electricity only (10k miles)
Intelligent Go off-peak (7.6p/kWh)~£4.56£217
Standard variable (~26.32p/kWh)~£15.79~£752
Public rapid charger (~50p/kWh)~£30.00~£1,430

Switching from a standard tariff to Intelligent Go saves roughly £535 a year on EV charging alone. Against public rapid charging the gap is about £1,200.

Compatible Chargers

Intelligent Go works with any charger — you can use the standard 6-hour off-peak window with any home charger by scheduling via your car's app. However, to access the extended off-peak slots (where Octopus pushes extra cheap periods throughout the day), you need either vehicle API integration or an Ohme charger. The Ohme Home Pro is the officially recommended charger and gets the most aggressive off-peak allocation. The Tesla Wall Connector works well too — just schedule charging to begin when the 11:30pm–5:30am period opens via the Tesla app.

For our ranked list of chargers that integrate with Intelligent Go, see the best smart EV charger guide. For supplier decisions, compare Intelligent Go with EDF GoElectric, OVO Charge Anytime or British Gas EV Power. To compare cost per mile across the market, explore the UK EV Charging Cost Index.

Tariff details

Provider
Octopus Energy
Off-Peak Rate
7.6p/kWh
Peak Rate
36.6p/kWh
Standing Charge
47p/day (postcode-dependent)
Off-Peak Hours
11:30pm–5:30am
Smart Charging Cap
6 hours per 24 hours
Smart Meter Required
Yes
Smart Charger Required
No (recommended)
Contract Length
12 months fixed (£50 exit fee)

Choose this if

  • + 7.6p/kWh off-peak — second only to EDF GoElectric among fixed rates
  • + 6-hour guaranteed off-peak window every night
  • + Extra off-peak slots via Ohme charger or vehicle API

Think twice if

  • − Smart-scheduled charging capped at 6 hours per 24 (midday to midday) since 7 May 2026 — the overflow bills at the peak rate
  • − No longer the cheapest fixed rate: EDF GoElectric is 6.66p/kWh across a 7-hour window
  • − Requires a smart meter (free to install via Octopus)

Rate history

How Octopus Intelligent Go’s rates have moved.

We have tracked this tariff since 15 July 2026. Each entry is dated the day we verified it against the supplier’s published rate.

  1. Standing charge47.7p/day → 47p/day (down 1.5%)
  2. Peak rate31.64p/kWh → 36.6p/kWh (up 15.7%)The new product's peak rate is well above the Ofgem cap, which changes the sums for households with high daytime use.
  3. Off-peak rate8p/kWh → 7.6p/kWh (down 5%)New 12-month fixed product (IOG-SMB-FIX-12M-26-10-01) in Octopus's product API. Quoted without VAT: 0% VAT applies to domestic electricity in Great Britain from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027, so a like-for-like rate reads about 5% lower than its summer figure.

Every tracked tariff and the full change log →

Longer-term charger cost

Five-year charger + EV electricity cost.

Up-front charger and installation, plus five years of EV electricity on Octopus Intelligent Go. This deliberately excludes non-EV household use; the annual estimate above includes it separately.

10,000mi
3,00020,000

Typical five-year charger + EV electricity cost

£1,976

£949 up front, then about £205 a year in electricity on Octopus Intelligent Go.

Ohme ePod on Octopus Intelligent Go£1,976
Public rapid only£10,676
Petrol equivalent£9,500

Saves about £9,649 over 5 years vs public rapid charging, £8,473 vs petrol at 19p/mile. Adjust the inputs above for your numbers.

After choosing a charger

Pass the tariff and charger context into an installation brief.

You might also consider

Octopus Intelligent Go vs. the two closest peers.

The four specs buyers ask about most, side by side.

Scottish Power logo

vs.

Scottish Power EV Saver

Scottish Power

Same smart-charger requirement; 0.9000000000000004p/kWh pricier off-peak.

Full review →
Off-peak rate
7.6p/kWhvs8.5p/kWh
Off-peak window
6hvs5h
Smart charger
Not requiredvsNot required
Standing charge
47p/dayvs48.64p/day
EDF Energy logo

vs.

EDF GoElectric

EDF Energy

Same smart-charger requirement; 0.9399999999999995p/kWh cheaper off-peak.

Full review →
Off-peak rate
7.6p/kWhvs6.66p/kWh
Off-peak window
6hvs7h
Smart charger
Not requiredvsNot required
Standing charge
47p/dayvs49.74p/day