Best EV Tariffs - April 2024

Looking for the best EV tariffs for charging your electric car? Our guide is here to help you save money on charging your EV.

If you've made the switch to an electric car (EV) or you're thinking of doing so in the near future, you'll realise that it's important to make sure that you're on a domestic energy tariff that will take the sting out of the cost of charging. 

Making sure you're in the right EV tariff will help you save hundreds of pounds every year when charging at home and even more for higher mileage drivers.

But not every EV tariff is the same and some are likely to suit your needs better than others. So we have rounded up the best EV tariffs the market currently has to offer to help you make the right decision for your electric car.

If you're looking to buy an electric car, take a look at our guides to the best electric cars to buy and the cheapest electric cars on sale.

Octopus EV tariff

British Gas EV tariff

OVO EV tariff

EO.N EV tariff

Good Energy EV tariff

Best EV tariff providers and rates

These are the best EV tariff rates we've found in the market right now. Here you can compare prices of EV tariffs and find one that will hopefully save you money. This is updated monthly.

Octopus Go

Day Rate: 29.78p Night Rate: 9.5p Standing Charge: 48.66p/day Off peak hours: 00:30-04:30

Get the Octopus EV tariff

What is Octopus Go?

It's the dedicated Octopus EV Tariff giving you four hours of super-cheap electricity every night, which you can use to charge your EV and for any other appliances that use overnight power (batteries or heat pumps for instance)

Who is the Octopus Go tariff best for?

If you have an EV with a solid range (such as the 250-mile ID4 below), you will need a fast charger (7kWh as a minimum) in order to make the most of the cheap hours as the window is limited. You'll also very rarely charge during the day. This Octopus EV tariff works with any EV and any charger.

This is how much it would cost to fully charge the Volkswagen ID.4 Family Pro Performance (77kWh)

Method Cost per kWh £ Number of kWh Total Overnight 0.09 77 £7.31 Daytime 0.29 77 £22.33

OVO Charge Anytime

Day Rate: 29.4p (Standard Variable) Night Rate: N/A Standing Charge: 50.1p (Standard Variable ) Off peak hours: N/A EV Charge Rate: 7.0p

Get the OVO EV tariff

What is OVO Charge Anytime?

OVO Charge Anytime is the OVO EV smart tariff that charges your car at very cheap rates when demand on the grid is low. You will need a compatible EV and EV charger to benefit from this and the rate is available for your EV only, you can not use the cheaper electricity for any other purpose, unlike other tariffs.

Who is the OVO Charge Anytime tariff best for?

This OVO EV tariff is ideal for the EV owner who is a low electricity user in the home and uses their car infrequently. You can make use of low rates, by having the car plugged in waiting for cheaper charging windows. OVO recently reduced the charge rate from 10p to 7p per kWh.

This is how much it would cost to fully charge the Volkswagen ID.4 Family Pro Performance (77kWh)

Method Cost per kWh £ Number of kWh Total OVO Charge Anytime 0.7 77 £5.39 Other times 0.29 77 £22.33

British Gas Electric Driver

Day Rate: 29.48 Night Rate: 9.4p Standing Charge: 45.92p Off peak hours: 00:00-05:00

Get the British Gas EV tariff

What is British Gas Electric Driver?

It's the British Gas EV tariff created specifically for charging EVs overnight. It works with any EV and charger.

Who is the British Gas Electric Driver tariff best for?

With one of the cheapest standing charges, a low overnight rate and five full hours of charging, this British Gas EV tariff is one of the better tariffs for higher energy consumers. You can use the overnight tariff for everything (not just EVs), meaning you can charge batteries if you have them for later use and/or EV charging too. The five hours of overnight charge will also suit households with slower chargers.

This is how much it would cost to fully charge the Volkswagen ID.4 Family Pro Performance (77kWh)

Method Cost per kWh £ Number of kWh Total Overnight 0.095 77 £7.31 Daytime 0.29 77 £22.33

E.ON Next Drive

Day Rate: 33.11p Night Rate: 9.5p Standing Charge: 53.8p Off peak hours: 00:00-07:00

Get the E.ON EV tariff

What is E.ON Next Drive?

The E.ON EV Tariff is called E.ON Next Drive and is designed for EV owner's charging overnight. You need a smart meter but it works with any EV and charger.

Who is the E.ON Next Drive tariff best for?

With a longer overnight off-peak charging window than other providers, running from midnight to 7am, the E.ON Next Drive tariff is ideal if you have a large capacity battery EV that requires longer charging times. You need to have a smart meter installed so it can send half hourly updates on your energy use, so it should be very accurate. E.ON is also offering £50 off home charger installation.

This is how much it would cost to fully charge the Volkswagen ID.4 Family Pro Performance (77kWh)

Method Cost per kWh £ Number of kWh Total Overnight 0.095 77 £7.31 Daytime 0.33 77 £25.49

Good Energy Smart EV Tariff

Day Rate: From 34.63p to 36.71p* Night Rate: 9.41p Standing Charge: From 36.65p to 59.57p* Off peak hours: 00:00-05:00 *varies depending on region

Get the Good Energy EV tariff

What is the Good Energy Smart EV tariff?

The Good Energy Standard (Smart EV) tariff offers an off-peak rate of 9.41p/kWh from midnight until 4.59am. Peak rates start at 34.63p/kWh but vary by region so it's important to check how much it is in your area when comparing. You need a smart meter to access the off-peak rates. As a version of the company’s Standard Variable Tariff (SVT) the tariff is variable rather than fixed so can go up as well as down

Who is the Good Energy Smart EV tariff best for?

While the off-peak cheaper charging window is smaller than others, the Good Energy EV tariff still gives five hours of cheaper charging time, so it's ideal for smaller capacity EVs or if you keep your EV regular topped up and don't cover long distances. There's no exit fee, giving you the flexibility to cancel and switch supplier at any time.

This is how much it would cost to fully charge the Volkswagen ID.4 Family Pro Performance (77kWh)

Method Cost per kWh £ Number of kWh Total Overnight 0.0941 77 £7.25 Daytime 0.3463 77 £26.67

What is an EV tariff?

Instead of using a flat rate tariff for all hours of the day, an Electric Vehicle (EV) tariff offers cheap unit rates for cheaper overnight charging - this could be anything from four to six hours of cheap overnight charging. You need to be able to shift your usage to overnight (for instance if you heat water using electric), as the daytime rates tend to be higher to off-set the cheaper rates. But, if you can make it work, it becomes a very cheap way of charging an EV with rates starting at under 10p/kWh.

Which providers offer tariffs for EVs?

Octopus Energy has led the way with EV tariffs and now offers six different tariffs that will appeal to EV buyers, depending on your needs: Go, Go Faster, Intelligent, Flux, Cosy and Agile. OVO's product is an add-on to its Standard Variable Tariff, while British Gas, Eon and EDF are all recent entrants to the market.

Is it worth moving to an EV tariff?

Nine times out of 10, yes. EV tariffs are usually dual rate so it will cost less to charge your EV when demand for energy is low - in other words overnight. This is ideal for most electric car owners who plug in their car when they get home at the end of the day ready for use in the morning

Ask HJ

Will a portable EV charger be available in the UK?

Is the ZipCharge portable charger still in the planning stage or was this just a flop?

ZipCharge received a lot of coverage on their proposed remote charging solution, but there has been little recent progress towards the original on-sale date of Q2 in 2023. Even ZIpCharge's LinkedIn page has not posted in 10 months. There are competitors in the market but none of them are as yet available in the UK, so an offering that is available in this country may still be some way off.

Answered by David Ross

More Questions

Ask HJ

Can I reject my new EV which refuses to charge?

I took delivery of a new MG EV4 Long Range Trophy on the 29th of April. They were only able to charge it to about 100 miles due to various problems at the dealership. I drove it for about 22 miles and then put it on charge on the 30th April. It never charged. I returned it to the dealer on Monday the 1st May where they discovered that there was a fault. They refused to offer me a courtesy car as I had taken the car to them. If they had picked it up, they say that a courtesy car would have been offered. It is now in their workshop being tested. It could be there until next week. I am very inconvenienced by not having any transport. Can I refuse to accept this car under The Sales of Goods Act?

We think you have good grounds to reject this car, both in respect of it being not fit for purpose and also of satisfactory quality. If you cannot charge the car then it is of no use whatsoever. You have time on your side, so we would suggest giving the dealer a little more time to rectify the fault. We would also suggest that asking for a replacement vehicle is an easier alternative to outright rejection, which most dealerships will try to avoid. If you do decide to proceed with a rejection, outline your case in writing and in detail, and send your letter by recorded post. Also copy this letter to the customer service department of MG UK. There is more on your consumer rights here: https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/how-to-reject-a-car-your-consumer-rights/

Answered by David Ross

More Questions

See Also:

Best electric cars 2023

Which cars make the list for this year?

Best used electric cars 2023

Is now the time to to pick up a used EV?

Electric cars with longest range 2023

How far will the best EVs of the year go?