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TariffsEV tariffs compared: the cheapest overnight windows
Overnight EV rates now sit between 6.99p and 9p per kWh while the capped average import rate is 26.11p. The differences between the tariffs are less about the headline number than about the window and the conditions.
Updated 4 August 2026 · written by the Clearline guidance team
The short answer
The cheapest verified overnight rate as at 3 August 2026 is EDF GoElectric Overnight at 6.99p per kWh, over a seven-hour window from 11pm to 6am. Against the Ofgem average capped electricity rate of 26.11p per kWh for the July to September 2026 quarter, that is a discount of 19.12p on every unit, or roughly 73 per cent.
The rest of the market clusters tightly. E.ON Next Drive Smart and Octopus Intelligent Octopus Go both start at 8p. E.ON Next Drive and British Gas Electric Driver sit at 9p. OVO Charge Anytime takes a different approach entirely at 14p with no window at all. This page is the rate-by-rate comparison. If you want the mechanism first, how time of use charging windows work covers the metering, the whole-home versus car-only split and the battery interaction.
The window matters as much as the rate
A 6.99p rate across seven hours delivers 49 cheap hours a week. An 8p rate across six hours delivers 42. If your car needs a big charge on a weeknight, the extra hour can be worth more than the penny.
The tariffs, side by side
| Supplier and tariff | Off-peak rate | Window | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| EDF GoElectric Overnight | 6.99p | 11pm to 6am, seven hours nightly | EDF electricity account and a fully connected smart meter. £75 exit fee |
| Octopus Intelligent Octopus Go | From 8p | 23:30 to 05:30 whole-home, plus smart-scheduled charging up to six hours a day | Compatible EV or charger managed through the Octopus app. Quoted savings exclude the standing charge |
| E.ON Next Drive Smart | 8p, fixed 12 months | 12am to 6am, whole-home | Smart meter with half-hourly consent, plus an eligible EV and charger |
| E.ON Next Drive | 9p | 12am to 6am, whole-home | Any EV and any charger. One-year fixed, smart meter required |
| British Gas Electric Driver | 9p | 12am to 5am, whole-home | British Gas electricity customer. Any EV or charger |
| OVO Charge Anytime | 14p | No window, the app picks the time | Compatible EV or charger, smart meter and an OVO account. Rate as stated on 4 November 2025 |
| Octopus Go | Postcode-dependent | 00:30 to 05:30 nightly | Octopus customer with a compatible smart meter. A home charger is not required |
All checked 3 August 2026. Octopus does not publish the Go rate on its page because it varies by region.
Two figures come from comparison sources rather than the supplier's own page, and we flag them as such. British Gas Electric Driver is reported to carry a peak rate of around 31p and an effective rate of about 7.9p with a Hive charger on Power plus. EDF is reported to offer a 6.49p variant of GoElectric to Pod Point charger customers, which did not appear on the EDF page we fetched. Treat both as second-hand until confirmed directly.
What the rates are worth in pounds
Charging arithmetic is simple once you fix a volume. The table below uses a round 1,000 kWh of charging, so you can scale it to whatever your own mileage works out to.
| Rate | Cost per 1,000 kWh | Saved against the 26.11p capped average |
|---|---|---|
| 6.99p | £69.90 | £191.20 |
| 8p | £80.00 | £181.10 |
| 9p | £90.00 | £171.10 |
| 14p | £140.00 | £121.10 |
| 26.11p | £261.10 | Nothing, this is the baseline |
Unit costs only. Standing charges are excluded, as Octopus notes in its own savings claims, because they apply whichever tariff you are on.
The distance between the cheapest and the most expensive off-peak option here is £70 per 1,000 kWh. That is meaningful, but notice that all of them beat the capped rate by a wide margin. Getting onto any EV tariff is the big move. Optimising between them is the small one.
The whole-home versus car-only distinction
This is the difference that changes the answer most, and it is easy to miss. The metering behind it is set out in how time of use charging windows work. What follows is simply which of the tariffs above sits in which camp.
- Whole-home off-peak. E.ON Next Drive, E.ON Next Drive Smart, British Gas Electric Driver and the Intelligent Octopus Go window all apply the cheap rate to everything in the house during those hours, not just the car. Your dishwasher, your immersion and your home battery all charge at the same low rate.
- Smart-scheduled charging. Intelligent Octopus Go also gives cheap charging outside the window when the app schedules it, up to six hours a day, and OVO Charge Anytime works entirely this way with no fixed window at all.
- Peak penalty. Most of these tariffs charge more than the capped rate during the day to fund the overnight discount. British Gas Electric Driver's peak is reported at around 31p. If your household uses a lot of electricity between 8am and 11pm, run that side of the sum too.
For anyone with a battery, whole-home off-peak is the interesting column, because it lets you fill the battery at 6.99p to 9p and run the house off it through the expensive hours. That mechanism is worked through in off peak tariffs and battery charging.
You do not always need a home charger
Octopus Go requires an Octopus account and a compatible smart meter but not a home charge point, and E.ON Next Drive accepts any EV and any charger. Intelligent Octopus Go, by contrast, needs a compatible car or charger it can control through the app, with Andersen chargers among those recently added. If you are early in the process, our EV charging guide covers what the hardware side actually requires.
A free design call works out whether your car, your charger and your meter qualify for the rate you are aiming at, before you switch.
Get your free quote →Choosing between them
Check the hardware gate first
The cheapest rates that depend on a compatible car or charger are worthless if yours is not on the list. Confirm compatibility before you compare pence.
Count the hours you need, not the ones on offer
A larger battery pack on a long commute may not refill inside a five-hour window. Seven hours at 6.99p beats five hours at 6.99p and a top-up at the peak rate.
Add the rest of the house
Whole-home off-peak rewards you for shifting the washing, the dishwasher and any hot water cylinder into the same window.
Read the peak rate and the exit fee
EDF's GoElectric Overnight carries a £75 exit fee. Peak rates on EV tariffs are typically above the capped average, so heavy daytime use erodes the gain.
Where solar changes the picture
If you already have or are planning solar panels, an EV tariff is not a straight swap. Solar wants you self-consuming in daylight. An EV tariff wants you importing overnight. The two are complementary in summer, when you charge from the roof, and in winter, when you charge from the grid at 6.99p to 9p, but the export tariff you can pair with the import one becomes a constraint.
E.ON Next, for example, excludes time-of-use import tariffs from its Export Exclusive v3 export rate, so you cannot have both. That kind of clash is exactly what choosing a tariff with solar, battery and an EV is about. County pages across our coverage area carry calculators that model the combination for a specific postcode.
Rates verified against supplier pages on 3 August 2026 except where flagged as reported by a comparison source. The E.ON Next Drive page was current as of 23 July 2026, and the OVO Charge Anytime rate is stated as of 4 November 2025.
EV tariff questions, answered
What is the cheapest EV tariff in the UK?
On rates verified on 3 August 2026, EDF GoElectric Overnight at 6.99p per kWh is the lowest published off-peak rate, running 11pm to 6am. E.ON Next Drive Smart and Intelligent Octopus Go both start at 8p. A 6.49p Pod Point variant of GoElectric is reported by a comparison site but did not appear on EDF's own page when we checked.
Do EV tariffs make the rest of my electricity more expensive?
Usually, yes, during peak hours. The overnight discount is funded by a higher daytime rate, and British Gas Electric Driver's peak is reported at around 31p against a capped average of 26.11p. Whether you come out ahead depends on how much of your consumption you can move into the cheap window.
Can I get an EV tariff without a home charger?
Octopus Go does not require a home charge point, only an Octopus account and a compatible smart meter, and E.ON Next Drive accepts any EV and any charger. Intelligent Octopus Go and OVO Charge Anytime both need a car or charger the app can control, so the hardware gate is real for those two.
How many cheap hours do these tariffs actually give me?
EDF GoElectric Overnight gives seven hours a night, which is 49 hours a week. The 12am to 6am tariffs give six hours a night, or 42 a week. British Gas Electric Driver's 12am to 5am window gives five, or 35. Intelligent Octopus Go adds smart-scheduled charging of up to six hours a day on top of its own window.
Is OVO Charge Anytime worth 14p when others charge 8p?
It depends on whether you can charge inside a fixed window. Charge Anytime has no window at all, so the app can charge the car at any hour of the day at the same rate. If your car is at home during the day and away overnight, a flexible 14p can beat a rigid 8p you never reach.
Will a battery let me use an EV tariff for the whole house?
That is exactly what the whole-home off-peak tariffs allow. Filling a battery during the cheap window and running the house from it afterwards converts a car tariff into a household one. The value depends on usable capacity, so size the battery against your evening and overnight draw.
See the numbers next: Duracell Dura16, installed, or export rates compared.
Figures and specifications in this guide are sourced below and were checked on the date shown. Rates and product specifications change; we confirm the current picture on your free design call.
Sources
- EDF, GoElectric Overnight rate, window and exit fee, accessed 3 August 2026 edfenergy.com
- Octopus Energy, Intelligent Octopus Go rate, window and charger compatibility, accessed 3 August 2026 octopus.energy
- Octopus Energy, Octopus Go window and requirements, accessed 3 August 2026 octopus.energy
- E.ON Next, Next Drive and Next Drive Smart rates, windows and conditions, page current as of 23 July 2026, accessed 3 August 2026 eonnext.com
- OVO Energy, Charge Anytime rate and requirements, rate stated as of 4 November 2025, accessed 3 August 2026 ovoenergy.com
- British Gas, EV tariff explainer covering Electric Driver, accessed 3 August 2026 britishgas.co.uk
- Ofgem, average capped electricity unit rate for 1 July to 30 September 2026, accessed 3 August 2026 ofgem.gov.uk
- Bestchargers, reported British Gas Electric Driver peak rate and Hive Power plus effective rate (secondary source) bestchargers.co.uk
- Bestchargers, reported EDF GoElectric Pod Point variant at 6.49p (secondary source) bestchargers.co.uk
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