Octopus EV tariff (August 2026): Intelligent Octopus Go rates & comparison
Intelligent Octopus Go is one of the UK’s most popular EV tariffs — smart overnight charging from around 7p/kWh, roughly a quarter of the 26.11p day rate the Ofgem cap allows. Compare Octopus Go, Intelligent Octopus Go, Cosy and Agile against the whole market.
Quick answer
The main Octopus EV tariff is Intelligent Octopus Go, which charges your car at around 8p/kWh in a smart 6-hour overnight window (roughly 11:30pm–5:30am). That is about a quarter of the 26.11p/kWh electricity day rate the Ofgem price cap allows. Octopus Go offers a fixed cheap window for cars or chargers that aren’t smart-compatible, and Cosy Octopus suits heat-pump homes that also charge an EV. Octopus is excellent value, but the cheapest EV tariff for you depends on your mileage, region and charging times — compare the whole market below.
Is the Octopus EV tariff right for you?
Intelligent Octopus Go smart-schedules your charging in a 6-hour overnight window (roughly 11:30pm–5:30am) at around 7p/kWh, and that cheap rate also covers the rest of your home during the window. It needs a smart meter and a compatible car or charger.
With the price cap rising, the gap between a cheap EV rate and the 26.11p/kWh capped day rate is wider than ever — so an EV tariff is one of the biggest single savings a home charging driver can make. Octopus is excellent, but it isn’t automatically the cheapest for every driver: the best EV tariff depends on your mileage, when you charge, your region and whether you have solar or a battery. Compare the whole market on your own charging pattern in under two minutes.
Octopus EV tariffs compared (August 2026)
| Tariff | Off-peak rate | Cheap window | Smart control | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligent Octopus Go | ~8p/kWh | 6h overnight, smart-extended | Yes | Most EV drivers with a compatible car/charger |
| Octopus Go | Fixed low overnight rate | Fixed window | No | Cars/chargers not supported by smart control |
| Cosy Octopus | ~13p/kWh | 3 cheap windows daily | No | Heat-pump homes that also charge an EV |
| Octopus Agile | Half-hourly, tracks wholesale | Varies daily | Manual/3rd-party | Hands-on drivers who can shift load to cheap half-hours |
Rates vary by region and change over time. Figures reflect publicly published Octopus tariffs as of August 2026 — always confirm the live rate before switching. The ~7p/kWh overnight rate is unaffected by the Ofgem cap, which only sets a ceiling on Standard Variable unit rates.
The Octopus EV rate vs the Ofgem price cap
The Ofgem price cap is £1,663/yr for a typical dual-fuel direct-debit home (.5%, on the previous quarter's cap, which Ofgem confirmed). The capped electricity unit rate becomes 26.11p/kWh plus a 57.19p/day standing charge. Charging an EV at the standard capped day rate is expensive; a dedicated overnight rate near 7p/kWh changes the maths entirely.
| Charging rate | Cost per kWh | Cost to add ~200 miles (~60 kWh) |
|---|---|---|
| Capped Standard Variable day rate | 26.11p | ~£15.67 |
| Intelligent Octopus Go overnight | ~8p | ~£4.20 |
On those illustrative figures, charging on the overnight rate rather than the capped day rate saves roughly £11 per full charge — for a typical 8,000-mile-a-year driver that is hundreds of pounds saved over a year. Standing charges and exact unit rates differ by region, so use the comparison tool for a figure on your own usage.
Intelligent Octopus Go: rates, times and eligibility
Intelligent Octopus Go (IOG) is Octopus’s flagship smart EV tariff. You tell the Octopus app your car, target charge and ready-by time, and Octopus automatically charges in the cheapest, greenest half-hours — you still get the low ~7p/kWh rate even if charging happens outside the core window.
- Off-peak window: a guaranteed cheap 6-hour block, roughly 11:30pm–5:30am, plus any smart-scheduled charging.
- Whole-home benefit: the cheap rate applies to everything in your home during the window — great for dishwashers, washing machines and home batteries.
- Eligibility: a smart meter (SMETS2 or a working SMETS1) and a compatible EV or home charger so Octopus can control charging.
- Day rate: outside the window you pay a standard day rate, so IOG suits drivers who can do most charging overnight.
Octopus Go vs Intelligent Octopus Go
Both give cheap overnight charging. The difference is control: Octopus Go gives a simple fixed cheap window that works with any car or charger, while Intelligent Octopus Go hands scheduling to Octopus for a typically lower rate and a longer effective cheap period — but it needs a supported car or charger. If your vehicle or charger isn’t on the compatible list, Octopus Go is the fallback that still delivers low overnight rates.
Solar, batteries and export: pairing with Outgoing Octopus
If you have solar panels, you can pair an EV import tariff with an Octopus export tariff like Outgoing Octopus and get paid for surplus electricity you send back to the grid. Charging your car and home battery cheaply overnight while exporting at a strong daytime rate is one of the best-value setups available — and it cushions you against the rising cap, because your home leans on cheap overnight import and paid daytime export rather than the capped day rate. See our guide to the best SEG export tariff rates in the UK to maximise what you earn.
Want to weigh Octopus against every other EV supplier? Our best EV home charger tariffs guide ranks the whole market, and you can also use an EV tariff without an EV if you have a home battery or storage heaters.
How to switch to an Octopus EV tariff
- Check you have a smart meter and a compatible EV or charger (needed for Intelligent Octopus Go).
- Compare Octopus against the whole market for your mileage, region and charging times.
- Apply online — the switch usually completes in around three weeks with no interruption to your supply.
- Set your car and ready-by time in the Octopus app so smart charging can start.
Written by: EnergyPlus Editorial Team
Whole-of-market home energy comparison. Rates verified August 2026 against published Octopus tariffs and the Ofgem price cap.Reviewed by the EnergyPlus editorial team on August 2026.
Octopus EV tariff FAQs
Intelligent Octopus Go charges your car at around 8p/kWh in a smart 6-hour overnight window. Octopus cut EV charging rates by up to 39% from 1 April 2026, making it one of the cheapest EV tariffs on the market — and that overnight rate is well below the 26.11p/kWh capped day rate that applies.
The Ofgem price cap only limits Standard Variable unit rates, so a fixed EV deal’s overnight rate isn’t set by the cap. What changes is the comparison: with the capped day rate rising to 26.11p/kWh, charging on a ~7p/kWh overnight rate saves even more than before.
The guaranteed cheap window runs roughly 11:30pm to 5:30am (6 hours). IOG can also smart-charge outside that window at the same low rate, and the cheap rate covers the rest of your home during the window.
Octopus Go gives a fixed cheap overnight window for any car or charger. Intelligent Octopus Go adds smart scheduling for a typically lower rate and longer cheap period, but needs a compatible car or charger.
It’s one of the cheapest and most popular, but the best deal depends on your car, mileage and region — compare the whole market before switching.
Yes — Intelligent Octopus Go needs a smart meter and a compatible car or charger. Octopus Go uses a fixed window if your setup isn’t supported.
If you charge at home and you’re still on a Standard Variable tariff, moving to an EV tariff now locks in cheap overnight charging at the current cap. Take a meter reading on 30 June so the cheaper cap covers your usage up to that date, then compare the market on your own charging pattern.
You can sign up to Octopus Go without an EV to get the cheap overnight rate for home batteries, storage heaters or overnight appliances, but Intelligent Octopus Go generally requires a compatible EV or charger.
Check you have a smart meter and a compatible EV or charger, compare Octopus against the whole market, then apply online — switching usually completes in around three weeks with no loss of supply.
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No obligation.Reviewed by the EnergyPlus editorial team on August 2026.
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