Intelligent Octopus Go drops to 6.5p, level with E.ON Next Drive Smart

Octopus Energy’s Intelligent Octopus Go now offers smart charging from 6.5p per kWh, down from the 8p it charged new customers on its fixed deal earlier this month. The 6.5p rate comes on a new variable version of the tariff that went on sale on 29 October 2026, according to Octopus’s own product data, and it matches the 6.5p E.ON Next announced for Next Drive Smart on 27 October.

For a UK driver charging at home, that means the two best-known smart EV tariffs now share the same overnight rate: about 1.9p a mile in a typical electric car. They are not the same product, though. The cheap hours differ, one rate is fixed and the other is not, and both need a compatible car or charger. Here is how they compare, and what a year of charging costs on each.

What has Octopus changed on Intelligent Octopus Go?

The Intelligent Octopus Go page now advertises smart charging “from only 6.5p/kWh”. Octopus’s public product list shows where that figure comes from: a product simply called Intelligent Octopus Go, on sale from 29 October 2026, listed as variable, with no fixed term and no exit fee. Its off-peak rate is 6.5p per kWh in all 14 regions in the data.

Octopus is still selling a 12-month fixed version alongside it. That deal, on sale since 27 October, is 7.9p per kWh off-peak in every region, with a £50 exit fee. The fixed deal before that, on sale from 20 to 27 October, was 8p, which is the rate we reported in our October EV tariffs round-up.

Intelligent Octopus Go version	Off-peak rate	Type	Exit fee	On sale from
Variable	6.5p per kWh	Variable, no term	None	29 October 2026
12-month fixed (v3)	7.9p per kWh	Fixed, 12 months	£50	27 October 2026
12-month fixed (v2)	8p per kWh	Fixed, 12 months	£50	20 to 27 October 2026

Octopus has not said publicly whether existing Intelligent Octopus Go customers move to the new rate, so if you are already on the tariff, check your account before assuming your rate has changed.

What did E.ON Next announce?

E.ON Next said on 27 October that it had cut Next Drive Smart to 6.5p per kWh, applying to the whole home every night from midnight to 6am, in a press release. It also cut Next Drive Fixed, which does not use smart charging, to 8.5p. E.ON says neither tariff has exit fees.

E.ON’s product data shows Next Drive Smart V7.9 on sale from 28 October, fixed for 12 months, with no exit fee. On its tariff page, E.ON says the rate is “fixed at 6.5p/kWh” and describes it as the UK’s lowest off-peak, tariff-only rate for EV charging, a comparison it says excludes bundles, broker exclusives and bolt-ons.

E.ON’s figures for the day rate differ between sources: 34.04p per kWh in the press release, 34.322p on the tariff page, and between 33.36p and 35.86p by region in its product data. Check the rate quoted for your postcode before switching.

How do the 6.5p tariffs compare side by side?

	Intelligent Octopus Go (variable)	E.ON Next Drive Smart	Octopus Go (12-month fix)
Off-peak rate	6.5p per kWh	6.5p per kWh	9.4p per kWh
Whole-home cheap window	11:30pm to 5:30am	Midnight to 6am	12:30am to 5:30am
Fixed or variable	Variable	Fixed for 12 months	Fixed for 12 months
Exit fee	None	None	£50
Compatible car or charger needed	Yes	Yes	No
Day rate, London region	38.27p	34.60p	38.31p
Standing charge, London region	42.56p a day	57.14p a day	42.56p a day

Rates are from each supplier’s product data, read on 30 October 2026, and include VAT at the current 0% rate on household electricity. Day rates and Octopus standing charges vary by region. E.ON’s standing charge is the same, 57.14p a day, in every region in its data, while Octopus’s Intelligent Octopus Go standing charge runs from 42.56p in London to 67.01p in the Merseyside and North Wales region.

What does 6.5p mean per mile and per year?

Here are our own figures. The inputs: an electric car that covers 3.5 miles per kWh, the efficiency we use across our running cost guides, and 2,000kWh of charging a year, which is about 7,000 miles. We have assumed all charging happens at the off-peak rate, which is what these tariffs are designed for. Standing charges are left out, because you pay them whatever tariff you are on.

Rate	Cost per mile	2,000kWh a year
6.5p (Intelligent Octopus Go variable, E.ON Next Drive Smart)	1.9p	£130
6.66p (EDF GoElectric)	1.9p	£133
7.9p (Intelligent Octopus Go 12-month fix)	2.3p	£158
8p (previous Intelligent Octopus Go fix)	2.3p	£160
9.4p (Octopus Go 12-month fix)	2.7p	£188
26.32p (Ofgem price cap, October to December)	7.5p	£526
54p (Zapmap slow and fast public average, September)	15.4p	£1,080
79p (Zapmap rapid and ultra-rapid average, September)	22.6p	£1,580

The gap between the old 8p and the new 6.5p is £30 a year at this mileage. The gap between home off-peak charging and slow public charging is about £950. For most drivers, being able to charge at home on any EV tariff matters far more than which of these tariffs they pick.

A full 60kWh charge costs £3.90 at 6.5p, £4.74 at 7.9p and £5.64 at 9.4p. Our home charging cost calculator lets you put in your own mileage and efficiency, and our report on the October price cap explains the 26.32p standard rate.

What are the catches?

You need a compatible car or charger. Both 6.5p tariffs work by letting the supplier schedule your charging. Octopus says your car or charger must connect through its app and that it “can’t guarantee compatibility”, so use its eligibility check first. Best Chargers keeps a list of chargers that work with Intelligent Octopus Go. E.ON’s list is shorter: your car must be on its supported list, or you need a zappi, Hypervolt or Indra charger, and only one EV is supported. Our guide to smart chargers for Octopus tariffs covers the hardware.

The windows are different. Intelligent Octopus Go’s whole-home cheap rate runs from 11:30pm to 5:30am. E.ON’s runs from midnight to 6am. Both are six hours, so the difference only matters if you run the dishwasher, washing machine or a home battery overnight and care whether the cheap hours start before or after midnight. Octopus says it offers up to six hours of smart charging every 24 hours, and E.ON says smart-scheduled charging in the day is also billed at 6.5p.

Boost charging costs the day rate. If you override the schedule to charge immediately, Octopus bills it at the day rate; it calls these bump charges and says you can stop them in its app. E.ON bills boosts in peak hours at its peak rate, though a boost during the midnight to 6am window is billed at 6.5p.

Variable against fixed. The 6.5p Intelligent Octopus Go has no fixed term, so Octopus can change the rate. E.ON’s 6.5p is fixed for 12 months. If price certainty matters to you, the like-for-like Octopus product is the 7.9p fix, with a £50 exit fee.

Standing charges and day rates. In the London region, the Intelligent Octopus Go standing charge is about 14.6p a day lower than E.ON’s, which is about £53 a year. But E.ON’s day rate there is about 3.7p per kWh lower, which saves about £37 for every 1,000kWh you use outside the cheap window. Which works out cheaper depends on your region and how much of your household electricity you use in the day.

Is either one the cheapest EV tariff?

Not on every measure, so we are not calling either the cheapest. EDF lists its Pod Point Plug and Power tariff at 6.18p per kWh from 11pm to 6am, correct as of 1 October. That deal is sold with a Pod Point charger from £499 upfront, is fixed for two years and has exit fees in that period, so it suits someone buying a charger anyway rather than someone who already has one.

EDF GoElectric, at 6.66p from 11pm to 6am, is the closest tariff-only rival. It is fixed, gives seven cheap hours rather than six, and EDF says it needs a smart meter but no smart charger. At our 2,000kWh a year, it costs £3.20 more than a 6.5p tariff. Our full EV tariff comparison covers the rest of the market.

Should you choose Octopus Go or Intelligent Octopus Go now?

The gap between the two Octopus tariffs has widened. Octopus Go’s new 12-month fix, on sale from 30 October, is 9.4p from 12:30am to 5:30am, five cheap hours rather than six, with a £50 exit fee. At 2,000kWh a year, that is £58 more than the 6.5p Intelligent Octopus Go.

Octopus Go still has its place. It works with any car and any charger, including a basic charger with a timer, and you control when charging happens. If your car or charger is not compatible with Intelligent Octopus Go, or you would rather not hand over scheduling, Octopus Go is the simpler choice. Our Octopus Go against Intelligent Octopus Go guide goes through who each suits.

How do you switch?

1. Check compatibility first. Use the supplier’s eligibility check for your car and charger. For Intelligent Octopus Go, the Best Chargers compatibility list is a useful second check.
2. Check your smart meter. E.ON says you need a working smart meter sending half-hourly reads. Octopus says Intelligent Octopus Go relies on the smart meter network.
3. Compare your postcode’s rates. The 6.5p off-peak rate is the same across regions, but day rates and standing charges are not.
4. Decide on fixed or variable. A variable 6.5p could rise or fall. A fixed 6.5p from E.ON, or a fixed 7.9p from Octopus, is certain for 12 months.
5. Check any exit fee on your current deal before you leave it.

The rates quoted here include VAT at 0%, which applies to household electricity for now. Our report on the electricity VAT cut explains how long that lasts.

Our view

For drivers with a compatible car or charger, 6.5p overnight is a very low price for home charging, and it is good news that the two best-known smart EV tariffs now sit at the same level. The choice between them comes down to details: whether you want the rate fixed, which six hours suit your household, and what your region’s standing charge and day rate are. If your car or charger is not compatible, EDF GoElectric at 6.66p and Octopus Go at 9.4p are still far cheaper than the price cap or public charging. Suppliers have repriced several times this month, so check the rate on the day you switch.