Which EV tariff is actually cheapest in 2026?
Six smart tariffs, ranked on what they deliver overnight, not the headline rate on the marketing page. One big name is quietly slipping down the table.
Intelligent Octopus Go Our winner overall → 
EDF GoElectric Cheapest sticker off-peak → 
E.ON Next Drive Smart Lowest peak rate → 
Every cheap-rate EV tariff in Britain, ranked
We compared the six major smart EV tariffs on the rate that matters: what they charge while you sleep. The table has a clear winner and a clear faller.
Find your cheapest way to charge.
Start with the comparison; then check the one most people land on, and whether you can get it.
Best EV tariffs, ranked
The money guide. Six smart tariffs scored on real overnight value, not headline rates.
Intelligent Octopus Go
The tariff most EV owners end up on, and why. Ross has run it for months; here's the honest read.
The Octopus EV ecosystem
Tariff, app, charger and credit all in one stack. What's genuinely good and what's lock-in.
Your numbers, not an average.
See what a tariff actually costs you, then check you can get the cheap one. Free, no email gate.
Who's actually cheapest in 2026.
On the headline numbers, the smart EV tariffs look interchangeable: most advertise a cheap overnight rate somewhere between 7p and 10p. The difference is in how easily you actually get that rate. Intelligent Octopus Go still leads, not because 8p is unbeatable, but because its smart dispatch hits the cheap window without you babysitting the app.
The faller is the one that wins on paper. A couple of rivals quote a lower off-peak number but pair it with a punishing peak rate or a short window, so the moment your charging slips, the saving evaporates. The headline rate is marketing; the delivered rate is the bill.
And watch the standing charge. It's the line nobody quotes in the ads, and on a low-mileage household it can quietly outweigh a penny or two of off-peak difference.
The headline rate is marketing. The delivered rate is the bill.
Independent, affiliate-funded, and honest about both.
We don't sell what we review.
No chargers, no schemes, no installs. Our only job is to be right.
Affiliate links are disclosed, never decisive.
Some links earn us a commission. They never change a verdict or a ranking. How that works →
Every number shows its working.
Rates, tariffs and assumptions are cited and dated. If we can't source it, we don't say it.