Octopus tariff changes: March 2026

Octopus changed the shape of several smart tariffs in March 2026. Go, Intelligent Go and Cosy moved away from open-ended variable pricing, while Flux stopped taking new customers. The practical question is not just what changed, but whether the tariff still fits your home now rates and contract terms are moving more often.

Last reviewed 26 June 2026.

What changed

On 5 March 2026, Octopus moved three smart tariffs toward fixed-term offers:

• Octopus Go moved to a fixed-term offer with an exit-fee check before you leave early. The live page still frames Go around the 00:30 to 05:30 whole-home off-peak window.
• Intelligent Octopus Go had the same fixed-term shift. The live page still frames it around app-scheduled EV charging plus the 23:30 to 05:30 whole-home window.
• Cosy Octopus also moved into the same fixed-term pattern. The live Cosy page still uses three Cosy Hours windows for electric-heating homes, with a 16:00 to 19:00 peak.

Separately, Octopus Flux (the standard solar and battery import/export tariff) was closed to new customers in March 2026. Octopus now presents standard Flux as the available manual solar-and-battery route again, while Intelligent Octopus Flux is the separate automated battery route to check against live eligibility and availability.

What stayed the same

Three tariffs are unaffected:

• Flexible Octopus remains a variable tariff with no exit fees.
• Agile Octopus continues with half-hourly pricing and no exit fees.
• Octopus Tracker still follows daily wholesale rates with no exit fees.

You can still switch freely between Flexible, Agile and Tracker without any penalty.

Why Octopus changed the terms

Octopus now gives a plainer explanation than it did when the change first landed. Its exit-fee guidance says volatile energy prices pushed it back towards fixed deals and exit fees in March 2026, so it did not have to build the cost of people leaving early into every unit rate.

That does not make a fixed tariff automatically good or bad. It means the decision is more like any other fix: check the unit rates, the standing charge, the off-peak window and the exit fee before you move. For EV and heat-pump homes, the cheap windows can still matter more than the headline fixed label.

Flux is a separate issue. The old import-and-export bundle depended on premium export pricing in the evening peak. Since March, the clearer mainstream route for many solar homes has been to pick the right import tariff first, then pair it with the current export option.

The current live pages still support the main shape of this older update: Go is the simpler fixed-window EV tariff, Intelligent Go is the smart-scheduled EV tariff with a longer whole-home cheap window and Cosy is the heat-first tariff with three daily Cosy Hours. Standard Flux is no longer something to freeze as closed in this article: check it as the manual solar-and-battery import/export route, then treat Intelligent Octopus Flux as the separate automated option for eligible battery setups when Octopus is accepting applications.

That changes how to use the article. Treat the March details as background, not as a live quote. Before switching, check the exact account or postcode offer, the current exit-fee wording, smart-meter and half-hourly-reading requirements and any import/export pairing rules that apply to your setup.

What does it mean for customers?

If you're on Go, Intelligent Go or Cosy already: Your existing terms continue until your current period ends. When it is time to renew, check the exact quote in your account rather than assuming the March structure, an old exit-fee figure or a headline rate still applies. Octopus has since repriced Go and Intelligent Go, so the useful question is whether the cheap window still saves enough for your actual use.

If you're thinking about joining: The tariffs still work in familiar ways. Go gives you a fixed overnight cheap window. Intelligent Go adds smart EV charging and a longer whole-home cheap period. Cosy keeps its heat-pump-friendly three-rate structure. The extra check is now contract fit: how long the rates are fixed for, whether there is an exit fee and whether you are likely to stay on the tariff for the full term.

If you were considering Flux: do not rely on the March closure note by itself. For current solar and battery decisions, start with import needs and export pairing: standard Flux is the manual solar-and-battery import/export route to check on the live Octopus page, while Intelligent Octopus Flux is a separate automated route for supported battery setups when it is open. Intelligent Go or Go may still suit EV-heavy homes, Agile may suit households willing to manage flexible use, and Outgoing Octopus or Outgoing Agile may suit export-led setups. The current flat Outgoing rate changed in March 2026, so export value should be checked separately from import savings. See the solar guide for more detail.

Where to go next

The tariff guides and comparison pages on this site have been updated as Octopus and rival suppliers have changed their offers. The tariff comparison tool pulls live rates from the Octopus API daily, which is a better way to check current numbers than relying on a March news story.

If you are still weighing up a switch, use the current tariff guide first. If Octopus still looks right after that, the referral page sets out how to use our referral link without hunting for a code later.