Octopus Energy vs OVO Energy | Switch to Octopus

Tariffs, review totals and eligibility rules change often. Treat this as a decision guide, then check the live terms before you move.

	Octopus Energy	OVO Energy
Typical pricing angle	Usually strongest when you can use specialist tariffs well, not only on a plain flat-rate comparison	Competitive fixed tariffs and a decent variable option, though the strongest EV value now depends on how well Charge Anytime fits your mileage and habits
Trustpilot snapshot	4.8/5 (851,000+ reviews)	Around 4.6/5 with more than 274,000 reviews
Best current EV angle	Go and Intelligent Go have overnight whole-home windows	Charge Anytime smart-charging add-on or monthly plans that bundle home allowances, public-charging vouchers and perks; check OVO for current rates and allowances
Exit-fee picture	No exit fees on variable tariffs, with fees only on some fixed deals	No fee on the variable tariff, with fixed-tariff exit fees to check against the live OVO tariff terms before switching
Green option	Smart import tariffs and export options, with pairing and device eligibility to check	Optional greener-electricity upgrade with direct renewable matching, though it is an add-on rather than the default framing
Best fit	Homes whose usage, meter and equipment fit an available Octopus tariff	Homes whose OVO quote and eligible Charge Anytime plan fit their household and charging use

Compare the home energy tariff and the EV charging product separately. With OVO, Charge Anytime sits alongside the home tariff; with Octopus Go or Intelligent Go, an overnight whole-home window is part of the electricity tariff. That difference matters when you add household use to the charging calculation.

OVO ownership update

The CMA cleared E.ON's proposed acquisition of OVO on 1 October 2026. OVO confirms regulatory approval, but says the deal is not yet complete and OVO and E.ON continue to operate as separate businesses. Its customer update says energy supply, tariffs, balances and contact arrangements stay the same for now, with advance notice if anything changes. This is context, not a reason to change supplier or tariff in a hurry: check your live offer, contract terms and charging setup first.

Read the CMA case update Read OVO's customer update

The useful comparison is your whole annual bill, not a brand impression. Include household electricity, EV charging, standing charges, any plan fee and perks you would actually use. Check eligibility and contract terms before deciding whether to stay or switch.

Pricing

OVO's standard variable tariff is flexible, with no exit fee, so it is not a trap for people who want to stay mobile. Its fixed tariffs are also more competitive than the older page suggested. The exact exit fee and unit-rate picture depends on the live deal you are offered, so check the OVO tariff terms rather than relying on an old comparison table.

Flexible Octopus is a variable option to compare with OVO's live variable and fixed quotes. If you are considering Go, Intelligent Go, Agile, Tracker or Cosy, check the relevant eligibility and how the tariff fits your actual usage before counting a benefit from moving.

Use the same annual kWh and payment method for both quotes. A planned EV, heat pump or battery can change the usage pattern, but compare that future setup separately rather than assuming a different supplier will automatically suit it.

OVO Charge Anytime changes the EV comparison

Charge Anytime is no longer best described as a cheap EV tariff in the usual sense. The more useful way to read it now is as a charging add-on with different payment paths, not as a straight whole-home cheap window.

Product model primer

OVO's EV offer now behaves more like a charging subscription

Check which charging model you are choosing. Compare OVO's allowances, vouchers and fallback rules with the Octopus tariff window and whole-home costs.

Model shape

Charge Anytime is an add-on, not a simple tariff

OVO now positions Charge Anytime as a separate charging product layered onto your wider energy setup. It discounts eligible smart-charged EV use rather than giving the whole home one fixed off-peak window.

How you pay

Choose pay as you go or a monthly allowance plan

The plans bundle a monthly home smart-charging allowance, public-charging voucher credit and some extras. Pay as you go keeps the allowance risk lower, but still depends on OVO-managed smart charging rather than a standard cheap period.

Main caveat

Boosts and overuse fall back to your home tariff

The economics depend on staying inside the plan and smart-charging flow. Once you go above the allowance, cancel the monthly plan or need an urgent charge, the home tariff matters again.

Go gives the whole home a fixed overnight window. Intelligent Go combines an overnight whole-home window with eligible smart charging managed through Octopus. Compare local day and night rates with OVO's home tariff, charging plan and your non-EV electricity use.

Pay-as-you-go smart charging uses a published discounted charging rate, while the monthly plans use fixed home smart-charging allowances, annual public-charging voucher credit and app-managed charging. Check OVO's current pricing, compatibility checker and plan details before relying on any comparison. Boost charging, urgent charging and use above the monthly allowance fall back to your normal home tariff, so the headline plan price is only useful if the allowance matches your real driving.

Pay as you go still has a credit limit. Under OVO's Charge Anytime terms dated 2 September 2026, the maximum pay-as-you-go Charge Anytime Credit is £100 per month per account. This limits the discount credited back, not your total electricity spending or a fixed number of charging kWh. Once that credit ceiling is reached, further smart charging costs your normal home tariff rate. Monthly plans instead have their own home smart-charging allowances, so compare the two limits separately.

Check the credit month before comparing the bill. OVO initially bills electricity at your normal home rate, then applies the previous month's eligible smart-charging credit in the first working week of the next month. A live balance showing the home rate does not by itself mean the discount has failed. Match the charging month to the later credit and your chosen plan before querying a missing amount with OVO.

OVO's plan details also describe a separate Partner monthly plan for eligible partnership EVs. This is not a general discount that every Charge Anytime customer can select: the customer needs to start through the relevant EV partner app and follow its in-app Charge Anytime banner. Check the live compatibility list and partner terms before treating that route as available, especially if the home has solar because OVO excludes solar homes from partnership products.

OVO's live Charge Anytime page still describes two paths: pay as you go for discounted smart charging, or monthly plans with home charging allowances, public-charging voucher credit and optional perks. OVO's plan details say smart charging above the monthly allowance and urgent charging fall back to the normal home tariff, and that unused public-charging voucher credit can be lost if the plan ends or the customer leaves OVO. OVO's compatibility page says you normally need either a compatible EV or compatible smart charger, not both, and recommends connecting through the charger if both are available. Solar homes are the important exception: OVO's terms require a solar-compatible charger, exclude solar homes from Charge Anytime partnership products and count only grid electricity used for smart charging when calculating Charge Anytime Credit. Octopus Go remains a five-hour whole-home overnight tariff, while Intelligent Octopus Go has a six-hour whole-home overnight window plus extra smart-scheduled EV slots for compatible setups.

OVO Charge Anytime OVO compatibility checker OVO Charge Anytime terms OVO plan details Octopus Go Intelligent Octopus Go

The other difference is accounting. OVO says monthly-plan home charging is handled through an allowance and credit mechanism, while public-charging vouchers sit in the OVO Charge app and can be removed if you cancel the plan, switch back to pay as you go or leave OVO. That does not make the product bad, but it does mean the reader needs to compare real mileage, home-versus-public charging and unused allowance risk rather than just looking for the lowest charging headline.

For Octopus, distinguish Go's fixed overnight window from Intelligent Go's compatible smart-charging setup. For OVO, include the underlying home tariff and the chosen Charge Anytime plan. Test both against the same charging, household and export assumptions.

OVO's current EV pages also lean into managed charging and the OVO Charge app rather than one fixed overnight tariff. That is interesting, but it is not a reason to switch by itself. Treat any extra app-led rewards or public-charging perks as possible bonuses only if you already like the Charge Anytime structure.

If this sounds like you	Better fit	Why
You want a fixed whole-home overnight window	Octopus Go	Go prices the whole home through an overnight tariff window. Charge Anytime discounts eligible EV charging through a separate add-on, so include non-EV electricity in the comparison.
You are happy with app-led smart charging and your mileage fits neatly within a plan	OVO Charge Anytime monthly plans	The bundled public charging credit and extras can make sense if you actually use them, especially on a predictable routine.
You want an overnight whole-home window plus managed EV charging	Octopus Intelligent Go	Compare its overnight whole-home window and compatible smart charging with OVO's add-on alongside your household electricity use.
You may later add solar, a battery or a heat pump	Compare both suppliers for the planned setup	Check device support, import and export pairing, heating use and installation conditions before assuming either supplier suits the upgraded home.

Customer service and app quality

OVO's review picture remains a real strength. Its Trustpilot profile still sits around 4.6 out of 5 with well over 274,000 reviews, which is a serious volume and not something this page should downplay. That keeps OVO in the same general conversation as Octopus on customer satisfaction, even if the detailed experience will still vary once a case becomes messy.

OVO's Charge app handles home smart charging and public charging. Check how your vehicle or charger connects, where you set charging targets and how allowances, credits and vouchers appear. Those practical requirements are more useful than assuming either supplier's app will be better for you.

Green positioning

OVO's low-carbon story is still respectable, but it is framed differently from Octopus. Octopus leads with 100% zero-carbon electricity and the broader electrified-home ecosystem. OVO's own tariff pages now lean more on an optional greener-electricity upgrade, plus the idea that smart charging can shift demand towards greener grid periods.

OVO also offers solar, battery and export routes. Its SEG offers have different supply and installation conditions, while Octopus export options have their own import-pairing and equipment checks. Compare those conditions for your actual setup rather than treating either supplier as the automatic choice.

Where OVO has genuine strengths

Check service evidence alongside the quote. Citizens Advice compares complaints and contact waiting times alongside billing and metering and customer commitments. Use its current supplier table alongside reviews and your own account needs.

Charge Anytime can suit the right driver. The plans are not as simple as a classic overnight tariff, but they may work for households with predictable mileage that also value bundled public charging and charger cover.

A fixed quote worth comparing. Check OVO's live unit rates, standing charges, term and exit fees against the alternatives using the same annual consumption and payment method.

The verdict

Choose OVO if you are broadly happy, the live quote is good and Charge Anytime's structure genuinely suits how you drive. That means checking whether the allowance fits your real mileage, whether you will use the public-charging voucher and whether you are comfortable falling back to your home tariff rate for boost charging or usage above the cap.

Choose Octopus if an available tariff fits your equipment and whole-home usage better than the OVO offer. Compare annual cost, eligibility, contract terms and any export setup first. Tariff choice is useful only when an available option actually suits your home.

Useful next step

If you are choosing between these two for an EV, do not stop at the headline cheap rate. Check the whole setup: daytime unit rate, whether the cheap price applies to the whole home, what happens when you need a boost charge and whether the tariff still works if your routine changes.

See the Octopus tariff tool Read the Octopus Go guide

If Octopus is the better fit for your home, our referral-code page explains how to use our referral link and when the £50 credit applies.

Octopus Energy rates update automatically. Other supplier rates and public charging costs were correct as of October 2026 and may have changed.