UPDATED: MAY 2026
From 1 April 2026, Intelligent Octopus Go drops to just 8p/kWh overnight — down from 11.5p/kWh. Here’s everything EV owners need to know.
Switch via Referral & Get £50 Free →Intelligent Octopus Go is Octopus Energy’s smart EV tariff — designed for households with an electric vehicle and a compatible smart home charger. It gives you access to a cheap overnight rate for the whole home between 11:30pm and 5:30am nightly, during which your EV is automatically charged at the lowest cost.
It is currently the UK’s most popular EV tariff. Over 50% of all UK smart EV tariff customers are on Intelligent Octopus Go — a market-leading position that reflects both the competitive rate and the quality of the smart charging experience.
The tariff uses the Octopus app or your charger’s smart functionality to automatically schedule charging during the cheap window — no alarm clocks, no manual intervention. You tell the app when you need the car ready and it handles the rest.
Switch to Octopus using my Octopus Energy referral code and you’ll get £50 credit when your first Direct Debit clears. You can then apply for Intelligent Octopus Go once you’re a customer with a compatible smart charger.
| Period | Rate from April 2026 | Previous rate |
|---|---|---|
| Overnight (11:30pm–5:30am) | 8p/kWh | 11.5p/kWh |
| Day rate (5:30am–11:30pm) | ~24.67p/kWh | Similar |
Rates vary slightly by region. These figures are based on the April 2026 Ofgem price cap for a typical household. The overnight rate applies to the whole home — not just the EV — so any appliances running overnight (dishwasher, washing machine, storage heater) also benefit from the 8p rate.
The savings are substantial, particularly for households that shift usage into the overnight window:
For context, a typical EV (say, a Nissan Leaf or VW ID.4 with a ~50–77kWh battery) costs around £4–£6 to fully charge from near-empty at 8p/kWh, compared to roughly £15–£20 at public charging rates. Those savings add up quickly over a year.
Intelligent Octopus Go is a fixed-rate tariff reviewed periodically by Octopus Energy. It is not a daily variable rate like Agile Octopus, where prices fluctuate every 30 minutes.
This means you get the predictability of a stable overnight rate — currently 8p/kWh — without the complexity of tracking market prices. The rate is reviewed by Octopus when energy market conditions change significantly; it does not change daily.
There are no exit fees and no minimum term on Intelligent Octopus Go. You can switch back to a standard tariff at any time.
Intelligent Octopus Go requires a compatible EV and smart home charger. The charger communicates with Octopus’s systems to schedule charging automatically in the cheap overnight window.
Compatible vehicles include:
Compatible chargers include:
If you don’t have a smart charger yet, you’ll need to install one before applying for the tariff. Octopus can also arrange charger installation in some cases — ask when you join.
The list of supported vehicles grows regularly. Here are the most commonly asked-about models as of 2026 — check octopus.energy/smart/intelligent-octopus-go/ for the definitive and up-to-date list.
| Car Model | Compatible | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model 3 / Model Y | ✅ Yes | Direct integration via Tesla app — no separate smart charger needed |
| Tesla Model S / Model X | ✅ Yes | Direct integration via Tesla app |
| Nissan Leaf | ✅ Yes | Requires compatible smart charger |
| VW ID.4 / ID.3 | ✅ Yes | Requires compatible smart charger |
| Kia EV6 | ✅ Yes | Requires compatible smart charger |
| Hyundai Ioniq 5 / Ioniq 6 | ✅ Yes | Requires compatible smart charger |
| BMW i3 / i4 | ✅ Yes | Requires compatible smart charger |
| Renault Zoe | ✅ Yes | Requires compatible smart charger |
| Polestar 2 | ✅ Yes | Requires compatible smart charger |
This list changes as Octopus adds new integrations. Always verify your vehicle at octopus.energy/smart/intelligent-octopus-go/.
Switch via Referral & Get £50 Free →
Once you’re on Intelligent Octopus Go with a compatible vehicle and charger, smart charging works like this:
Plug in when you get home, at any time of day or evening.
Tell the app when you need the car to be ready (e.g. 7:30am). It calculates how much charge is needed and schedules it within the cheap 11:30pm–5:30am window.
The charger draws power during the cheap window. You wake up to a charged car at the cheapest possible rate.
For vehicles with direct smart charging integration (like Tesla), the scheduling can be handled through the car’s own app without needing a separate smart charger.
Yes — a SMETS2 smart meter is required. If you don’t have one, Octopus Energy can arrange a free installation after you join. The process typically takes a few weeks to book in and a morning or afternoon to complete.
You do not need a smart meter to switch to Octopus Energy or to claim the £50 referral credit. You can join on the standard Flexible Octopus tariff, get your smart meter installed, and then apply for Intelligent Octopus Go.
| Feature | Intelligent Octopus Go | Agile Octopus |
|---|---|---|
| Overnight rate | Fixed 8p/kWh | Variable (can be lower or higher) |
| Smart charging | Automatic scheduling | Manual (requires active management) |
| Pricing model | Fixed cheap window | Half-hourly market prices |
| Effort required | Low — set and forget | High — monitor prices daily |
| Best for | EV owners, straightforward savings | Flexible households, battery storage |
For the majority of EV owners, Intelligent Octopus Go is the better choice. The predictable 8p/kWh overnight rate and automatic smart charging make it simple to use, and the savings are substantial without requiring you to watch the market. Agile Octopus can occasionally beat it on price, but requires much more engagement.
Use the button below — you’ll get £50 free credit via my Octopus Energy referral code once your first Direct Debit clears.
Request a free smart meter installation through your Octopus account.
Check your charger model against the list at octopus.energy/smart/intelligent-octopus-go/.
Log in, go to your tariff settings, and request the switch to Intelligent Octopus Go.
Switch via Referral & Get £50 Free →
From 1 April 2026, the Intelligent Octopus Go overnight rate is 8p/kWh (down from 11.5p/kWh), applying from 11:30pm to 5:30am nightly for the whole home. The day rate is approximately 24.67p/kWh.
Some compatible vehicles (particularly Teslas with smart charge scheduling enabled) can access Intelligent Octopus Go without a separate smart charger. For most other EVs, a compatible smart charger is required. Check the full compatibility list on the Octopus website.
At 8p/kWh from April 2026, Intelligent Octopus Go is among the cheapest EV home charging rates available in the UK. Agile Octopus can occasionally offer lower prices during periods of very low wholesale electricity demand, but these are not guaranteed and require active monitoring.
The cheap overnight rate covers the whole home, not just the EV. Any appliances running between 11:30pm and 5:30am will benefit from the 8p/kWh rate. This includes washing machines, dishwashers, storage heaters, and any other devices you can shift to run overnight.
Switch via the referral link share.octopus.energy/brave-kiwi-22 — you’ll get £50 credit after your first Direct Debit, which you can then use on your Intelligent Octopus Go bills.
Yes, for most EV owners. At 8p/kWh overnight versus ~24.67p/kWh on a standard tariff, the savings are substantial — around £417/yr for a typical EV driver doing 7,000 miles per year. The tariff also covers the whole home during the cheap window, so running a dishwasher or washing machine overnight adds to the saving. The set-and-forget smart charging means there’s very little ongoing effort involved.
Compatible vehicles include Tesla (Model 3, Y, S, X), Nissan Leaf, VW ID.4 and ID.3, Kia EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6, BMW i3 and i4, Renault Zoe, Polestar 2, and many others. Teslas can connect directly via the Tesla app without a separate smart charger. For other EVs, a compatible smart charger is required. Always check the current list at octopus.energy/smart/intelligent-octopus-go/ as it is updated regularly.
A standard 3-pin plug (granny charger) is generally not compatible with Intelligent Octopus Go smart charging. The tariff requires a smart home charger that can communicate with Octopus’s systems to schedule charging automatically. Some vehicles with direct smart charging integration (like Tesla) may work without a smart charger, but a 3-pin cable alone is not sufficient for most EVs.
When you plug in your EV, the Octopus app or your compatible smart charger communicates with Octopus’s systems. You set a departure time and the minimum charge level you need. Octopus then schedules the charging to happen within the cheap overnight window (11:30pm–5:30am), working backwards from your departure time to ensure the car is ready. For direct vehicle integrations (like Tesla), this is handled through the car’s own app rather than a separate charger.
For EV owners, yes — significantly. The overnight rate of 8p/kWh is roughly a third of the standard variable day rate. Most EV owners also benefit from the cheap window covering the whole home, not just the car. The main consideration is that the day rate is similar to a standard tariff, so the saving is concentrated on overnight usage. If you can shift most of your EV charging and some home appliances to the cheap window, the tariff is clearly better than a standard flat rate.
There is no minimum term and no exit fees on Intelligent Octopus Go. You can switch back to Flexible Octopus or any other tariff at any time if your circumstances change — for example, if you sell your EV or if a different tariff becomes more competitive.
Yes — new Octopus Energy customers can apply for Intelligent Octopus Go. You’ll need a SMETS2 smart meter and a compatible EV or smart charger. If you don’t have a smart meter yet, switch first via my referral link to get £50 credit, then request a smart meter installation through your account. Once it’s live, you can apply for Intelligent Octopus Go.
From 1 April 2026, the Intelligent Octopus Go overnight rate is 8p/kWh, applying from 11:30pm to 5:30am every night for the whole home. This compares to approximately 24.67p/kWh on the standard variable tariff — a saving of around 67%. The overnight rate is reviewed periodically by Octopus and is not a daily variable rate.