One of the UK’s biggest electricity providers has confirmed a major change which is likely to have a massive impact on electric car owners within weeks. Octopus Energy has confirmed updates will be made to its Intelligent Octopus Go tariff from 2026.
This January, Intelligent Octopus Go will automatically apply a six-hour limit for super-cheap smart-charging per household in a bid to keep off-peak rates as low as possible. Octopus claims that around 80% of Intelligent Octopus Go charging sessions are already less than six hours, meaning the majority won't be affected. However, the rule means those plugged in for longer will pay higher tariffs to top-up their vehicles.
As of January, Intelligent Octopus Go customers will continue to receive six hours of off-peak electricity for their home between 11:30pm and 5:30am. Tariff holders will also receive up to six hours of super-cheap smart charging every 24 hours.
These can be placed either during your home’s off-peak hours (11:30pm-5:30am) or outside of these times. However, Octopus has confirmed that only the first six hours of charging will be at the discounted rate.
After this, any extra half-hour charges will be subject to an additional Bump rate even if motorists are plugged in during their off-peak window. Octopus explained that customers hoping to avoid higher fees can reduce their charge target for under six hours in the Octopus app.
The company explained that customers will soon be given an option to either limit smart charging to six off-peak hours or prioritise topping up the battery. The rule is a six-hour limit per household, meaning families with multiple electric vehicles could be caught out.
It means fees are likely to rise if mum, dad, son and daughter all have electric cars and wish to top-up at the same time.
Octopus explained: "You'll get six hours of off-peak charging per household, regardless of the number of EVs. As you’ll need lots of off-peak hours to keep your vehicles charged up, we recommend plugging in your EV’s daily and as early as possible. This way, you'll be helping to support the grid by letting us smart charge your vehicles at the best possible times.”
