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Smart Tariffs Make Home EV Charging Far Cheaper, As Study Finds Petrol Often Cheaper To Own

Automated off-peak charging on Octopus plans lowers per-mile costs for home users.

Overview

  • Octopus says pairing a home charger with Intelligent Octopus Go schedules overnight rates as low as 7.5p/kWh, cutting costs by up to 70% versus standard tariffs and up to 87% versus public rapid charging.
  • Public rapid charging typically costs 60–89p/kWh, and heavy reliance on these rates can erase savings and make EV running costs comparable to or higher than petrol.
  • An Auto Express analysis of five model pairings over three years and 36,000 miles found petrol cheaper in four cases, driven largely by faster EV depreciation and higher insurance.
  • Octopus Charge home hardware is priced from £949 (untethered) or £1,049 (tethered) with standard installation, with most customers moving from order to fit in about four weeks and installs taking roughly four hours.
  • Octopus Electroverse provides access to more than 1.3 million public chargers across the UK and Europe, with an 8% public-charging discount for eligible Octopus tariff customers.