Skip to main content
TeslaCharger
OVO Energy logo

OVO Energy · tariff review

OVO Charge Anytime

Editorial update By Joe McGrathRates checked 10 Aug 2026
Off-peak
14p/kWh
Peak
28.16p/kWh
Cheap window
Any time (24 hours)
Standing
48.07p/day*
Eligibility
Compatible setup required

* Representative standing charge. The supplier quote varies by postcode and region.

Verdict

OVO Charge Anytime is a flexibility choice, not the cheapest possible home-charging rate. Pay as you go is the cleanest fit for irregular charging at 14p/kWh. Standard or Premium can work when the included home miles and public voucher match your real usage. If nearly every charge can sit overnight, compare it with Intelligent Go and EDF GoElectric before paying for flexibility.

Restriction: Urgent charging and monthly-plan overages use the normal home rate

Annual household estimate

EV cost and the rest of the bill, kept separate.

£1,336

estimated annual total · fixed

EV electricity
£400
Household electricity
£760
Standing charge
£175
Saving vs baseline
£324
Refine estimate and view assumptions
  • · 10,000 miles a year
  • · 3.5 miles/kWh vehicle efficiency
  • · 2,700kWh household electricity excluding the EV
  • · 100% of EV charging off-peak
  • · Non-EV household use costed at the tariff peak rate
  • · Standing charges are representative and postcode-dependent

Evidence and restrictions

What the rate means in practice.

OVO Charge Anytime now has two routes: pay as you go at 14p/kWh for OVO-managed smart charging, or a fixed monthly plan that combines a home-charging mileage allowance with a public-charging voucher. You can plug in at any time, but OVO schedules the actual charge within the ready-by time you set. An urgent charge is billed at your normal home electricity rate.

Best for: Pay-as-you-go suits irregular home charging when a fixed overnight window is awkward. The monthly plans make most sense when you will use both the included home miles and the public-charging voucher.

Current plans

OVO's current Charge Anytime plan page lists these options. The mileage examples assume four miles per kWh; actual range varies by vehicle, weather and driving style.

OptionPriceIncluded smart home chargingPublic-charging voucher
Pay as you go14p/kWhPay for measured useNone
Standard£27.50/month700 miles/month£120/year
Premium£37.50/month1,000 miles/month£120/year
Standard Plus£59.50/month1,400 miles/month£240/year
Premium Plus£79.50/month2,000 miles/month£240/year

How It Works

Charge Anytime requires a compatible charger or EV, an OVO pay-monthly energy account and a smart meter. The OVO Charge app schedules the car to be ready by the time you choose.

On pay as you go, all electricity initially appears at the normal home rate. OVO then measures eligible smart-charging use and applies a credit on the following bill so the effective EV rate is 14p/kWh. OVO currently caps the monthly pay-as-you-go credit at £100.

On a monthly plan, OVO credits eligible smart charging up to the plan's home-mileage allowance. Charging above that allowance, or using Urgent Charge, stays at the normal home rate. The public voucher is an annual allowance, not a monthly cash credit.

Who It Suits

The pay-as-you-go route is the simpler comparison for a home-only driver: at four miles per kWh, 10,000 smart-charged miles use roughly 2,500kWh and cost about £350 at 14p/kWh. That is more than a reliably used cheap overnight window, but it removes the need to fit most charging into fixed clock hours.

Monthly plans trade some of that unit-rate simplicity for predictable billing, included public charging and extra perks. Compare the plan fee against the miles you will actually charge at home and the public voucher you will realistically use; unused allowances do not create value.

Cost Breakdown

These examples isolate EV charging and use OVO's four-miles-per-kWh plan assumption. They do not include household use or postcode-dependent standing charges.

ScenarioAnnual costWhat it covers
OVO pay as you go, 10,000 miles~£3502,500kWh of eligible smart charging
OVO Standard£330 plus home-rate overage8,400 home miles + £120 annual public voucher
OVO Premium£45012,000 home miles + £120 annual public voucher
Octopus Intelligent Go, 10,000 miles~£2002,500kWh placed at 8p/kWh

The fixed-window comparison assumes every EV kWh fits inside the cheap window. OVO's value is the managed-anytime flexibility; the monthly plans add public-charging value only if the voucher is used.

Compatible Chargers

Charge Anytime requires either a compatible smart charger or a compatible EV with vehicle integration. Compatibility changes, so use OVO's eligibility checker before switching rather than relying on a static brand list. The charger or vehicle must be able to communicate with OVO to measure eligible smart charging.

For chargers with direct OVO integration, see our best smart EV charger guide. Compare OVO's rate against every UK tariff in the UK EV Charging Cost Index.

Tariff details

Provider
OVO Energy
EV Charging Options
14p/kWh pay as you go; monthly plans from £27.50
Monthly Home Allowance
700–2,000 miles, depending on plan
Public Voucher
£120–£240 a year on monthly plans
Household Rate
Your normal OVO home tariff
Standing Charge
48.07p/day (postcode-dependent)
Charging Window
Plug in any time; OVO schedules within your ready-by time
Smart Meter Required
Yes
Smart Charger Required
Yes (or compatible EV)
Contract Length
Flexible add-on; switch or cancel without a long-term contract
Off-Peak Rate
14p/kWh
Peak Rate
28.16p/kWh
Off-Peak Hours
Any time

Choose this if

  • + Plug in day or night and let OVO manage the smart-charging schedule
  • + Choose 14p/kWh pay as you go or a predictable monthly plan
  • + Monthly plans combine home charging with an annual public-charging voucher

Think twice if

  • Urgent charging and monthly-plan overages use the normal home rate
  • 14p/kWh pay as you go costs more than a fully used 8p overnight window
  • Requires a compatible smart charger or EV with vehicle API

Longer-term charger cost

Five-year charger + EV electricity cost.

Up-front charger and installation, plus five years of EV electricity on OVO Charge Anytime. This deliberately excludes non-EV household use; the annual estimate above includes it separately.

10,000mi
3,00020,000

Lowest five-year pairing at these inputs. Read the Indra Smart PRO review →

Typical five-year charger + EV electricity cost

£2,895

£895 up front, then about £400 a year in electricity on OVO Charge Anytime.

Indra Smart PRO on OVO Charge Anytime£2,895
Public rapid only£11,286
Petrol equivalent£9,000

Saves about £9,286 over 5 years vs public rapid charging, £7,000 vs petrol at 18p/mile. Adjust the inputs above for your numbers.

After choosing a charger

Pass the tariff and charger context into an installation brief.

You might also consider

OVO Charge Anytime vs. the closest peer in our catalogue.

OVO Charge Anytime is an outlier in our catalogue — the closest rival is more than 5p/kWh away on off-peak. Read alongside the four specs buyers ask about most.

E.ON logo

vs.

E.ON Next Drive

E.ON

Same smart-charger requirement; 6p/kWh cheaper off-peak.

Full review →
Off-peak rate
14p/kWhvs8p/kWh
Off-peak window
24hvs6h
Smart charger
RequiredvsRequired
Standing charge
48.07p/dayvs60p/day