Quick check

Is an EV tariff worth it? A quick check on your usage

Rates last checked: 15 October 2026 · PlugLater

Enter how much electricity your home uses without the car, and how far you drive. The check shows what share of your electricity the car would be, and whether an EV tariff is likely worth looking into. It compares the price cap with one example tariff from our EV tariff comparison. It doesn’t store or send your answers.

Rates last checked: 15 October 2026. Uses only rates already on this site: Intelligent Octopus Go (7.6p off-peak, regional day rate and standing charge, from UK EV tariffs compared) and the Ofgem cap (26.32p, 54.83p a day).

Your usage Home use without the car (kWh a year) I know the car’s use as EV miles a year Miles per kWh EV kWh a year Octopus region (for the day rate and standing charge)

–

EV share of your electricity: – (–)
Price cap, whole year: –
Intelligent Octopus Go, whole year (all charging off-peak, rest of the home at the day rate): –

How it works: car kWh = miles ÷ miles per kWh (or the kWh you enter). EV share = car kWh ÷ (car kWh + home kWh). Both yearly figures include 365 days of standing charge. The verdict bands (under 15%, 15–30%, over 30% EV share) are PlugLater’s own rule of thumb, not an MSE, Ofgem or supplier figure. 3.61 miles per kWh is the median of the 142 cars in EV charging costs by car.

Why the EV share matters

EV tariffs make the night cheap and usually make the day dearer. On Intelligent Octopus Go in London the day rate is 35.88p against the 26.32p cap. The car’s kWh save 18.72p each at 7.6p, while every kWh the rest of the home uses in the day costs 9.56p more. So the bigger the car’s share of your use, the more likely the switch pays.

Worked examples: Intelligent Octopus Go (London rates) against the Ofgem cap, 3.61 miles per kWh, all charging off-peak, rest of the home at the day rate
Usage	EV share	Price cap a year	IOG a year	Difference
2,500 kWh home, 4,000 miles	31%	£1,150	£1,136	£14
2,500 kWh home, 8,000 miles	47%	£1,441	£1,220	£222
2,700 kWh home, 12,000 miles	55%	£1,786	£1,376	£410
4,000 kWh home, 3,000 miles	17%	£1,472	£1,653	−£181

These are worked examples, not averages. A positive difference means the EV tariff is cheaper.

Next: whole-bill EV tariff savings calculator (all 13 tariffs, break-even off-peak share) · UK EV tariffs compared · EV Direct Debit estimator.

Questions people ask

Is an EV tariff worth it if I only drive a few thousand miles?

Often less so. EV tariffs usually have a higher day rate than the price cap, so the cheaper night rate has to save more on the car than the day rate adds on the rest of the home. The fewer miles you drive, the smaller that saving. Run your own numbers in the checker above.

What EV share does the checker treat as worth looking into?

Over 30% of your electricity is “likely worth looking into”, 15–30% is “check the whole bill”, and under 15% is usually a small gain at best. These bands are PlugLater’s own rule of thumb, not an MSE, Ofgem or supplier figure.

Which tariff does the verdict use?

Intelligent Octopus Go: 7.6p off-peak with the regional day rate and standing charge listed on our UK EV tariffs compared page, checked 15 October 2026, against the Ofgem price cap of 26.32p and 54.83p a day. Other tariffs are in the whole-bill savings calculator.

Does it assume all my charging is off-peak?

Yes, and the rest of the home at the day rate. The whole-bill calculator lets you change both shares and shows the break-even off-peak share.

Not financial advice. This check is a rough guide from published rates and your inputs. Check your own quote, bill and the supplier’s or manufacturer’s current terms before you switch or buy anything.

Sources

This page has no affiliate links. Paid links elsewhere on the site are marked “paid link”. See how this site is funded. The calculators are free and run in your browser.