E.ON Next Drive: Is It Worth It?

E.ON Next Drive stands out for its simplicity, flexibility, and length of low-rate window and can offer significant savings for EV owners and energy-smart households.

Electric vehicles are becoming more mainstream and accessible. In July 2025, the UK government unveiled a £650 million Electric Car Grant to make new zero-emission cars more affordable and enable even more people to access the savings associated with driving electric.

With growing adoption, energy providers are competing to attract EV owners with smart EV tariffs.

E.ON Next Drive is one of the strongest contenders. It offers a low overnight electricity rate at 7.5 p/kWh from midnight to 6 am, and a lower rate of 6.5 p/kWh through E.ON Next Drive Smart.

E.ON Next Drive is a low-risk, appealing choice for many users, but is it worth it for your lifestyle and setup?

Key Takeaways:

E.ON Next Drive gives you a flat off-peak rate of 7.5 p/kWh from midnight to 6 am
E.ON Next Drive Smart goes lower at 6.5 p/kWh in the same window
E.ON Next Drive is fixed for 12 months, includes no exit fees, and applies the discounted rate to your entire household, not just your car.
You must have a smart meter and be paying by direct debit to qualify for E.ON Next Drive.
Next Drive Smart requires a compatible EV and home charger, and the Next Connect app to automate charging

What Is E.ON Next Drive?

E.ON Next Drive is a dual-rate electricity tariff for households with electric vehicles or high overnight usage. It works by splitting the day into two price bands:

Off-peak: Roughly 12 am to 6 am at 7.5p/kWh.
Peak: You pay the standard E.ON rate at all other hours.

This structure rewards households that can concentrate their consumption in the cheap overnight window.

Unlike some tariffs, you don’t need to own a specific EV model or charger. You only need a smart meter to record half-hourly consumption and a direct debit payment method.

The tariff was initially marketed primarily for EV owners, but E.ON has widened access.

That means households without an EV can still join if they want to shift appliance or battery charging to night hours.

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The fixed one-year term adds certainty, while the absence of exit fees means you can switch away if it doesn’t fit your needs.

E.ON Next Drive sits at the crossroads of affordability and accessibility. It offers one of the longest overnight cheap windows available, making it easier to take advantage without changing your lifestyle dramatically.

What Is E.ON Next Drive Smart?

E.ON Next Drive Smart is a more advanced version, aimed squarely at EV households. It cuts the overnight rate to 6.5 p/kWh but requires extra setup, like:

A compatible EV
A compatible charger
The Next Connect app

Once configured, you simply tell the app when you need your car charged by, and the system does the rest, scheduling charging to happen only in the cheapest hours.

The tariff is also fixed for 12 months, has no exit fees, and applies to the whole household.

How Does E.ON Next Drive Work?

The principle behind both tariffs is simple: encourage households to use more electricity when national demand is lower and when generation is cleaner.

Both tariffs require a smart meter that records half-hourly usage to make this work. Your meter tells E.ON exactly how much electricity you used and when, ensuring the correct rate is applied.

With E.ON Next Drive, the off-peak window is locked in. Everything consumed between 12 am and 6 am is billed at 7.5 p/kWh.

Outside of this, you pay E.ON’s standard rate. Customers often set timers on dishwashers, washing machines, or immersion heaters to run during those hours.

E.ON Next Drive Smart works slightly differently. Instead of relying on you to plan usage, it uses the Next Connect app to control your compatible EV charger directly. When you plug in your car, you set the time you need it ready.

The system then automatically selects the cheapest slots within the 12 to 6 am window, charging only when necessary. This removes the guesswork and makes overnight savings effortless.

Both tariffs give households control, but Smart adds convenience and allows further cost savings.

What are the Potential Savings with E.ON Next Drive?

Crunching the numbers can help you determine whether E.ON Next Drive is worth it. Data from real-world values shows that the average EV in the UK consumes 301 Wh per mile (0.301 kWh/mi).

For 7,000 miles/year (close to the UK average), that equates to roughly 2,107 kWh of electricity per year.

On the current Ofgem domestic electricity rate of 25.73p/kWh, charging would cost about £543 annually:

2,107 × £0.2573 = £542.96

With the E.ON Next Drive off-peak rate of 7.5p/kWh, the same 7,000 miles costs only £158.03 annually:

2,107 × £0.075 = £158.03

That’s a saving of around £385 per year (£543 − £158 = £385).

With Next Drive Smart (6.5 p/kWh), you can make savings of:

(543 – (2,107 × £0.065= £137)) = £406 annually.

You can add to the savings by shifting the usage of appliances like washing machines and immersion heaters to the low-rate window. Potential savings can even exceed a thousand pounds when you add a battery and combine E.ON Next Drive with EV charging, solar export credit, and low-rate battery use.

What are the Pros and Cons of E.ON Next Drive?

Pros

Very Low Overnight Rates – Next Drive offers 7.5 p/kWh and Next Drive Smart 6.5 p/kWh, compared with the Ofgem cap of 25.73 p/kWh. This makes EV charging and night-time usage far cheaper.
Long Off-Peak Window – With six hours, households can fully charge an EV, run appliances, or top up a home battery without feeling rushed.
Whole-Home Benefit – The reduced rate applies to all household electricity during the window, not just EV charging, making it useful for families and high-demand homes.
Accessible Requirements – Next Drive only needs a smart meter and direct debit. Smart adds automation with the Next Connect app, but it’s still simpler than rival tariffs.
No Exit Fees – Both tariffs are fixed for 12 months, but you can leave at any time without penalties, reducing risk.
Strong for Solar and Battery Owners – Cheap overnight imports combined with solar generation and storage can cut annual costs dramatically.

Cons

High Daytime Rate – Usage outside the off-peak window is billed at around 28 p/kWh, so failing to shift energy use reduces savings significantly.
Smart Meter Requirement – A smart meter is mandatory, and installation delays can prevent quick access to the tariff.
Extra Setup for Smart – Next Drive Smart requires a compatible EV, charger, and app. Without these, households are limited to the 7.5 p/kWh rate.
Less Value for Low-Use Homes – Small households or those without EVs may not consume enough electricity at night to justify switching.
Lifestyle Dependency – Works best for flexible households. People with fixed daytime-heavy usage patterns may not see significant benefits.

E.ON Next Drive and E.ON Next Drive Smart Comparison:

Feature	Next Drive	Next Drive Smart
Overnight Rate	7.5 p/kWh	6.5 p/kWh
Off-Peak Window	12 am to 6 am (6 hours)	12 am to 6 am (6 hours)
Applies To	Whole household electricity	Whole household + automated EV charging
Requirements	Smart meter + direct debit	Smart meter, compatible EV + charger, app
Automation	Manual (timers or smart plugs)	Automatic via the Next Connect app
Contract Terms	Fixed 1 year, no exit fees	Fixed 1 year, no exit fees
Best For	Broad households with EV or battery	Tech-savvy EV households wanting automation

Who Benefits Most?

1. EV Owners: These are the primary beneficiaries.

Charging an EV at 6.5 or 7.5 p/kWh instead of 25.73 p/kWh can save up to £400 per year, turning overnight charging into one of the cheapest ways to run a vehicle in the UK.

2. Solar and Battery Owners: Batteries can be charged cheaply at night and discharged during the day, reducing or eliminating expensive daytime imports. Paired with solar, this creates a powerful, low-cost, low-carbon living strategy.

3. Large Families with high daily energy demands can shift washing machines, dishwashers, and water heating into the six-hour window, compounding savings.

4. Tech-savvy Households are another clear winner, as smart plugs, timers, and the Next Connect app make it easy to automate energy use.

Smaller households, renters, or those who use little electricity may find the benefits modest. However, E.ON Next Drive is one of the most rewarding tariffs currently available for anyone with high usage and the flexibility to shift loads.

When It Might Not Be Worth It

E.ON Next Drive isn’t right for everyone. If you don’t own an EV or run significant loads overnight, your savings may be too small to offset the higher daytime rate.

Low-consumption households could pay more overall if they can’t shift usage into the discounted hours.

You also need a smart meter, which not all homes can get immediately. Installation wait times may delay access to the tariff.

For Next Drive Smart, the requirements are stricter since you’ll need a compatible EV and home charger, and must use the Next Connect app. Without this setup, you can’t access the 6.5 p rate.

Getting enough benefit can also be challenging if your lifestyle locks most of your energy use into daytime hours, like working from home with high loads. A simple fixed-rate tariff or Economy 7-style plan may be more suitable in such cases.

Final Thoughts

E.ON Next Drive is one of the UK’s most competitive EV tariffs in 2025. With a six-hour window at 7.5 p/kWh, it’s both simple and accessible, requiring only a smart meter and direct debit.

The Next Drive Smart upgrade takes it further, lowering the rate to 6.5 p/kWh and automating charging for compatible EV owners.

For the average UK EV driver, savings of £385–£405 per year on charging alone are achievable.

Annual benefits can climb above £1,000 if you add overnight appliance use or battery charging. The tariffs are low-risk too since they’re fixed for a year, with no exit fees if you change your mind.

However, it won’t suit everyone. Low-usage households, renters, or those unable to shift usage may not see significant gains.

For EV drivers, families, and solar-battery homes, E.ON Next Drive is absolutely worth it. It’s a straightforward, cost-cutting way to harness smarter, cheaper electricity.

FAQs on E.ON Next Drive

What are the Benefits of E.ON Next Drive?

E.ON Next Drive offers a low off-peak rate of 7.5 p/kWh from 12 am to 6 am, giving you a cost-effective way to charge EVs and run appliances overnight.

The cheaper rate applies to the entire household, and with no exit fees and a one-year fixed term, it’s flexible and predictable.

How Much Does E.ON Next Drive Charge?

During the off-peak window (12 am to 6 am), the rate is 7.5 p/kWh on Next Drive and 6.5 p/kWh on Next Drive Smart. Outside this window, you pay the standard E.ON rate, which is much higher.

Is E.ON Next Better Than Octopus?

It depends on your setup and lifestyle. E.ON Next Drive has a longer six-hour overnight window and doesn’t require a specific EV or charger, making it widely accessible.

Octopus Intelligent Go, however, offers a slightly lower rate (7 p/kWh) with automation but requires compatible hardware.

References

GOV.UK – Electric Car Grant launched
Electric Vehicle Database – Energy consumption of electric vehicles
E.ON Next – Next Drive Smart: our cheapest EV tariff
Ofgem – Changes to energy price cap between 1 July and 30 September 2025