Intelligent Octopus Go: Is It Worth It?

Intelligent Octopus Go allows you to get electricity at a cheaper cost than typical rates to charge your EV and power the rest of your home.

It offers electricity at just 7p/kWh for six hours every night, from 11:30 pm to 5:30 am.

Compared with the current Ofgem price cap of 25.73p/kWh until 30 September 2025, this represents a saving of more than 70% for every unit consumed in that window.

The savings can be substantial if you have electric vehicles to charge or high energy usage.

Intelligent Octopus Go is one of the best EV tariffs, but it doesn’t limit savings to EV charging alone.

The cheaper electricity applies to the whole house, giving households the chance to run washing machines, dishwashers, immersion heaters, or even battery storage top-ups at bargain rates.

Here’s everything you need to know about Intelligent Octopus Go, including how the tariff works, what it requires, and the savings you can realistically expect.

Key Takeaways:

Intelligent Octopus Go offers electricity at 7p/kWh between 11:30 pm and 5:30 am,
The low rate applies to your entire household consumption, not just EV charging.
The tariff automatically schedules EV charging at the cheapest and greenest times through the Octopus app.
Requires a smart meter and a compatible EV or charger
You can save around £395 annually on charging alone.
You can run washing machines, dishwashers, and immersion heaters overnight, or store cheap energy in batteries and save even more.
Compared to the standard Octopus Go tariff, Intelligent Go gives a longer cheap window (6 vs 5 hours) and a lower rate (7p vs 8.5p), but requires compatible hardware.

What Is Intelligent Octopus Go?

Intelligent Octopus Go is a smart energy tariff built specifically to support the UK’s shift toward electric vehicles and flexible grid demand.

Data from YouGov shows Octopus Energy ranked highest among the most popular energy and utility companies in the second quarter of 2025.

Intelligent Octopus Go is Octopus’s first large-scale step into demand-side response, where households help balance the national grid by shifting usage to quieter periods.

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Customers benefit through significantly reduced rates, and the grid benefits through smoother demand patterns that make renewable energy easier to integrate.

In this sense, Intelligent Octopus Go isn’t just a way to cut household bills, but also a tool to modernise how electricity is managed across the country.

How does Intelligent Octopus Go Work?

Intelligent Octopus Go is designed to make better use of the grid and give households lower bills in return through smart scheduling technology.

At its core, it gives you a 7p/kWh off-peak rate every night from 11:30 pm to 5:30 am.

When you plug in a compatible EV or smart charger, the Octopus app communicates directly with your hardware, deciding when to charge based on grid demand, wholesale prices, and your chosen “ready by” time.

This means your car is always charged when you need it, but often at times when electricity is cheapest and cleanest.

Unlike some tariffs that restrict usage to EVs, this low rate applies to all electricity in your home. That means you can charge your EV and run other household devices at the same discounted price.

What Do You Need to Qualify for Intelligent Octopus Go?

To join Intelligent Octopus Go, you’ll need the following:

Smart meter: Without one, the tariff won’t work. Octopus can arrange an installation, but this can take weeks depending on availability. RTS meters (old-style Economy 7) are being switched off, so an upgrade is inevitable anyway.
Compatible EV or smart charger: Octopus maintains a list of supported vehicles and chargers. Popular models from Tesla, Hyundai, Kia, BMW, and Volkswagen are included. Compatible chargers include Ohme, Wallbox, and Easee. If your car or charger isn’t supported, you can’t access the “intelligent” part of the tariff.
App access: The Intelligent Octopus app is central. You must be comfortable plugging in your car, entering a “ready by” time, and letting Octopus manage the charging window.

For some households, these requirements may mean investing in new hardware.

You must consider such costs when evaluating whether Intelligent Octopus Go is worth switching to. If your existing kit is compatible, the barrier to entry is much lower.

What are the Potential Savings with Intelligent Octopus Go?

According to the Electric Vehicle Database, the average energy consumption of EVs in the UK is 301 Wh per mile (0.301 kWh/mi).

For a typical driver covering 7,000 miles annually, 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 Intelligent Octopus Go’s overnight rate of 7p/kWh, the same 7,000 miles costs only £148 annually:

2,107 × £0.07 = £147.49

That’s a saving of around £395 per year (£543 − £148 = £395) just on charging.

The savings can grow further when you shift other household usage, like washing machines, dishwashers, tumble dryers, and immersion heaters, into the six-hour overnight window.

Each kWh shifted saves an additional 18p compared to using it at the standard rate.

Households with home batteries can even store cheap electricity at night and use it throughout the day, stretching the benefit further.

For an average EV-driving household, Intelligent Octopus Go delivers hundreds of pounds in annual savings, while offering flexibility for the wider home energy load.

What’s the Difference Between Octopus Go and Intelligent Octopus Go?

While both tariffs offer low overnight electricity rates tailored for EV owners, they differ in design, compatibility, and automation features:

Off-Peak Window and Rate

Octopus Go: Offers a 5-hour overnight window at 8.5p/kWh, typically from 12:30 am to 5:30 am.
Intelligent Octopus Go: Extends this to 6 hours (11:30 pm to 5:30 am) at a cheaper rate of 7p/kWh.

Smart Charging

Octopus Go: Allows anyone with an EV or charger to access the low rate with no automation required.
Intelligent Octopus Go: Requires a compatible EV or smart charger, enabling the Octopus app to schedule charging automatically based on the cheapest/greenest grid times.

Accessibility

Octopus Go: Widely available to any EV user.
Intelligent Octopus Go: Restricts access to selected vehicles and chargers, requiring setup.

Octopus Go is simple and inclusive, while Intelligent Go offers lower cost and smarter charging, but only if your hardware supports it.

Intelligent Octopus Go vs Octopus Go Comparison:

Feature	Octopus Go	Intelligent Octopus Go
Off-Peak Rate	8.5p/kWh	7p/kWh
Off-Peak Duration	5 hours (00:30–05:30)	6 hours (11:30–05:30)
Smart Charging	Manual (plug in & charge)	Automatic (via app and compatible hardware)
EV/Charger Compatibility	Any EV or charger	Only selected EVs/chargers
Automation Required	None	Required for optimum benefit
Overall Ease of Use	Very high	Medium (requires setup)

What Are the Pros and Cons of Intelligent Octopus Go?

Pros:

Ultra-cheap off-peak electricity: 7p/kWh is the lowest widely available tariff in the UK.
Whole-home application: Unlike Octopus Go, the intelligent version applies to the entire household, not just EV charging.
Smart scheduling: The app automates charging to ensure your car is ready when needed.
No exit fees: Octopus tariffs are flexible, allowing customers to switch if it doesn’t suit them.
Grid-friendly: Helps balance national demand, supporting the UK’s renewable transition.

Cons:

Eligibility barriers: Requires a smart meter and a compatible EV or charger. Without these, you can’t join.
Higher peak rates: Daytime rates may be higher than standard tariffs, meaning savings rely on shifting usage.
Lifestyle fit: Works best for those able to adapt routines; night-owls and shift workers gain the most.
Uncertainty: As with all smart tariffs, rates may evolve, and compatibility lists can change.

The tariff rewards households that are flexible and proactive. For those who can’t shift usage, the benefits are much smaller.

Who Can Benefit the Most?

Households that can benefit most from Intelligent Octopus Go share three traits:

1. They own an EV: This is the primary reason for the tariff. If you charge at home regularly, the savings are dramatic.

2. They can shift usage: Running high-consumption appliances overnight magnifies savings. If your lifestyle doesn’t allow this, the advantage is reduced.

3. They have solar or battery storage: Combining cheap night rates with daytime solar gives maximum flexibility, letting you avoid expensive peak rates almost entirely.

Large families with frequent laundry, dishwashing, and hot water needs will also see strong returns.

Shift workers or night owls who already use electricity late at night are perfectly positioned to benefit.

When It Might Not Be Worth It

For some households, Intelligent Octopus Go may not make sense.

If you don’t own an EV, the case for switching is weaker, though not eliminated, since you can still run appliances cheaply. If you rarely charge at home (e.g., you rely on workplace charging), the savings are minimal.

Households that cannot install a smart meter or whose EVs/chargers are not compatible are also excluded entirely.

Another drawback is that peak rates during the day can be higher than standard tariffs, so if your consumption is concentrated in the daytime and you can’t shift it, you may end up worse off.

Households with very low overall usage may not save enough to justify the effort of switching. Intelligent Octopus Go is a specialist tariff that shines in specific circumstances.

Final Thoughts

If you have a compatible EV or charger, a smart meter, and the ability to shift at least part of your household usage into the cheap overnight window, Intelligent Octopus Go is one of the most cost-effective tariffs on the market. The savings potential for EV drivers and load-shifting households is significant.

Intelligent Octopus Go is the future of energy pricing and is smarter, greener, and tailored to consumer habits.

If you’re willing to adapt, it offers not just savings but also the satisfaction of contributing to a more flexible, renewable-powered grid.

FAQs on Intelligent Octopus Go

Can an Intelligent Octopus Go Charge More Than One Car?

Yes, you can charge more than one EV on Intelligent Octopus Go as long as each is plugged into a compatible charger or vehicle integration.

The smart scheduling only works with supported hardware, so benefits may vary depending on the setup.

How Do You Activate Intelligent Octopus Go?

To activate, you need to be an Octopus Energy customer with a smart meter and a compatible EV or charger.

Once enrolled, you’ll set charging preferences in the Octopus app, and the tariff automatically applies to your overnight usage.

Can I Get an Intelligent Octopus Go Without an EV?

No, the tariff is designed for EV owners and requires either a compatible car or charger for activation.

References

Ofgem – Changes to energy price cap between 1 July and 30 September 2025
YouGov – The most popular energy & utilities (Q2 2025)
Octopus Energy – Intelligent Octopus Go: the UK’s most popular EV tariff
Electric Vehicle Database – Energy consumption of electric vehicles
Octopus Energy – Octopus Go
Reddit – Is it worth me getting Intelligent Octopus Go?