Intelligent Octopus Go 2026
Intelligent Octopus Go is Octopus Energy's smart tariff for electric vehicle owners. You get a block of cheap overnight electricity, around 7p per kWh, and Octopus picks the cheapest half-hours to charge your car. Got solar as well? Pair it with an Outgoing export tariff and you charge cheap at night while still earning for the surplus solar you send back by day.
Quick Answer
Intelligent Octopus Go gives EV owners a cheap overnight rate of around 7p/kWh during a guaranteed window (typically 11:30pm to 5:30am), and Octopus charges your car at that rate even outside the window when slots are cheap. You need an eligible smart EV charger or a compatible car. It is one of the cheapest ways to charge an EV at home, and pairs with Outgoing Octopus so solar owners still earn for daytime export.
Independent guide, 2026. Solar Info UK is not affiliated with Octopus Energy.
Fact-checked by John Rooney, Solar Energy Editor. Editorial policy
How Intelligent Octopus Go works
A basic off-peak tariff just gives you a fixed cheap window. Intelligent Go goes further: you tell Octopus when you want the car ready and how full, and it charges in the cheapest half-hours overnight, dipping outside the core window when wholesale prices drop and still billing it at the cheap rate. The rest of the house runs at a standard day rate. You link your charger or car to the Octopus app once, then leave it alone.
- Cheap overnight rate of around 7p/kWh
- A guaranteed off-peak window, usually 11:30pm to 5:30am
- Smart charging that adds cheap slots outside the window too
- During the off-peak window the cheap rate covers the whole home, not just the car
- No daily fiddling once your charger or car is linked up
Intelligent Octopus Go rates and hours
It is all about the overnight rate. At roughly 7p/kWh it is about a third of the standard variable import rate (around 24 to 25p/kWh in 2026). Figures vary by region and change over time, so confirm the live rate on Octopus before you switch. The daytime rate sits a little above a standard single rate, which is what you pay for nights this cheap.
| Period | Typical window | Indicative rate |
|---|---|---|
| Off-peak (overnight) | ~23:30–05:30 | ~7p/kWh |
| Smart-charge slots | Any cheap half-hour | ~7p/kWh |
| Day rate | Remaining hours | Standard (slightly above flat rate) |
Indicative figures. Octopus sets exact Intelligent Go rates and the off-peak window by region and updates them periodically. Verify current rates at octopus.energy before switching.
Charging at home with solar?
Solar plus a cheap overnight tariff is the lowest-cost way to run an EV. Compare solar and EV charger quotes from MCS installers.
Get a Quote ↓Who can get Intelligent Octopus Go?
Intelligent Go needs Octopus to be able to control your charging, so you need either a compatible smart EV charger or a directly supported car. You also need a smart meter sending half-hourly readings, and to take Octopus for your import electricity.
You need
- A compatible smart EV charger, or a supported car make
- A smart meter (SMETS2) with half-hourly readings
- An Octopus import account
- To connect the charger or car to the Octopus app
Good to know
- The supported charger and car list grows over time, check Octopus for yours
- No EV charger yet? See our EV charger guide and installers
- Heat pump home too? Compare Cosy Octopus
Intelligent Octopus Go with solar panels
Intelligent Go is an import tariff, so you pair it with a separate export tariff. The usual solar setup is Intelligent Octopus Go for cheap overnight charging alongside Outgoing Octopus (12p/kWh flat) for daytime export. Charge the car and any home battery cheaply overnight, then sell back the solar you do not use during the day. If you have a battery, few setups beat this for running a solar-and-EV home cheaply.
The solar + EV combination
- Overnight: charge the car and battery at ~7p/kWh
- Daytime: run the house on solar, export surplus at 12p/kWh on Outgoing Octopus
- Result: very low effective running cost across car, home and battery
For the full Octopus range including battery and export tariffs, see our best Octopus tariffs for solar guide, and our solar + EV charging guide.
Intelligent Octopus Go FAQ
What is Intelligent Octopus Go?
Intelligent Octopus Go is a smart electricity tariff from Octopus Energy for EV owners. It gives a cheap overnight rate of around 7p/kWh and lets Octopus schedule your car charging into the cheapest half-hours automatically. You need a compatible smart EV charger or supported car and an Octopus import account.
What are the Intelligent Octopus Go hours?
The guaranteed cheap window is typically 11:30pm to 5:30am, where all your home electricity is at the off-peak rate. On top of that, Octopus smart-charges your car at the cheap rate in any low-price half-hour outside the window. Exact times vary by region, so check the Octopus app.
How much is Intelligent Octopus Go per kWh?
The off-peak rate is around 7p/kWh, roughly a third of the 2026 standard variable rate of about 24 to 25p/kWh. The daytime rate is slightly higher than a flat single rate, which is the trade-off for the cheap nights. Rates vary by region and change over time, so verify the current figure on Octopus.
Do I need a special charger for Intelligent Octopus Go?
You need either a compatible smart EV charger or a directly supported car make that Octopus can control to schedule charging. The supported list grows over time. If you do not have an eligible charger, you can still use Octopus Go (the non-intelligent version) with a fixed off-peak window.
Can I use Intelligent Octopus Go with solar panels?
Yes. Intelligent Go is an import tariff, so you pair it with a separate export tariff such as Outgoing Octopus at 12p/kWh. You charge the car and battery cheaply overnight at around 7p, then export surplus solar by day and get paid 12p. For homes with a battery this is often the lowest-cost solar-plus-EV setup.
Intelligent Octopus Go or Cosy Octopus?
Intelligent Go is built for EV charging, with one long cheap overnight block. Cosy Octopus is built for heat pumps, with several cheaper daytime windows for pre-heating. If your main shiftable load is overnight car charging, choose Go; if it is heating, choose Cosy. Homes with both should compare the two for their usage pattern.
Related Guides
EV Chargers
Home EV charger costs, OZEV grant, and solar+EV benefits.
Solar & EV Charging
Charge your electric car with solar panels and save £2,000+/year.
Cosy Octopus Tariff
Cheap off-peak windows for heat pump homes: rates, hours and whether it is worth it.
Battery Storage
Solar battery costs, sizing, popular models, and payback analysis.
Sources
Last updated: June 2026
John Rooney is the founder of Solar Info and has been covering the UK solar energy market since 2023. He researches every battery and inverter brand against manufacturer datasheets, MCS and Ofgem data, and feedback from the MCS-certified installers in our directory before publishing.
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