Home charging tariffs for Tesla owners
An EV tariff gives you cheap electricity for a few hours each night. Charging in that window is the cheapest way to run a Tesla in the UK.
What the difference looks like
- Standard variable tariff: 26.32p per kWh under the price cap from 1 October 2026 (direct debit).
- EV tariff off-peak example: Intelligent Octopus Go charges 7.6p per kWh from 11:30pm to 5:30am.
On those figures, a 60 kWh top-up costs about £15.79 at the standard rate and £4.56 on the off-peak rate.
Kinds of EV tariff
- Fixed overnight window: a cheap rate for set hours. Set your Tesla's scheduled charging to match.
- Smart or "intelligent" tariffs: the supplier controls when your car charges to use the cheapest, greenest hours, and may add cheap slots outside the usual window. Some work directly with Tesla cars through the car's own account link, without needing a smart charger.
- Time-of-use tariffs: prices change every half-hour. Best if you can charge flexibly.
Most major suppliers offer EV tariffs. Rates and conditions change often, so compare current deals before switching. Check the daytime rate too: on some tariffs it is higher than the standard rate.
Setting the car to charge at the right time
In the car, go to Charging and set Scheduled Charging or Scheduled Departure. With Departure, the car works out when to start so it finishes in the cheap window and preconditions before you leave. See Scheduled charging.