E.ON Next Sainsbury’s Energy (August 2026)
Overview
E.ON Next is the better fit for lower tariffs and mobile-app access, while Sainsbury’s Energy performs better on several customer-service measures.
E.ON Next emerges as the stronger option in this comparison, providing lower-priced fixed and variable tariffs. It also supplies well-rated mobile apps and comprehensive Citizens Advice metrics, whereas Sainsbury’s Energy currently lacks data in several key areas.
About E.ON Next and Sainsbury's Energy
Who is E.ON Next?
E.ON Next is the domestic retail brand of E.ON UK, which is part of the German energy group E.ON SE. It launched in 2020 and grew when it took on the customers of npower in 2021, making it one of the UK's largest suppliers. In May 2026, E.ON announced a planned deal to buy OVO Energy, which would increase its scale. It uses the Kraken platform to run its customer accounts and billing.
Who is Sainsbury's Energy?
Sainsbury’s Energy is a partnership between the Sainsbury’s supermarket chain and E.ON Next. It is a trading name used under licence by E.ON Next Energy Limited, which supplies the gas and electricity. In the past, Sainsbury’s Energy partnered with British Gas and then npower before moving to E.ON Next. Its main feature is its link to the Nectar rewards scheme, letting customers collect points on their energy bills and when they sign up for certain tariffs.
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Tariffs and pricing
E.ON Next provides the lowest-priced overall deal in this comparison. Its most affordable option, the Next Fixed 24m v57 fixed tariff, costs £1,746 a year. This comes in £59 a year cheaper than Sainsbury’s Energy's lowest-priced option, the Sainsbury's Standard Variable, which is estimated at £1,805 a year.
The lowest-priced E.ON Next tariff requires a 24-month commitment and carries a £200 exit fee. In contrast, the most affordable overall tariff from Sainsbury’s Energy is a variable contract with no fixed term and zero exit fees.
Households seeking price certainty may find E.ON Next more suitable, as its lowest-priced fixed tariff (£1,746 a year) is £95 a year cheaper than the equivalent option from Sainsbury’s Energy (£1,841 a year). Both of these fixed contracts span a 24-month term and include a £200 exit fee.
For customers who prefer a variable rate, the E.ON Next Pledge Tracker 12m v12 is estimated at £1,747 a year. This makes it £58 a year cheaper than the standard variable option from Sainsbury’s Energy.
Tariff Options
E.ON Next
E.ON Next offers a range of standard variable, fixed, tracker, and specialist electric vehicle tariffs.
Sainsbury's Energy
Sainsbury's Energy provides standard variable, fixed, and tracker tariffs, with options to earn Nectar points.
Customer reviews
Both suppliers maintain strong ratings on Trustpilot. E.ON Next holds a 4.5 rating from a high volume of over 219,000 reviews, while Sainsbury’s Energy scores 4.3 across 3,127 reviews. Each provider achieves a net positive score of 75%.
Looking closer at E.ON Next, 74% of its reviews are five-star and 9% are one-star. The supplier replies to 99% of negative feedback, typically within 24 hours. Reviewers frequently note polite staff during installations, although some report concerns regarding pricing and contradictory advice from customer support.
Sainsbury’s Energy sees 80% of its reviews at five stars, alongside 10% at one star. It responds to 35% of negative reviews, usually taking around two weeks. Customers often highlight quick responses via WhatsApp and knowledgeable staff, but a portion of users report billing issues and inflexible support.
In the latest Which? testing, Sainsbury’s Energy achieves an overall score of 71, placing it ahead of E.ON Next at 66. Sainsbury’s Energy receives 10 out of 10 for helping those who need it, alongside 4 out of 5 for both customer service and clarity of statements. E.ON Next scores 2 out of 5 for customer service and clarity of statements, but 9 out of 10 for helping those who need it.
Apps and smart features
E.ON Next provides well-rated mobile applications for account management. Its iOS app scores 4.8 from 49,000 ratings, and the Play Store version scores 4.3 from 16,070 ratings.
These applications receive regular updates. The available iOS review sample describes the app as useful for monitoring a Direct Debit account, while noting an occasional log-out issue.
There is currently no app data available for Sainsbury’s Energy. As a result, a direct comparison of mobile app quality between the two suppliers is not possible.
Service and support
E.ON Next ranks 3rd in the latest Citizens Advice data, achieving an overall score of 3.71 out of 5. The supplier answers calls in an average of 2 minutes and 3 seconds, and responds to 90.7% of emails within two days.
Additionally, E.ON Next records 29.8 complaints per 10,000 customers and maintains formal vulnerability commitments registered with Citizens Advice. Its support team operates Monday to Thursday from 9am to 5pm, and Friday from 9am to 4pm. Accepted payment methods include Direct Debit, cash, cheque, and prepayment.
Service and support figures from Citizens Advice are not currently available for Sainsbury’s Energy, limiting the ability to assess its performance in this specific area.
Complaints and performance
In the first quarter of 2026, Sainsbury's Energy received fewer complaints than E.ON Next. Sainsbury's Energy had 659.62 complaints for every 100,000 customers, while E.ON Next had 780.
Sainsbury's Energy was faster at sorting out problems straight away. It resolved 57.28% of complaints by the end of the next working day, compared to 50.6% for E.ON Next. Both suppliers fixed about 90% of complaints within eight weeks.
Top reasons for complaints
For both suppliers, customer service was the main reason people complained. This made up 33.87% of complaints for E.ON Next and 38.72% for Sainsbury's Energy. Payment and billing issues were also common problems for customers of both companies.
Sainsbury's Energy comes out ahead on complaints for this period.
Green Energy Comparison
E.ON Next
E.ON Next has a target to reach net zero emissions by 2050. It offers 100% renewable electricity on some of its tariffs, matched by Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) certificates and its own generation, such as biomass plants and wind farms. It also partners with Ripple Energy to let customers co-own a share of a wind farm and get bill credits for the energy it generates. Its electricity fuel mix is mostly renewable, with some fossil fuels and nuclear.
Sainsbury's Energy
Because E.ON Next supplies the energy for Sainsbury’s Energy, they share the same electricity fuel mix. This means its electricity is mostly renewable, with some fossil fuels and nuclear. Sainsbury’s Energy does not currently offer a dedicated green tariff.
Our verdict
| If you care most about | Choose |
|---|---|
| The lowest annual cost on our assumptions | E.ON Next |
| Overall customer service | Sainsbury’s Energy |
E.ON Next is the better fit for lower tariffs and mobile-app access, while Sainsbury’s Energy performs better on several customer-service measures.
E.ON Next emerges as the stronger option based on the available evidence, primarily due to its lower pricing and comprehensive service data. While Sainsbury’s Energy performs well on Which? metrics, the absence of app and Citizens Advice data makes it difficult to evaluate its overall service fully.
Households seeking the lowest-priced fixed or variable tariffs, alongside the ability to manage accounts via a well-rated mobile app, may find E.ON Next to be the more suitable choice. Sainsbury’s Energy could appeal to those who prioritise Which? customer service scores, though its tariffs currently cost more.
- Lower-priced fixed and variable tariffs
- Well-rated iOS and Android apps
- Fast call centre response times
- Lower Which? customer service score
- £200 exit fee on its lowest-priced tariff
- Higher overall Which? score
- 80% five-star reviews on Trustpilot
- Lowest-priced variable tariff has no exit fees
- Higher-priced fixed and variable tariffs
- No mobile app data available
- Missing Citizens Advice service metrics
Frequently asked questions
Which supplier is better overall, E.ON Next or Sainsbury’s Energy?
E.ON Next is the stronger fit for households prioritising lower tariffs and mobile-app access. Sainsbury’s Energy scores better on several customer-service measures, but app and Citizens Advice data are not available in this comparison.
Does E.ON Next or Sainsbury’s Energy have the cheaper fixed tariff?
E.ON Next has the cheaper fixed tariff. Its cheapest fixed deal costs £1,746 a year, which is £95 a year cheaper than Sainsbury’s Energy's cheapest fixed option.
How do E.ON Next and Sainsbury’s Energy compare on Trustpilot?
Both suppliers have good Trustpilot ratings. E.ON Next scores 4.5 from a very high volume of reviews, while Sainsbury’s Energy scores 4.3 but has a slightly higher share of five-star reviews at 80%.
Do E.ON Next and Sainsbury’s Energy have mobile apps?
E.ON Next has highly rated apps for both iOS and Android. There is currently no app data available for Sainsbury’s Energy in our comparison.
How fast does E.ON Next answer the phone?
According to Citizens Advice, E.ON Next answers customer calls in an average of 2 minutes and 3 seconds.
Why is E.ON Next the recommended supplier over Sainsbury’s Energy?
E.ON Next is recommended because it offers cheaper tariffs across the board, has proven mobile apps, and provides comprehensive customer service data, whereas Sainsbury’s Energy is missing key service and app metrics.
Are there exit fees with Sainsbury’s Energy?
Sainsbury’s Energy's cheapest variable tariff has no exit fees. However, its cheapest fixed tariff carries a £200 exit fee.
Which supplier scores better with Which??
Sainsbury’s Energy scores higher with Which?, achieving an overall score of 71 compared to E.ON Next's 66. It also scores better for customer service and clarity of statements.
Do E.ON Next and Sainsbury’s Energy offer tracker tariffs?
Yes, both suppliers offer variable-price tariffs. E.ON Next's cheaper variable-price option in this comparison is the Next Pledge tariff.
What changed this month
This month, Sainsbury’s Energy's Trustpilot 2-star % rose from 1 to 2, E.ON Next's iOS sampled positive reviews fell from 1 to 0, and E.ON Next's iOS sampled negative reviews fell from 1 to 0. There were 24 other data changes this month — see the full changelog below for details.
Data changes this month (31)
E.ON Next
- Trustpilot reviews211,533 → 219,212
- iOS app ratings count48,000 → 49,000
- iOS app days since last update9 → 4
- iOS sampled positive reviews1 → 0
- iOS sampled negative reviews1 → 0
- iOS sampled neutral reviews0 → 1
- Play Store rating4.3445005 → 4.324643
- Play Store ratings count15,798 → 16,070
- Play Store days since last update9 → 5
- Play Store positive ratings %83.5 → 82.6
- Play Store negative ratings %13.7 → 14.2
- Play Store neutral ratings %2.8 → 3.2
- Play Store net-positive %69.8 → 68.4
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,733 → £1,745.58
- Cheapest tariff£1,733 → £1,745.58
- Cheapest fixed tariff exit fee£100 → £200
- Cheapest fixed tariff term12 months → 24 months
Sainsbury’s Energy
- Trustpilot rating4.5 → 4.3
- Trustpilot reviews3,115 → 3,127
- Trustpilot 4-star %8 → 7
- Trustpilot 2-star %1 → 2
- Trustpilot negative reviews replied %36 → 35
- Trustpilot positive reviews %88 → 87
- Trustpilot negative reviews %11 → 12
- Trustpilot net-positive %77 → 75
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,743.58 → £1,840.79
- Cheapest tariff£1,743.58 → £1,804.81
- Cheapest tariff exit fee£200 → £0
- Cheapest tariff term24 months → 0 months
- Cheapest fixed tariff exit fee£100 → £200
- Cheapest fixed tariff term12 months → 24 months
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Written by
Rob Gibbs
Hi, I'm Rob, and I run Energy-Review.co.uk. I initially started this project in 2018 when I was looking to switch energy suppliers and found there wasn't a website that provided simple, data-backed reviews on all the suppliers available. Since then, I have spent a lot of time (too much, some may say!) looking at all publicly available data about each supplier and writing reviews using this information. These reviews are updated as regularly as possible, and any data is backed up by a source where necessary. I have also started writing guides on various energy-related topics, which hopefully you will find useful. If you find any issues, please use our contact form to let us know.