OVO Energy Scottish Power (August 2026)
Overview
OVO Energy is the stronger choice for customer service and a cheaper fixed tariff, while Scottish Power stands out for mobile app quality.
OVO Energy leads this comparison due to higher independent customer service ratings and a cheaper fixed tariff option. Scottish Power may suit households prioritising digital account management, as its mobile apps receive higher user ratings.
About OVO Energy and Scottish Power
Who are OVO Energy?
Set up in 2009, OVO Energy is one of the UK's largest domestic energy suppliers. It grew in 2020 when it bought SSE's retail business. The company recently announced a planned deal to become part of E.ON, which would increase its scale in the UK market. OVO Energy holds a 2026 Uswitch Energy Accreditation. OVO offers household energy tariffs alongside home-energy services and smart-energy products.
Who are Scottish Power?
Based in Glasgow, Scottish Power is one of the UK's oldest and biggest domestic suppliers. It is part of the Spanish utility group Iberdrola. As well as supplying homes across the country, it runs the local electricity network for parts of Scotland, Wales, and England. Scottish Power offers domestic energy tariffs as well as home-energy technology and customer rewards.
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Tariffs and pricing
For both suppliers, the standard variable tariff represents the cheapest overall option. OVO Energy's Simpler Energy and Scottish Power's Standard tariff are effectively identical under our assumptions, each costing £1,805 a year. These are variable deals with no fixed term and a £0 exit fee.
Households looking to lock in their rates will find a cheaper fixed deal with OVO Energy. Its 1 Year Fixed + Boiler Cover 22 July 2026 tariff costs £1,923 a year for a 12-month term, though it includes a £100 exit fee. In comparison, Scottish Power's cheapest fixed option is the Exclusive Help Beat Cancer Fixed Aug 2027 SM2 at £1,990 a year for a 12-month term, which carries a £0 exit fee.
OVO Energy and Scottish Power: Tariff Options
OVO Energy tariffs
OVO Energy offers a standard variable tariff and fixed deals with 12- and 24-month terms, alongside specialist options for electric vehicle drivers and solar panel owners.[1]
Scottish Power tariffs
Scottish Power offers a standard variable tariff and 12-month fixed deals, as well as tracker tariffs and specialist options for electric vehicle charging.
Customer reviews
On Trustpilot, OVO Energy holds a 4.7 out of 5 rating from a high volume of reviews, ahead of Scottish Power's 4.4 out of 5. OVO Energy also records a larger proportion of five-star reviews at 77%, whereas Scottish Power sits at 60%. Conversely, Scottish Power has a higher share of one-star reviews (19%) compared to OVO Energy (9%).
Reviewers for both suppliers frequently mention polite staff and prompt problem resolution. OVO Energy customers often highlight clear explanations from representatives, while Scottish Power users note the ease of managing accounts online. Conversely, both companies receive complaints regarding long wait times to reach customer service. Some Scottish Power reviews also cite difficulties with smart meter installations and unexpected bills.
In the annual Which? survey, OVO Energy achieves a score of 61 out of 100, placing it ahead of Scottish Power's 56. While both suppliers receive 2 out of 5 for overall customer service and value for money, OVO Energy performs slightly better on complaints handling.
App quality and features
Scottish Power provides the higher-rated mobile apps across both major platforms. Its Apple App Store rating is 4.8 out of 5 from 86,000 ratings, compared to OVO Energy's 4.6 out of 5 from 18,000 ratings. Both suppliers maintain their iOS applications with recent updates.
On Google Play, the rating gap is more pronounced. Scottish Power scores 4.7 out of 5 from over 95,000 ratings, whereas OVO Energy scores 3.0 out of 5 from just over 10,000 ratings. Both Android apps record more than 100,000 installs.
Recent iOS feedback for OVO Energy highlights useful features for tracking usage and payments, although some users experience loading issues on tablets. Meanwhile, some Scottish Power users report difficulties with smart meter data failing to display correctly and discrepancies with account balances.
Service and support
In the latest Citizens Advice ratings, OVO Energy scores 3.3 out of 5, placing it ahead of Scottish Power's 2.94 out of 5. Both suppliers maintain formal vulnerability commitments registered with the organisation.
For telephone support, Scottish Power is slightly faster to connect callers. Its average call centre wait time is 1 minute 16 seconds, whereas OVO Energy averages 1 minute 33 seconds.
Looking at digital channels, Scottish Power replies to social media messages in an average of 2 minutes 25 seconds, faster than OVO Energy's 6 minutes 53 seconds. However, OVO Energy responds to 98.5% of emails within two days, slightly ahead of Scottish Power's 94.3%. Operating hours for both suppliers are 9am to 5pm on weekdays, with both closed on weekends.
Complaints and performance
Both OVO Energy and Scottish Power have published their complaints data for the fourth quarter of 2025. In this period, Scottish Power received fewer complaints, with 1,458 per 100,000 customers. OVO Energy received 1,651 complaints per 100,000 customers.
Green Energy Comparison
OVO Energy
Based on Citizens Advice data for January to March 2026, OVO Energy's electricity fuel mix is largely fossil fuels, with some renewable and nuclear energy. The company has a "Path to Zero" target to help reduce carbon emissions and has planted millions of trees since it started. Customers can choose to add a greener electricity upgrade to their fixed tariffs to support renewable energy generation.[1]
Scottish Power
Based on Citizens Advice data for January to March 2026, Scottish Power's electricity fuel mix is largely fossil fuels, with some renewable and nuclear energy. While its parent company generates renewable electricity from UK wind farms, the energy supplied to standard domestic customers is mostly made up of fossil fuels. The supplier works with an ambassador to promote home electric vehicle chargers, solar panels, and everyday energy-saving changes.[2]
Our verdict
| If you care most about | Choose |
|---|---|
| The lowest annual cost on our assumptions | Either |
| Overall customer service | OVO Energy |
| A well-rated mobile app | Scottish Power |
| A greener fuel mix | OVO Energy |
OVO Energy is the stronger choice for customer service and a cheaper fixed tariff, while Scottish Power stands out for mobile app quality.
Based on the available data, OVO Energy leads this comparison. It scores higher across key customer service metrics from both Citizens Advice and Trustpilot, and currently offers a cheaper 12-month fixed tariff than Scottish Power.
Scottish Power may suit households that prefer managing their energy via a smartphone. Its app ratings are notably higher, particularly on Android, and it connects phone calls slightly faster. Nevertheless, OVO Energy's higher overall service scores make it the primary recommendation in this comparison.
- Cheaper 12-month fixed tariff
- Higher Citizens Advice score
- Higher Trustpilot rating
- Lower app ratings on Google Play
- Slower social media response times
- £100 exit fee on its cheapest fixed deal
- Higher app ratings on both platforms
- Faster average call centre wait times
- No exit fee on its cheapest fixed deal
- Lower Citizens Advice score
- More expensive fixed tariff
- Higher share of one-star Trustpilot reviews
Frequently asked questions
Which supplier is better overall, OVO Energy or Scottish Power?
OVO Energy is the stronger choice for customer service scores and a cheaper fixed tariff, while Scottish Power may suit households that prioritise mobile apps.
Who has the cheapest fixed energy deal?
OVO Energy currently offers the cheaper fixed deal. Its 12-month fixed tariff costs £1,923 a year, which is cheaper than Scottish Power's £1,990 a year option.
Which supplier has better customer reviews?
OVO Energy scores higher on Trustpilot with a 4.7 out of 5 rating, compared to 4.4 for Scottish Power. OVO Energy also scores higher in the annual Which? survey.
Are Scottish Power's apps better than OVO Energy's?
Yes, Scottish Power scores higher on both the Apple App Store and Google Play. The gap is largest on Android, where Scottish Power scores 4.7 out of 5 while OVO Energy scores 3.0.
Which supplier is faster at answering the phone?
Scottish Power is slightly faster. Its average call centre wait time is 1 minute 16 seconds, compared to 1 minute 33 seconds for OVO Energy.
Should I choose OVO Energy or Scottish Power?
If you want the cheapest fixed tariff and better overall customer service scores, OVO Energy is the better choice. If you care most about highly rated mobile apps, choose Scottish Power.
Do these suppliers charge exit fees?
OVO Energy charges a £100 exit fee on its cheapest fixed tariff, while Scottish Power's cheapest fixed deal has no exit fee. Both of their standard variable tariffs are exit-fee-free.
When are their customer service lines open?
Both OVO Energy and Scottish Power are open on weekdays from 9am to 5pm. Both suppliers are closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
What changed this month
This month, Scottish Power's iOS app updates in last 90 days rose from 1 to 3, OVO Energy's iOS app days since last update rose from 13 to 37, and OVO Energy's play store days since last update rose from 14 to 37. There were 31 other data changes this month — see the full changelog below for details.
Data changes this month (40)
OVO Energy
- Trustpilot reviews287,327 → 293,863
- iOS app days since last update13 → 37
- iOS app updates in last 90 days3 → 2
- iOS sampled reviews avg stars4.2 → 3.67
- iOS sampled positive reviews4 → 2
- Play Store rating3.2850413 → 3.0206423
- Play Store ratings count10,351 → 10,621
- Play Store days since last update14 → 37
- Play Store positive ratings %55.4 → 48.2
- Play Store negative ratings %40.2 → 46.9
- Play Store neutral ratings %4.5 → 4.9
- Play Store net-positive %15.2 → 1.3
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,797.13 → £1,923.42
- Cheapest tariff£1,797.13 → £1,804.82
- Cheapest tariff exit fee£100 → £0
- Cheapest tariff term12 months → 0 months
- Tariff count5 → 4
- Fixed tariffs available4 → 3
- Longest fixed term24 months → 12 months
Scottish Power
- Trustpilot reviews192,283 → 198,589
- Trustpilot 4-star %13 → 14
- Trustpilot 1-star %20 → 19
- Trustpilot negative reviews replied %90 → 91
- Trustpilot positive reviews %73 → 74
- Trustpilot negative reviews %23 → 22
- Trustpilot net-positive %50 → 52
- iOS app ratings count85,000 → 86,000
- iOS app days since last update34 → 26
- iOS app updates in last 90 days1 → 3
- iOS sampled reviews avg stars6 → 2.33
- iOS sampled negative reviews0 → 2
- Play Store rating4.7245803 → 4.7281113
- Play Store ratings count94,149 → 95,532
- Play Store days since last update30 → 27
- Play Store positive ratings %94.1 → 94.2
- Play Store negative ratings %4.6 → 4.5
- Play Store net-positive %89.5 → 89.7
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,775.84 → £1,990.1
- Cheapest tariff£1,775.84 → £1,804.74
- Cheapest tariff term12 months → 0 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.