Intelligent Octopus Go review (November 2026)
A cheap overnight window that extends when Octopus schedules your car or charger.
Live tariff data
Intelligent Octopus Go prices for your area
Electricity rates and standing charges differ by distribution region. Enter your postcode or choose your electricity region before local figures are shown.
The short answer
Who Intelligent Octopus Go is most likely to work for
Intelligent Go gives up control of when your car charges and pays you for it with managed EV charging at the cheap rate outside the fixed window. Other home use outside that fixed window stays on the normal rate.
In its favour
- Longer cheap window than Go
- The whole home gets the cheap rate in the fixed overnight window; managed EV charging can get it in extra slots
- Charging is scheduled for you
- No exit fees
Against it
- Requires a compatible vehicle or charger
- Octopus decides when charging happens
- Needs a smart meter on half-hourly readings
- No use without an EV
Read the fuller verdict and trade-offs
The trade is real: Octopus decides when charging happens within the window you set. If you need the car ready at unpredictable times, or your hardware is not on the list, plain Go keeps the control and most of the benefit.
- Compatibility decides everything here. If your car and charger are not on the list, you cannot use this tariff, and Go is the alternative.
- You are giving up control of exactly when charging happens. For most people that is the point; for some it is a genuine objection.
- Plugging in with a short deadline gives the scheduler little room, and the saving shrinks accordingly.
Tariff facts at a glance
- Current version
- Intelligent Octopus Go
View product code
IOG-SMB-VAR-26-10-29- Price changes
- By time band
- The same scheduled price periods repeat each day
- Today’s full-day rate vs cap
- Choose a location
- A full-day regional average is needed for today’s comparison
- Estimated annual cost
- Choose a location
- Shown after an electricity region is selected
Key tariff facts
- Variable-rate tariff
- Compatible smart meter required
- Electricity tariff
Regional comparison
How prices differ across Great Britain
Intelligent Octopus Go unit rate and standing charge by region
The daily average from the supplier’s day and night rates on 3 November 2026, including VAT. The table also shows the standing charge.
Hover a region for its figure, or select one to load its prices.
Tap a region to load its prices.
View all regional prices
| Region | Per kWh | Standing charge per day |
|---|---|---|
| East Midlands | 28.96p | 51.0p |
| North East England | 29.27p | 61.0p |
| West Midlands | 29.36p | 56.9p |
| Northern Scotland | 29.43p | 55.5p |
| Yorkshire | 29.62p | 61.1p |
| Southern England | 29.88p | 47.7p |
| South West England | 30.22p | 55.8p |
| North West England | 30.32p | 45.1p |
| London | 30.33p | 42.6p |
| South Wales | 30.33p | 54.6p |
| Southern Scotland | 30.44p | 61.7p |
| Eastern England | 30.59p | 51.9p |
| South East England | 30.84p | 52.5p |
| Merseyside and North Wales | 32.17p | 67.0p |
Northern Ireland has a separate electricity market and is not covered by these regions.
Household fit
Who Intelligent Octopus Go might be good for
The right answer depends on your equipment, routine and tolerance for changing prices—not just how much electricity you use.
Likely to suit
- Owners of a compatible electric vehicle or charger that Octopus can control
- Drivers happy to set a target charge time and let Octopus pick the hours
- Households where the car is the largest shiftable load
Less likely to suit
- Anyone whose vehicle or charger is not on the compatibility list
- Drivers who need to control exactly when charging happens
- Households without an electric vehicle, where the day rate is simply higher
Before switching
Check the requirements and what will affect the result
What you need
- A compatible electric vehicle or home charger — Octopus publishes a current list, and it is worth checking yours before switching
- A smart meter sending half-hourly readings
- Willingness to let Octopus control when charging happens
- Register the supported vehicle or charger in the Octopus app within seven days and keep a supported device connected
- A charging schedule that stays within the tariff's managed-charging limits, including the six-hour daily limit in the current terms
What drives what you pay
- How much of your charging Octopus can schedule, which depends on giving it enough time between plugging in and needing the car
- Household usage outside the scheduled slots, billed on the standard bands
- How often you need a fast turnaround, since a tight deadline leaves less room to find cheap hours
- The standing charge, which applies regardless
How it works
How Intelligent Octopus Go sets its prices
You set a target: charged to a given level by a given time. Octopus then schedules the charging itself, picking hours that are cheap for the grid as well as for you.
Read the full pricing explanation
Outside the fixed overnight window, only the EV charging Octopus schedules receives the off-peak rate. Other household electricity is billed at the relevant normal rate.
It works by talking directly to your vehicle or your charger, which is why compatibility is the deciding factor rather than a detail.
Match the tariff to your home
Your largest electrical loads can change the answer
A specialist tariff can be better aligned with one large device, but its eligibility and expensive periods still matter. These are comparisons to make, not automatic recommendations.
If you have an EV
Intelligent Octopus Go is already designed around electric-vehicle charging. Compare its cheap window, daytime rate, automation and compatibility with the alternatives before choosing.
Alternatives
Other smart tariffs from Octopus and EDF to compare
These are other smart-tariff comparisons from the two suppliers, not a claim that every option suits the same household.
Octopus Go
The same shape, but Intelligent Go extends the cheap rate to slots it schedules outside the standard window.
More detail
If your hardware is compatible it is usually the better of the two. Go exists for when it is not.
Agile Octopus
Agile gives you every half-hourly price and asks you to act on them.
More detail
Intelligent Go acts for you, but only for the car. If the car is most of your flexible load, Intelligent Go is less work for a similar result.
Intelligent Octopus Flux
Different loads: Intelligent Go schedules vehicle charging, Intelligent Flux schedules a solar battery.
More detail
If you have both, they are not interchangeable and you will need to work out which asset is worth optimising.
Current product options
Current versions of Intelligent Octopus Go
View current tariff versions
Choose a region to load prices for the selected version.
Intelligent Octopus Go 12M Fixed
IOG-SMB-FIX-12M-26-10-27
12-month fixed term
Intelligent Octopus Go 12M Fixed - EV Saver
IOG-SMB-FIX-OEV-12M-26-10-27
12-month fixed term
- Rates shown
Intelligent Octopus Go
IOG-SMB-VAR-26-10-29
Variable rates
How to switch
Moving to Intelligent Octopus Go
- 1
Check your car or charger is on Octopus's compatible list before anything else — this is the step that most often stops a switch, and the list changes.
- 2
You connect the vehicle or charger to Octopus during sign-up so they can schedule charging. A smart meter on half-hourly readings is required.
- 3
Existing customers request it from the dashboard; new customers join Flexible Octopus first. No exit fees, and the usual 30-day lock-out on smart import tariffs if you leave.
Frequently asked questions
Which cars and chargers work with Intelligent Octopus Go?
Octopus maintains a compatibility list, and it changes as manufacturers are added. Check your specific vehicle and charger against the current list before switching, since the tariff depends on Octopus being able to control the charge.
Do I get the cheap rate outside the overnight window?
Only for the managed EV charging Octopus schedules. Other household electricity outside the fixed overnight window is billed at the relevant normal rate.
What if I need the car charged quickly?
You can override, but a short deadline leaves the scheduler less room to find cheap hours, so the saving is smaller. The tariff works best when you plug in with time to spare.
Does the whole house get the cheap rate?
The whole home gets the off-peak rate during the fixed overnight window. In any extra slot Octopus schedules outside that window, only managed EV charging receives the off-peak rate.
