OVO vs E.ON Next (2024 Comparison)

Lasted Updated: 19th January 2024

In this guide, we compare the two energy suppliers OVO and E.ON Next to see how they compare across several categories.

We’ll look at everything we feel matters, from tariff options and customer service to reviews and prices. From the level of customer service they provide to how they handle complaints.

Hopefully, by the end of this guide, you’ll have a better idea of which is the better supplier for you.

If you don’t know much about each supplier, here is a quick overview:

Who is OVO Energy?

OVO emerged as an energy supplier in 2009 and has since grown to be one of the largest energy firms in the country. They serve 5 million domestic energy customers all across the UK.

They took over SSE’s domestic energy supply business in 2020 giving them a large boost in customer numbers and making them the 4th largest supplier in the UK.

Despite facing customer service challenges in 2022, OVO continues to emphasise environmental sustainability, demonstrated by initiatives like annually planting a million trees in the UK.

Who is E.ON Next?

E.ON Next, part of the E.ON group, emerged in the UK energy market following E.ON’s acquisition of npower in 2019. Focused on smarter, renewable energy, they offer various discounts on energy-efficient solutions and employ a dedicated team for enhanced customer service.

Besides energy supply, E.ON Next supports the “Teach the Future” campaign, promoting climate education, and highlighting their commitment to both renewable energy and broader societal engagement in climate awareness.

OVO vs E.ON Next: What’s the difference in tariff options? 

Now that we’ve given an overview of each energy company, it’s time to get stuck into our comparison. We’ll begin by taking a look at the tariff options each supplier has to offer.

OVO

OVO offer their customers 4 different tariff options. A pretty standard variable tariff, a fixed tariff available for 1 or 2 years and a 1-year fix with some green options included.

Below, you’ll find a list of the different tariff options in detail:

Simpler Energy

– Standard variable tariff.
– Flexible plan where prices can go up and down over time
– No exit fees

1 or 2-Year Fixed

– Fixed unit rate plan for 12 or 24 months.
– £75 exit fee per fuel if you choose to leave early.

1 Year Fixed + Greener Energy

– Fixed unit rates for 12 months
– 100% renewable electricity
– 10% green gas and 90% carbon offset gas
– £20 contribution to support new renewable generators
– £75 exit fee per fuel

E.ON NEXT

E.ON NEXT offers customers a range of three energy tariffs designed to meet their specific needs. These options include two fixed-term plans and one variable choice. What’s great is that all these tariffs come with a guarantee of 100% renewable electricity.

NEXT Flex

– Variable prices, so prices can go up and down over time.
– No contract, so no exit fees.
– Discount applied if you pay with direct debit.
– 100% renewable electricity

NEXT Fixed Tariff

– Discount applied if you pay by direct debit.
– Fixed tariff for 12 or 24 months meaning fixed and predictable prices
– An exit fee of £75 for a 12-month contract and £150 for 24 months
– Smart meter required
– 100% renewable electricity
Summary: The tariff options between E.ON NEXT and OVO are very similar – each offering similar fixed and variable options. OVO does offer something more green for those environmentally conscious, however. They also have lower exit fees for their 2-year fixed deal.

Despite E.ON Next offering 100% renewable electricity as standard, we feel OVO wins this with better tariff options.

OVO vs E.ON Next: What’s the difference in price?

To give some guidance on which energy supplier provides the best value for money, we requested quotes for tariffs based on the following from each:

  • Dual fuel supply
  • Standard Meter
  • Payment by Direct Debit
  • 2,900 kWh of electricity and 12,000 kWh of gas (Medium usage – 3-bedroom house occupied by a family of 4)
  • Postcode in the East Midlands

Note: These prices are just a guide, if you change any of the factors above you will get a different price from each supplier.

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OVO gave us these prices for the tariffs mentioned above:

Tariff NameTariff DescriptionMonthly Cost
Simpler EnergyVariable tariff. Prices can either go up or down with no minimum term. No exit fees.£157
1-Year FixedA fixed-rate contract for 12 months. £75 exit fee per fuel.£167
2-Year FixedRates are locked in for 24 months. £95 exit fee per fuel.£167
1 Year Fixed + Greener EnergyFixed-rate for 1 year. £75 exit fee per fuel. Green addons.£175
Source. Non-direct debit or PAYG prices are not available online.

E.ON NEXT gave us these prices for the 3 tariff options mentioned above:

Tariff NameTariff DescriptionMonthly Cost
Next FlexFlexible tariff where prices go up and down with the market. No contract. No smart meter is required.£156.45
Next Fixed 12m V21 year, fixed contract. A smart meter is needed. £75 exit fee per fuel. Smart meter required.£161.66
Next Fixed 24m V12 year, fixed contract. A smart meter is needed. £150 exit fee per fuel. Smart meter required.£172.82
Source

Summary: If you want a variable tariff, there is little between the two. A one-year fix with E.ON Next is cheaper although a smart meter is required. A two-year fix however is cheaper with OVO, exit fees are lower and there is no smart meter requirement. When it comes to prices, this has to be a draw.

Which supplier offers the greenest energy?

We already know that practically every energy supplier across the U.K. greatly emphasises providing green energy. But how do E.ON NEXT and OVO compare when it comes to renewable electricity and protecting the environment? Let’s dive in and reveal all! 

OVO is deeply committed to environmental responsibility. While they don’t have a dedicated green tariff as such, they provide an option for their one-year fixes to become greener with their “Greener Energy” addon. This allows you to benefit from carbon-neutral energy, though it does come with a modest additional monthly fee.

OVO is actively engaged in various initiatives aimed at offsetting carbon emissions throughout the UK including plating 1 million trees every year in the UK (source).

E.ON NEXT operates as a 100% renewable electricity supplier, all their tariffs offer 100% renewable electricity at no extra cost. E.ON NEXT generates its renewable electricity from biomass facilities in Lockerbie and Sheffield, producing enough green energy to power 100,000 households throughout the United Kingdom.

Summary: Both OVO and E.ON NEXT are moving in the right direction when it comes to green energy. It is very close, but with E.ON Next offering 100% renewable electricity at no extra cost across all tariffs, we think it just wins here.

E.ON NEXT vs OVO: Who has better customer reviews?

Now, let’s shift our focus to another crucial aspect: customer reviews.

With his section, we look at how existing customers feel they are being treated to get an idea of how new potential customers, like you, might also be treated.

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To get a good understanding of this, we turned to Trustpilot for its amount of verified reviews:

As you can see, OVO and EDF have matching customer review scores. A 4.2 rating is not the best we have seen, but certainly not the worst.

OVO responded to 99% of their negative reviews and E.ON NEXT matched this by also responding to 99% of negative reviews, this is a good sign from both.

E.ON NEXT has received positive customer feedback based on their app and website as well as their wider customer service. Likewise, OVO has been commended for their services and great U.K.-based team of helpers.

Summary: When it comes to customer reviews, it’s clear that E.ON NEXT and OVO customers are equally satisfied and so this round is another draw.

Who has the better website and app?

With so many people relying on their phones today for paying bills and day-to-day life admin, apps are very important. E.ON NEXT and OVO both have customer apps that can be downloaded and used to review bills, check statements and much more.

In this section, we take a look at how the apps and websites for each compare. 

Starting with OVO, their app boasts an exceptional rating of 4.8 out of 5, as given by satisfied customers. OVO’s app earns high praise for its user-friendly and seamless performance. Customers appreciate its practicality, knowing they can log in and efficiently accomplish what they need without any unnecessary delays.

The same can be said for OVO’s website which is very fast and easy to use on both mobile and desktop.

E.ON NEXT also have a very high app score of 4.8 out of 5. It seems that E.ON NEXT’s app users really rate it well for ease of use and praise E.ON NEXT’s customer support.

E.ON NEXT also has a modern website that is simple for customers to navigate, from entering meter readings to browsing articles of interest.

Summary: With both suppliers having equally usable websites and equally high-scoring apps, this round is another draw!

Who has the better customer service?

Customer reviews give an idea of customer service, but the Citizens Advice website provides an accurate breakdown of the various factors that you can’t find in customer reviews.

Here we have compared OVO and E.ON NEXT to see if one performs better than the other:

E.ON NEXTOVO
Average call centre wait time02:1501:39
Emails responded to with 2 days75.9%62.30%
% customers with accurate bill96.2%95.50%
Switches completed < 15 days97.7%100.00%
Opening hours8 am – 8 pm
(6 pm on Saturdays) 
9 am – 8 pm (6 pm on Fridays)
9 am – 5 pm on Saturdays
Contact via PhoneYesYes
Contact via EmailYesYes
Contact via WebchatYesYes
Source: Citizens Advice
Summary: Both suppliers perform equally well when it comes to switch times and bill accuracy. E.ON Next are slightly better at responding to emails in a faster time, whereas OVO has lower call centre waiting times. For those to prefer communicating by email, E.ON Next is slightly better, and by phone, OVO is better. For this round, we feel like it is yet another draw.

Which supplier has fewer complaints?

Complaints data has to be made publicly available by each supplier every quarter. This is a really useful way of finding out how many customers are complaining to each and how fast each supplier is at resolving these complaints.

Let’s see how they compare below:

E.ON NEXTOVO
Complaints per 100k customers1,8851,489
Resolved per 100k customers1,9341,213
Resolved next working day71.0%83.3% 
Resolved in 8 weeks91.4%96.8%
Sources: E.ON NEXT Q2 2O23. OVO Q2 2023.
Summary: From looking at the data, OVO receives fewer complaints per 100,000 customers and tends to resolve more of these complaints in a quicker time. OVO wins when it comes to customer complaints.

E.ON NEXT vs OVO: What are the main differences between the two?

We’ve looked at a lot of factors, here is a quick summary of which supplier was better when comparing the two:

AreaSummaryWinner
Tariff OptionsBoth names offer similar tariffs but OVO has the edge with its greener tariff option.OVO
PriceWith one supplier being better for a 1 year fix, and the other for a 2 year fix. There is no outright winner here.Draw
Greenest EnergyBoth suppliers offer something for those who are environmentally conscious. E.ON Next wins here however with their 100% renewable electricity as standard.E.ON Next
Customer ReviewsThere was nothing to split the two suppliers in this round.Draw
Website/AppAgain, with both suppliers having the same, high app review rating. This is another draw.Draw
Customer ServiceOne supplier was better by email, the other better by phone. Everything else is pretty much equal.Draw
ComplaintsOVO receives fewer complaints and deals with them faster.OVO

Who is the better energy supplier?

This is one of the closest comparisons we have seen. There is very little difference when it comes to the two. With OVO offering slightly better tariff options and performing better when it comes to complaints, they just about win it!

Other comparisons with these two suppliers

OVO

E.On Next

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Rob
Rob

Hi, I'm Rob and I run Energy-Review.co.uk. I initially started this project 5 years ago 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 spent have 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.

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