Electric cars
How smart EV charging works on Intelligent Octopus Go
How Intelligent Octopus Go schedules your EV, why charging sometimes happens outside the overnight window, and how it is billed.
Edited by Rob Gibbs. Published: . Guidance reviewed: .
Short answer
You tell the Octopus app how much charge you need and by when. Octopus then picks the cheapest, greenest times to charge, mostly overnight. If it schedules charging outside the 23:30–05:30 window, that smart charging is still billed at the off-peak rate, and Octopus says your whole home gets the cheap rate during those extra hours too.
Setting a target
In the app you set a charge level and a ready-by time. Octopus plans charging to meet it, which is why plugging in as often as possible gives the system more chances to find cheap slots.
How the billing works
There are two kinds of cheap time on Intelligent Go:
- The fixed 23:30–05:30 window, which applies to the whole home every night.
- Extra smart-charging slots Octopus schedules for the car. Octopus offers up to 6 hours of smart charging in each 24 hours, billed at the off-peak rate.
Boosts and manual charging
If you start a charge manually or boost outside a scheduled slot, it is billed at the normal day rate. Check the app before overriding a schedule, especially with a home battery that could drain into the car.
Questions people ask
Why did my car charge in the afternoon?
Octopus sometimes schedules smart charging outside the overnight window when power is cheap or green. That charging is billed at the off-peak rate.
Do I have to plug in every night?
No, but plugging in often gives Octopus more flexibility to find cheap slots. Streams rewards drivers who plug in daily.
Tariffs in this guide
Related guides
- EV chargepoint grants: who can still claimThe government EV chargepoint grant for renters and flat owners: how much it pays, who qualifies and how it changed on 1 April 2026.
- Is Intelligent Octopus Go worth it for low-mileage drivers?How to tell whether Intelligent Octopus Go saves money if you do not drive much, and when a standard tariff is cheaper.
- Charging a company EV at home on an Octopus tariffWhat to sort out when you charge a company or salary-sacrifice EV at home on Octopus Go or Intelligent Go: records, reimbursement and the whole-home cost.
- Home vs public EV charging: what each costsHow home charging on an Octopus EV tariff compares with public chargers per kWh and per mile, and how to work out your own figures.
- Which cars and chargers work with Intelligent Octopus Go?How to check whether your car or charger works with Intelligent Octopus Go, what happens if it does not, and the Go tariff that works with any EV.
- Keeping gas on a fix while electricity is on Intelligent GoCan your gas stay on a fixed tariff while your electricity moves to Octopus Go or Intelligent Go? How the two fuels work separately.
Primary sources
- How does Intelligent Octopus Go work and how can I join? — Octopus Energy; checked 2026-10-30. The 23:30 to 05:30 whole-home window, smart charging billed at the off-peak rate and eligibility checks.
- Meet Streams — Octopus Energy; checked 2026-10-30. How Streams, Freezes and collectibles work for Intelligent Go drivers, and up to 6 hours of smart charging a day.
- Smart Tariffs terms and conditions — Octopus Energy; checked 2026-08-24. Smart-tariff eligibility, rate windows, compatibility and publication caveats.