Intelligent Octopus Go vs Flux vs E.ON Next Drive: Best Solar Tariff UK 2026-2027

Last updated: 5 November 2026·Written by Anthony Bushen-Garvie·Reviewed by a Geko MCS-certified engineer· 12 min

This guide compares the three tariffs solar homes ask us about most: rates and times, who can join, how each works with solar panels and a battery, and which comes out cheapest for your home. It's written by Geko Energy, an MCS-certified installer that designs solar, battery and EV charging systems around tariffs like these.

Why Octopus is no longer the automatic choice

For years, Octopus had the cheapest overnight EV rate in the UK. That has changed. E.ON Next Drive now matches or beats it on the numbers most EV homes care about:

• Same cheap rate, fixed. Next Drive Smart charges 6.5p from midnight to 6am, fixed for 12 months. Intelligent Octopus Go is also 6.5p on its variable version, which can change. Its 12-month fix is 7.9p.
• Lower day rate. E.ON quotes 34.322p for peak-time use on Drive Smart. Intelligent Octopus Go's day rate runs from 36.44p to 40.72p, depending on your region.
• A cheaper fallback. If your car or charger doesn't work with smart charging, E.ON Next Drive is 8.5p from midnight to 6am. Octopus's fallback, standard Octopus Go, is 9.40p.

Octopus still pays more for solar. Outgoing Octopus pays 12p for every kWh you export, and you need to buy your electricity from Octopus to get it. E.ON's open export rate, Next Flex Export, pays 6p. E.ON's 13p Next Export Exclusive is for E.ON import customers, so check with E.ON that it can sit alongside Next Drive before you count on it.

So the answer depends on your home. High EV mileage and modest export favour E.ON. A large solar array that exports a lot can still favour Octopus. Try your own numbers:

What is Intelligent Octopus Go?

Intelligent Octopus Go is Octopus Energy's smart EV tariff. Octopus schedules your car's charging, and your whole home gets a cheap rate from 23:30 to 05:30. A home battery, immersion heater or washing machine can all use that window too.

Intelligent Octopus Go times and rates (November 2026)

These are for the variable version that went on sale on 29 October 2026. Its cheap rate is the same in every region. A 12-month fixed version is 7.9p with a £50 exit fee. Smart charging is capped at six hours a day, and charging beyond that can be billed at the day rate.

Intelligent Octopus Go eligibility

To join Intelligent Octopus Go you need to:

• be supplied by Octopus Energy
• have a smart meter Octopus can read every half hour (SMETS2 or a compatible SMETS1)
• have an EV or charger on Octopus's compatible list

If yours isn't on the list, standard Octopus Go is the fallback that works with any EV: 9.40p from 00:30 to 05:30, on a 12-month fix with a £50 exit fee. Octopus's EV tariffs page mentions a home charger, so check the current terms if you plan to use a 3-pin plug.

How solar works with Intelligent Octopus Go

Solar covers your daytime use, which is when this tariff costs most. A battery stores spare solar for the evening and tops up at 6.5p overnight when the next day looks dull. Anything left over goes to Outgoing Octopus at 12p. Drag across the chart to see how the day plays out.

What is Octopus Flux?

Octopus Flux is an import and export tariff designed for homes with solar panels and a battery. It has three price bands. Import is cheap overnight, mid-price in the day and expensive in the evening peak. Export follows the same pattern, so electricity you sell between 16:00 and 19:00 earns the most.

Octopus Flux times

• Cheap: 02:00–05:00
• Day: 05:00–16:00 and 19:00–02:00
• Peak: 16:00–19:00

Octopus Flux rates (November 2026)

Flux is a flexible tariff, so its rates follow wholesale prices with notice. Octopus says there are no exit fees or tie-ins.

Octopus Flux eligibility

You need:

• solar panels and a home battery
• a half-hourly smart meter
• an export MPAN and your MCS certificate
• import and export both with Octopus (Octopus suggests joining Outgoing Octopus first, then switching to Flux)

How to use Octopus Flux

1. 1Charge the battery between 02:00 and 05:00 if tomorrow's solar won't fill it.
2. 2Run the house on solar by day and let the surplus top up the battery.
3. 3Discharge between 16:00 and 19:00, covering your evening use first and then exporting any spare at the peak rate.
4. 4Avoid exporting overnight. It pays only around 4.7p.

On standard Flux you set these schedules yourself in your battery app. Octopus confirms this on its Flux page. The chart shows why: the dashed export line jumps at 16:00, just as your panels tail off.

Octopus Flux with a solar battery: Fox ESS and Sigenergy

Octopus says standard Flux works with all solar and battery systems. What your battery needs is the ability to set timed charge and discharge, and both Fox ESS and Sigenergycan do that in their apps. Those are the two battery brands Geko installs. Here's a typical Flux schedule:

Intelligent Octopus Flux, where Octopus controls the battery for you, is a separate product. In early November 2026 Octopus's pages showed it as restricted for new customers, and its two pages list different compatible brands. Check eligibility for your exact battery model on Octopus's Intelligent Flux FAQs before you count on it.

Is Octopus Flux worth it?It's usually worth it if your battery has enough usable capacity left at 16:00 to cover the evening peak and export into it. With a small battery and little solar surplus, flat-rate Outgoing Octopus at 12p may be simpler and close in value.

What is E.ON Next Drive?

E.ON Next Drive is E.ON Next's EV tariff. As with Octopus's EV tariffs, your whole home gets the cheap overnight rate, not just the car. There are two versions: Next Drive Smart, where E.ON schedules the charging, and Next Drive, which works with any EV.

E.ON Next Drive times and rates (November 2026)

E.ON says its Drive Smart rate was correct on 22 October 2026, and quotes 34.322p for charging outside the cheap window. Rates vary by region, so check yours on E.ON Next's Next Drive page.

E.ON Next Drive eligibility

You need:

• a smart meter that sends half-hourly readings
• an EV that you charge at home
• for Next Drive Smart, a car and charger that work with E.ON's smart scheduling

E.ON Next Drive and solar export

Next Drive is an import tariff, so your solar export goes on a separate E.ON tariff. Next Flex Export pays 6p and is open to customers of any supplier. Next Export Exclusive pays 13p for E.ON import customers. Next Export Premium pays 17.5p but needs E.ON to have installed the solar. One comparison site says Next Export Exclusive can't be held alongside an EV tariff, so confirm with E.ON before you switch.

With solar, the pattern is the same as Intelligent Octopus Go: panels by day, battery in the evening, a cheap top-up overnight. The difference is the price of each part.

Why solar changes which tariff wins

Every tariff here is cheap at night and expensive in the day. Solar panels produce in the day. That is why they pair so well: the hours your panels cover are the hours you'd otherwise pay 34p to 41p for.

• Solar covers the day rate. Run the house on the panels through the middle of the day and less is bought at the day rate.
• A battery covers the evening. Store spare solar for after dark instead of exporting it for 6p to 12p.
• The cheap window covers winter. In dull months, fill the battery overnight at 6.5p and use it through the day.
• Export pays for the rest. Anything the house and battery can't use is sold, so the export rate matters more the bigger your array.

That is why choosing a tariff is part of designing the system. A home exporting 3,000 kWh a year earns £360 on Outgoing Octopus and £180 on E.ON's 6p rate. A bigger battery that keeps more solar at home narrows that gap and makes the cheaper day rate count for more.

Intelligent Octopus Go vs Flux vs E.ON Next Drive: worked examples

These are illustrative only, not quotes. They use the rates above, ignore standing charges and simplify battery losses.

1. EV charging. Charging 3,000 kWh a year in the cheap window costs about £195 on Intelligent Octopus Go or E.ON Next Drive Smart at 6.5p, £255 on E.ON Next Drive at 8.5p and £282 on Octopus Go at 9.40p. At a day rate of 34p to 41p, the same charging would cost about £1,030 to £1,220.

2. Solar plus a 10 kWh battery on Flux. Buying 10 kWh at 02:00 costs £1.62. Using about 9 kWh in the 16:00–19:00 peak avoids around £3.36 of import, a net gain of about £1.74 per day before any solar contribution. Exporting the same 9 kWh at peak instead earns about £2.73, a net gain of about £1.11.

3. Solar only, no battery.Without a battery you can't use Flux's evening peak. Exporting 2,000 kWh a year earns £240 on Outgoing Octopus at 12p, £120 on E.ON Next Flex Export at 6p and £82on Octopus's standard SEG at 4.1p.

A real Geko install: Pete and Sarah in Somerset have 16 DMEGC panels and a 12 kWh Fox ESS battery, and save £3,324 a yearon their bills. That's their individual result.

How Geko makes your tariff work for you

A 6.5p overnight rate or a 30p export rate only pays if the system is sized and set up for it. That's the part we do:

• No doorstep sales. Every quote starts with a free 30-minute video consultation with an engineer.
• 100% in-house installers. They're employed and trained by us, with no subcontractors (meet our installers).
• Sized for your tariff. We match battery capacity to your evening use, EV charging and your tariff's cheap and peak windows (solar panels and battery storage).
• Tier-1 kit. Aiko and DMEGC panels, Fox ESS and Sigenergy batteries, and OZEV-authorised EV chargers.
• Paperwork handled. We sort the DNO notification, MCS certification and SEG registration, which you need before you can export or join Flux.
• MCS, TrustMark and a 6-year IAA insurance-backed guarantee. Our homepage shows 4.5 from 17 Trustpilot reviews.

Common EV and solar tariff mistakes

• Choosing on the cheap rate alone. For a solar home, the day rate and the export rate matter as much as the overnight price.
• Running out of battery before 16:00 on Flux. Peak import costs about 37p in London, so size the battery to last the peak.
• Exporting overnight on Flux. It pays only around 4.7p.
• Charging past Intelligent Octopus Go's six-hour allowance. Smart charging beyond it can be billed at the day rate.
• Assuming your export rate carries over. Outgoing Octopus needs Octopus as your supplier, so moving to E.ON changes what your solar earns.
• Trying to combine Intelligent Go and Flux. You can't. Intelligent Go pairs with an export tariff such as Outgoing Octopus instead.
• Switching before your paperwork is ready. Export tariffs and Flux need an export MPAN and MCS certificate.
• Planning around one price. Rates change. Design around the time windows, which have been more stable than the prices.

Intelligent Octopus Go, Flux or E.ON Next Drive: which is right for you?

• EV, no solar: E.ON Next Drive Smart for a fixed 6.5p and a lower day rate, or Intelligent Octopus Go if you'd rather stay with Octopus. If your car or charger isn't compatible, E.ON Next Drive at 8.5p beats Octopus Go at 9.40p.
• EV plus solar plus battery: Compare the two EV tariffs with your export. Modest export favours E.ON. High export can favour Intelligent Octopus Go with Outgoing Octopus at 12p. The calculator above shows where your home lands.
• Solar plus battery, no EV: Usually Octopus Flux.
• Solar only: Outgoing Octopus or a SEG tariff. Consider adding a battery if you want Flux.
• Planning a system: Choose the tariff first and size the kit to match. That's what we do on every Geko consultation.

Intelligent Octopus Go vs Flux vs E.ON Next Drive FAQs

What are the Intelligent Octopus Go times?

23:30 to 05:30 every night, UK local time. The cheap rate covers your whole home.

What are the Octopus Flux times?

Cheap from 02:00 to 05:00, peak from 16:00 to 19:00, and the day rate at all other times.

What are the E.ON Next Drive times?

Midnight to 6am, on both Next Drive and Next Drive Smart.

Is E.ON Next Drive cheaper than Intelligent Octopus Go?

On the cheap rate they're level at 6.5p, but E.ON fixes Next Drive Smart for 12 months and quotes a lower day rate. Octopus pays more for export: 12p on Outgoing Octopus against 6p on E.ON Next Flex Export.

Do I need an EV for Intelligent Octopus Go or E.ON Next Drive?

Yes. Both are EV tariffs, and the smart versions need a compatible car or charger.

Do I need a battery for Octopus Flux?

Yes. Flux needs solar panels, a battery, a half-hourly smart meter, an export MPAN and an MCS certificate.

Can I be on Intelligent Octopus Go and Flux at the same time?

No. They're both import tariffs. On Intelligent Go you'd pair an export tariff such as Outgoing Octopus.

Does Octopus Flux work with Fox ESS and Sigenergy?

Yes, on standard Flux. You set timed charge and discharge in the battery app. Check Intelligent Flux eligibility with Octopus for your exact model.

Which is best with solar, an EV and a battery?

It depends on how much you export. E.ON Next Drive Smart usually wins on charging and daytime use. Intelligent Octopus Go with Outgoing Octopus can win if you export a lot.

How much does Outgoing Octopus pay?

12p per kWh flat as of November 2026, compared with 4.1p on Octopus's standard SEG.

Tariff details are from Octopus Energy's and E.ON Next's public pages and tariff data, and UK comparison sites, as of 5 November 2026, and may change. Geko Energy is not affiliated with Octopus Energy or E.ON Next.