Skip to main content
Rank 1
September 2, 2026
Question

Charging an Alpine gts

  • September 2, 2026
  • 10 replies
  • 77 views

There doesn’t appear to be an Alpine option on the compatible cars list for ev charging? For Alpine gts 

    10 replies

    Ben_OVO
    Community Manager
    Community Manager
    September 3, 2026

    Morning ​@MandyC and welcome to the OVO Forum. I’ve added the EV badge to your profile.

     

    Thanks for your post - it’s nice too see someone on the Forum with an Alpine - very cool cars! The Alpine GTS isn’t compatible with Charge Anytime, however you can use any EV with Charge Anytime, so long as you have a compatible charger.

     

    Do you already have a smart charger installed? If so, hopefully it’s one that’s compatible. You can view all compatible charger types here. If you don’t have a smart charger already, you could look at getting one installed through OVO.

     

    We’ve got a handy FAQ article about Charge Anytime on the Forum here:

     

     

    Powered by the Sun
    MandyCAuthor
    Rank 1
    September 4, 2026

    I’ve checked and we are already on charge anytime as we have a Renault 5 which is on the list of supported cars so we did not need a smart charger. So am I right in saying if we install a smart charger now that we will be able to charge both cars on it on the same scheme? Does the charge anytime scheme allow 1000 miles per month per car?

    Abby_OVO
    Community Manager
    Community Manager
    September 7, 2026

    Hey ​@MandyC 

     

    The allowance on the Monthly Plan is based on the total monthly EV charging, rather than being a separate allowance for each vehicle.

    If you get a compatible charger, you can use that charger to manage charging for multiple EVs. As we'd be communicating with and controlling the compatible charger rather than the individual vehicle, the cars themselves don't both need to be on the compatible vehicle list, so your Alpine GTS would then work via the compatible charger.

    As to your other question about the kWh price, the charging allowance works out at an equivalent cost of around 14p/kWh based on the current Charge Anytime rate.

     

    I hope this helps.

    Currently Playing: She's Electric
    MandyCAuthor
    Rank 1
    September 4, 2026

    How much is the charge per kWh when used through a compatible charger please? We don’t have a compatible charger a the moment but I am arranging to replace our old charger with a compatible one shortly.

    Rank 6
    September 8, 2026

    It’s expensive (compared to other suppliers).  Ovo charge about 14p per kWh at the moment, compared to half that with Octopus, EON,  EDF etc.  Their monthly subscriptions range from 15p per kWh upwards (ignoring the add-on benefits like a battery health check).

    I had a VW partner rate for a long time which was 7p per kWh - I believe some Volvos may still be eligible for that but I’m not 100%.  As soon as that ended I switched away and it’s saving me a fortune.

    Doing around 2000 miles a month, 99% charged at home, currently costs me £34.50 on my new tariff (with EDF).  With CA it would be costing me £70.  The monthly subscription would be £79.50.

     

    Annual Cost:

    EDF - £414

    OVO CA - £840

    OVO Sub - £954

    Rank 6
    September 8, 2026

    When I bought my EV back in March I was already with Ovo so signed up for CA as an easy option but without really knowing how my personal home/public charging split would work. I went for the basic £27.50/month option which I mentally broke down into 175 kWh at 10p/unit and £10 towards my £120 annual public charging allowance. Seemed reasonable. 

    What I have found in practice is that some months I have quota left while this month, for example, I have already run out of quota. This fixed amount doesn't suit me. I have also used my public quota already.

    The whole "which tariff?" thing is not easy and very personal. Even more complicated with solar+battery setup. After a lot of spreadsheet studying I am now moving to Octopus, partly because the 8p/unit overnight rate can be used for anything including charging my house battery leaving me to sell PV energy at a higher rate during the day. I'm hoping that the increased flexibility will work for me. Even then, my sums suggest that annual saving will still only be around £50/year - but this is all on paper and how do you factor in the occasional extra-sunny month? Still, the flexibility wins it - for me - so I don't have to do so much planning around charging. 

    What I had not realised is that public charging costs me about the same per mile as my previous diesel.

    Rank 6
    September 8, 2026

    Yes - public charging can be very expensive, especially on the motorway.  It’s still cheaper than my old diesel if I can find off-motorway stops, or use the newer Tesla chargers that are open to non-Tesla drivers, but the savings really only stack up with home charging.

    Having moved to EDF, I didn’t realise that they basically offer charge anytime as well.  I get 7 hours of cheap electricity overnight for the whole house, but if the car is plugged in they will schedule charging outside that window at the cheap rate as well.  For 6.9p/kWh it’s a no brainer for me, but as you said it’s very much down to your individual circumstances!