Skip to main content
Abby_OVO
Community Manager
Community Manager
September 24, 2025
PinnedF.A.Q.

Meet the new Charge Anytime!

  • September 24, 2025
  • 334 replies
  • 17381 views

Updated on 14/04/26 by Ben_OVO

 

Charge Anytime has evolved - we’ve introducing monthly plans

 

You can now choose a new, easy way of paying for your EV charging. One simple monthly payment, whether you’re smart charging at home, or out and about.*

 

With the introduction of these new Charge Anytime monthly plans will come questions, and we’ve put together this FAQ guide to cover everything you might want to ask or need to know.

 

If there’s anything you’re still unsure of after reading this, you can ask us below or get in touch with the team if you’ve got a more specific issue.

 


What are monthly plans?

 

Charge Anytime monthly plans are our charging products that offer one monthly fee for your home and public charging. Plus other perks depending on which package you choose. Here are more details of the current plans available.

 

 

How does a Charge Anytime monthly plan work?

 

Charge Anytime monthly plans offer combined home and public charging for one monthly cost. Each plan has a home mileage allowance. You’ll be billed a fixed monthly cost, and then we’ll credit you EV charging up to the maximum allowance. Included within the cost of the monthly plan you’ll also receive your public charging voucher and any other perks associated with your plan.

 

 

How does Charge Anytime pay as you go work?

 

All the electricity you use in your home and for smart charging will initially be charged at your standard home electricity rate. This is the rate you’ll see in your balance and on your bill. 

 

At the end of the month, we’ll work out how much energy you've used to smart charge your EV. We'll use this to calculate how much credit we need to add to your account. This will be applied in the following month.

 

 

How do I manage my plan?


Download OVO Charge from the App Store or Google Play to manage your monthly plan. Schedule charging sessions and track how much of your monthly plan you’ve used in the app. If you’ve gone over your monthly allowance, you’ll see this information in the OVO Charge app. You can also manage and redeem your perks in the app too. 
 

 

How does billing work?

 

There are a few different elements to how these plans are billed:

 

  • Your monthly plan fee - charged at the beginning of each month, this is based on the plan you choose and covers the cost of your plan’s home mileage allowance, public charging voucher and any other perks associated with your plan. 

 

  • Credits - we’ll credit the kWh that you use to charge your car, in line with your monthly plan home charging allowance (explained below). This is shown on your bill the month after you’ve used it.

 

  • Extra charging costs - any charging that you use over your monthly allowance will be charged at your usual home tariff rate, this will appear as normal electricity use on your bill. 

 

If you go over the mileage allowance of your plan, you’ll still be able to charge, but you’ll be charged for the kWh that you use above your monthly allowance.

 

For example:

  • You smart charge your car for an equivalent of 1,100 miles

 

  • We credit you for 1,000 miles, the premium plan monthly maximum allowance based on a vehicle efficiency of 4 miles per kWh. Which means we’ll apply a credit of 250 kWh to your bill

 

  • If your usual home tariff rate is 25p per kWh, we’ll credit you for a total of £62.50, which would appear on your bill the following month

 

  • This means for the 100 miles above your plan allowance you would not receive credit for. This will be charged at your usual home tariff rate, this will appear as normal electricity use on your bill

 

 

What will the credit look like on my bill?

 

We’ll apply either Charge Anytime pay as you go or monthly plan credit to your account at the start of every month. It’ll also appear on your monthly OVO energy bill under the heading Charge Anytime pay as you go or monthly plan credit depending what plan you’re on. The credit shown on your bill will be for the electricity you used for smart charging the previous month. So in the first week of December, you’ll see your credit for November in your OVO online account or OVO app.

 

If you’re on a monthly plan in addition to receiving charging credits up to your plan mileage cap you’ll also be billed your monthly plan fee. This will be displayed on your bill as “Charge Anytime - monthly plan” followed by the choice of plan you’re on, for example, “premium”.

 

 

How will I be billed if I sign up or cancel during the month?

 

When signing up to a monthly plan your first monthly fee will be adjusted depending on the day you sign up. For example, if you signed up to the premium plan, which is £37.50 a month, on day 16 of a 30 day month - you’d be billed £18.75. You’ll still receive your full monthly mileage allowance no matter what day of the month you sign up. 

 

If you choose to cancel your plan this will happen on the first day of the following month. This means you’ll still receive your full mileage allowance and be charged the full monthly fee for your final month. 

 

Usage of other perks included within your monthly plan won’t be affected by when you sign up and you’ll be able to use them straight away. When you cancel your plan any unused benefits including extra perks will be lost. 

 

 

What other perks do I get?

 

All our monthly plans include EV Charger Cover and a public charging voucher. Our premium, standard plus and premium plus plans include even more perks - with multi-car plus plans coming with a £240 public charging voucher. Here are more details on each plan and how to redeem your perks.

 

 

Am I locked into a contract if I choose a monthly plan?

 

No, you can cancel your monthly plan at any time. Your home energy contract won’t be affected. Cancellation starts at the end of each month so you can continue to access your charging miles and perks until then.

 

 

Can I switch between Charge Anytime monthly plans and pay as you go?

 

Yes, you can switch between monthly plans at any time. When you choose to switch, your new monthly plan will become active on the 1st day of the following month. Your existing perks will still be available from your old plan but they won’t renew. If you choose a plan with more perks or higher mileage this will be added to your existing allowance.

 

If you’re switching from pay as you go to a monthly plan this will start at midnight the next day. The fee you pay and the mileage available will be adjusted to reflect the day your plan starts.

 

 

Can home charging miles roll over and be used in other months?

 

No, your monthly miles for your plan will reset on the first day of each month. For example, if you signed up to the premium monthly plan and used 800 miles of charging, your next month will reset at the premium monthly plan amount of 1,000 miles.

 

 

Will my Direct Debit be affected?

 

Your Charge Anytime credit won’t affect your Direct Debit. You can ask for this to be refunded, if your account is in enough credit. Any refunds will be applied in line with our refund policy where you can find more information on refund eligibility.

 

 

What app do I need to use?

 

Download OVO Charge from the App Store or Google Play to manage your charging. If you’ve been using the Charge Anytime app you’ll need to start using OVO Charge instead. 

 

 

 

Can I continue to use my EV or charger app?

 

Yes, absolutely. It’s important to know that the OVO Charge app will instruct your EV to start and stop charging throughout your smart charging schedule. This is to maximise use of the greenest and cheapest energy on the grid. This means that if you manually set a charging schedule in your EV or charger app, it’ll be overridden by the OVO Charge app. We recommend not setting schedules in your EV or charger app and managing all your charging in OVO Charge.

 

 

Why do I need to pay monthly for my energy to get Charge Anytime?

 

Paying monthly for your energy means we can automatically add Charge Anytime credit to your account in the first week of each month. This avoids any delays or the need for any manual adjustments to your credit amount.

 

Your smart meter also lets us track your energy usage in real-time to charge your EV. This ensures that you're always charging at the cheapest and greenest times.

 

 

Charge Anytime for Volvo and Volkswagen Group customers

 

Why do partnership customers continue to get a lower pay as you go rate of 7p per kWh?

 

The lower rate is part of the special partnerships we have with Volvo and Volkswagen Group UK. We’ve teamed up to be able to provide exclusive offers for our shared customers with specific EV models. It’s a perk that comes from our tight collaboration with these brands, and within the terms and conditions of their offers. 

 

For Volkswagen Group UK customers, the 7p pay as you go rate is part of the terms and conditions for the VWG Free Miles Offers, as agreed with Volkswagen Group (VWG). VWG includes Audi, Skoda, CUPRA and Volkswagen. Customers must have taken up a Free Miles offer and then remain on Charge Anytime pay as you go to take advantage of the offers.
 

For Volvo customers who smart charge in the Volvo Cars app, we’re not able to offer monthly plans right away. We’re working to make them available to customers as soon as possible. In the meantime, we’ve agreed with Volvo to offer this exclusive pay as you go rate for customers. 

 

 

How do I get the exclusive pay as you go partnership rate of 7p per kWh? 

 

To be eligible to receive the special partnership rate:

  • Volkswagen Group customers: If you’ve been confirmed as eligible for one of our VWG Retail or Company Car Offers, you’ll be able to keep your 7p/kWh rate for now if you stay on pay as you go. This will also mean you’ll still be eligible for your future Volkswagen Group free miles offers, like your anniversary miles.

 

You can still switch to a monthly plan if you’d prefer, but if you do, you'll lose your 7p rate and access to your future Volkswagen Group free miles offers.

 

Please note, our VWG Retail and Company Cars Offers are only available to eligible vehicles purchased before the 30 September 2025. 

 

For more information, see the full terms and conditions here.
 

  • Volvo customers: You must have an eligible model and be smart charging through the Volvo Cars app on pay as you go. Eligible models include: XC40 Recharge Pure Electric, C40 Recharge Pure Electric, EX40 or EC40. Find more details about the Volvo offer here. At this time, you won’t be able to access monthly plans. 

 

 

Why can’t I get monthly plans as a Volvo Cars app user? 

 

Monthly plans are currently only supported in the OVO Charge app.  We’re working hard with Volvo to bring monthly plans to you, and will let you know once there's an update.

 

In the meantime, you'll continue to pay 7p per kWh until monthly plans are available to you.

 

 

If you still have any questions following these, please do drop us a question below. All compatible EVs and Smart Chargers can be found here. We’ve also got a dedicated topic hub of all things Charge Anytime, so if you’re having any issues, take a look through the guides below, and if you’ve got any other questions feel free to ask our community:

 

 

Best of luck on your EV journey! And if you need any help, we’re always here.😊🔌

 

* A fixed monthly cost for all your EV charging where the home charging element is based on signing up to a chosen monthly plan and using up to the home mileage cap associated with your plan. Any mileage up to the cap you will be credited for at your home tariff rate. Mileage over the cap you will not be credited for effectively meaning you'll be charged at your home tariff rate for mileage above your plan cap. Your home tariff rate will also apply to urgent charging. The public charging element is based on using up to the annual voucher amount for public charging associated with your monthly plan, for example £120 if you were to sign up to the premium monthly plan.

334 replies

nealmurphy
Newcomer
Newcomer
September 26, 2025

@Bobbych Correct, that’s what I said about signing up the EV that would need to charge at ‘peak’ the most.

Rank 6
September 26, 2025

@Bobbych Correct, that’s what I said about signing up the EV that would need to charge at ‘peak’ the most.

but peak times are only 5 hours or so.  I may need 10 hours to charge, so again, I would be worse off, having to charge that car at peak rate outside those hours.

that would only be car 2 also. I have a third car, which cannot charge at the overnight rate

there is no one around who offers 24/7 flexible charging like Ovo do.  Yes as said before, Ocotpus do, if I pay £30 per car, so £90 for 3 cars.  that is pretty much the same as staying with Ovo and paying 14p,

Rank 6
September 26, 2025

The knee-jerk reaction of jumping ship after finding the 7p/kWh has doubled to 14p/kWh is understandable. However, it seems highly likely that other electricity suppliers will be increasing their prices as well. In that case it could be out of the frying pan and into the fire.
A wait and see response would be the more sensible approach.

remay_uk
Newcomer
Newcomer
September 26, 2025

Even if I were doing a much higher mileage, the monthly subscriptions would look highly unappealing:

e.g. the £27.50 plan gives ‘700 miles a month’ home charging (presumably 175 kWh at 4miles/kWh ?), which is 15.7p kW/h plus a voucher for public charging for only a subset of the public charge providers (“like Osprey, MFG, InstaVolt, TotalEnergies, Allego, FastNed and Ionity”), so presumably not GridServe. Mer etc ?

 

Not only that, but if you go over the 175KWh at all, then the excess goes at your standard rate. (25p per KWh typically)

On PAYG you get up to about 810 kWh at 14p per KWh (actually the cap is £100 of refunds, so varies a bit depending on your standard rate).  This means that for higher mileage users the PAYG terms are *much* better. (but still double todays’ rate)

It appears that these schemes have been devised to fool people into thinking they are getting a better deal than they are.  I feel very let down as I have been encouraging my EV owning friends to move to OVO and Charge Anytime for about 6 years now … to be kicked like this with only a months notice is shocking.

The only way the plans make any sense is if the public charging can really save you £10 per month (e.g. you are already public charging more than this per month).     The other thing about the plans is they make no attempt to accommodate anyone who doesn’t drive a consistent mileage every month.

nealmurphy
Newcomer
Newcomer
September 26, 2025

@Bobbych Correct, that’s what I said about signing up the EV that would need to charge at ‘peak’ the most.

but peak times are only 5 hours or so.  I may need 10 hours to charge, so again, I would be worse off, having to charge that car at peak rate outside those hours.

that would only be car 2 also. I have a third car, which cannot charge at the overnight rate

there is no one around who offers 24/7 flexible charging like Ovo do.  Yes as said before, Ocotpus do, if I pay £30 per car, so £90 for 3 cars.  that is pretty much the same as staying with Ovo and paying 14p,

Based on your monthly charging of around 720kWh I can’t quite understand the logistics of needing the 3 cars charging for long durations at more of less the same time, but obviously you will be able to work out the specifics. Of course, if your charger (ideally) or multiple cars are compatible you can still get out of off-peak cheap rates and not worry about spending the £30 per vehicle. Your usage probably isn’t high enough to give any savings with the Drive Pack. I should also point out that the Octopus tariff is not charge anytime. You need to set a departure time between 04:00 and 11:00. You can’t just plug in during the day and request it to charge by 4pm for instance. This is where OVO’s offering is more flexible and may well suit you better.

Newcomer
September 26, 2025

The knee-jerk reaction of jumping ship after finding the 7p/kWh has doubled to 14p/kWh is understandable. However, it seems highly likely that other electricity suppliers will be increasing their prices as well. In that case it could be out of the frying pan and into the fire.
A wait and see response would be the more sensible approach.

How long do you wait, on the off chance that other companies will follow suit and paying double the fixed-term contract you signed a few weeks ago, before deciding the time’s right to switch?

Aside from anything, the way this has been handled and communicated is so poor (dishonestly, in my opinion) that I wouldn’t want to give my business to OVO for any longer than I absolutely had to.

Rank 6
September 26, 2025

@Bobbych Correct, that’s what I said about signing up the EV that would need to charge at ‘peak’ the most.

but peak times are only 5 hours or so.  I may need 10 hours to charge, so again, I would be worse off, having to charge that car at peak rate outside those hours.

that would only be car 2 also. I have a third car, which cannot charge at the overnight rate

there is no one around who offers 24/7 flexible charging like Ovo do.  Yes as said before, Ocotpus do, if I pay £30 per car, so £90 for 3 cars.  that is pretty much the same as staying with Ovo and paying 14p,

Based on your monthly charging of around 720kWh I can’t quite understand the logistics of needing the 3 cars charging for long durations at more of less the same time, but obviously you will be able to work out the specifics. Of course, if your charger (ideally) or multiple cars are compatible you can still get out of off-peak cheap rates and not worry about spending the £30 per vehicle. Your usage probably isn’t high enough to give any savings with the Drive Pack. I should also point out that the Octopus tariff is not charge anytime. You need to set a departure time between 04:00 and 11:00. You can’t just plug in during the day and request it to charge by 4pm for instance. This is where OVO’s offering is more flexible and may well suit you better.

I have 3 cars in the household. Not all mine. 
three people have their own cars and use them daily for work needing good mileage for that. 
 

we are flexible where needed as I can charge my car during the day. But my commute is 220 mile round trip I do twice a week

so to charge 3 cars on a constant rotation where I can anytime just works for me. I will have to just soak up the cost increase as octopus just won’t work for me 

nealmurphy
Newcomer
Newcomer
September 26, 2025

@Bobbych if your mileage increases, just make sure you don't exceed the maximum allowed reimbursement. 👍 Good luck 

Newcomer
September 26, 2025

This is one way to put people off buying an EV 

 ovo not doing anything positive to encourage EV ownership

 

 

Peter E
Super User
Super User
September 27, 2025

This is one way to put people off buying an EV 

 ovo not doing anything positive to encourage EV ownership

 

 

Even at 14p a unit the calculation is going from about 14p/mile ICE to 3.5p/mile EV. Ok, so it's not the same as going down to 1.75p/mile but most of the saving is in that first step.

 

If you want to refine your savings with the second step, having gained some experience with owning an EV you can then look at moving on to something with a headline rate of 6p but possibly with a much higher non charging rate. But you will need to do some calculations to see if it's worthwhile and also being restricted to charging in the early hours (which may be fine or it may not)

 

Peter

 

 

Reducing my yearly fossil fuel usage with an EV (-900 litres petrol), A2AHP (-8,700 kWh gas) and Timed Immersion heater (-1,500 kWh gas)