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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

Newcomer
September 29, 2025

I was an evangelist for OVO until last October. Then they sent an email in bold caps stating (gleefully, I felt), that I was NO LONGER ELIGIBLE for Power Move, due to the fact that I had a dual tariff meter, which OVO fitted - thus losing the £10 per month credit which I had received for the previous year. I was offered the opportunity to sign up for a 12 month contract (at a higher price than I was paying) - which I declined. At that time I started to get the feeling that the £0.07 EV rate’s days were numbered - and it has come to pass! I can only think that the latest price changes mean that they are actively trying to reduce the number of their customers. Anyway - in this respect they have been successful - I leave WEF 1st October. Thanks for all the fish…

Rank 2
September 29, 2025

Even if the premium plan becomes 11p/kWh (unlikely to use all the public charging miles) that's still significantly more than 7p. And then you're paying 14p if you go over the home allowance.

 

Also, the public charging credit doesn't seem to include the likes of Applegreen or Gridserve, very common on motorways, (or Dragon Charging for those like me who go on holiday in Wales )

 

I have checked out the overall charges for Octopus dual fuel with smart meter and I’m switching!

Rank 7
September 29, 2025

My recent experience…

I have an Indra charger, a Tesla and consume around 50 kWh per week - not a lot.  I’m currently with OVO and they control the charger only (not the Tesla).  I love the fact that we can plug in the car at any time during the day or night, and if the grid is quiet enough OVO will start charging immediately.  As someone alluded to in this forum, if the car doesn’t charge when needed I could go into the charge anytime app and set the “ready by” time and it would force a charge using the cheap rate.  On the rare occasions when I needed this, it worked and I was grateful for it.

The recent email from OVO about the “changes to charge anytime” forced me to consider my options for the first time in 2.5 years, but the process wasn’t easy.  I wanted to do a proper comparison with other providers.

Rather than OVO tell me the price per kWh for each of their new plans, they left it to me to work it out myself:

  • Standard Plan / 175 kWh offered for £27.50 = 15.71p per kWh
  • Premium Plan / 250 kWh offered for £37.50 = 15p per kWh

I hardly ever charge away from home, so the above plans were no good for me.

Then to compare with other providers…

Due to the credit system that OVO uses, trying to work out how many kWh I was putting into the car was not an easy process.  There was no way to download data from the charge anytime app or look at my bill and and clearly see the number of kWh used by the car.  The new Indra app has also removed the ability to download historical data.  I had to take the value of the credit on each OVO bill and convert it to kWh (credit amount / (peak unit rate - discounted unit rate)).

I could then clearly see how much I was using on the car over the past year, and how much I was using on the rest of the house.

  • With the increase per kWh from 7p to 14p, I will be going from £326 to £652 per year for the car.
  • Using the new October prices from OVO and the 14p car rate, I’ll be paying approx £2,500 per year for my electricity.
  • Plugging in the new October Intelligent Octopus Go prices, I’ll be paying approx £2,300 per year.  Note that this does not even take into account the overnight discounted rate provided to the house by Octopus, so I expect my bill to decrease further.

With Octopus I was concerned about not being able to charge during the day.  It turns out that Octopus provides a very similar “ready by” service to their customers and that more often than not, they will give you charge if you need it.  As I said earlier, its very rare that I’ll ever use this facility.  You can also choose not to integrate your car with Octopus and just connect the charger.

For me, I loved what OVO offered, but sorry, it makes sense for me to move.  I had confirmed a fixed rate with OVO to start from the 3rd October - I have now cancelled that and signed up for Octopus.  Let’s see whether Octopus put up their prices.

Thanks to OVO for looking after me for the last two and a half years…  bye!

I've left as well. 

It just shows the difficulty in trying to reconcile the rebate that OVO credits each month (in arrears) through Charge Anytime.

A flat rate of x p per kWh, like all the other providers offer, is so much easier to work with. 

Why OVO persist with this byzantine system is beyond me. 

Well I suppose people will vote with their direct debits!

 

Newcomer
September 30, 2025

This change in no way benefits anyone unfortunately! The email should start with we’re doubling your tariff rather than we’re making it easier. 

The most annoying thing is that they don’t give a cost per Kw anymore meaning you have no idea if 1000 miles for £37.50 is good value or not ……….. imagine driving into a petrol station and the board said £1.46 for 10 miles, but might be more, might be less. I am buying kw of electricity from OVO so surely I need to be charged per kw?? 

 

From my calculations it will be 14p per kw on PAYG, and 15p per kw for the first 1000 miles, followed by the full 22p tariff for anything beyond this on a subscription model..…… how does this benefit me. I believe OVO are deliberately hiding this so people think the PAYG tariff is more expensive and therefore go with a subscription despite it being the same price.

15% off my tyre at Kwick-fit won’t cut it …… 

Rank 6
September 30, 2025

My recent experience…

I have an Indra charger, a Tesla and consume around 50 kWh per week - not a lot.  I’m currently with OVO and they control the charger only (not the Tesla).  I love the fact that we can plug in the car at any time during the day or night, and if the grid is quiet enough OVO will start charging immediately.  As someone alluded to in this forum, if the car doesn’t charge when needed I could go into the charge anytime app and set the “ready by” time and it would force a charge using the cheap rate.  On the rare occasions when I needed this, it worked and I was grateful for it.

The recent email from OVO about the “changes to charge anytime” forced me to consider my options for the first time in 2.5 years, but the process wasn’t easy.  I wanted to do a proper comparison with other providers.

Rather than OVO tell me the price per kWh for each of their new plans, they left it to me to work it out myself:

  • Standard Plan / 175 kWh offered for £27.50 = 15.71p per kWh
  • Premium Plan / 250 kWh offered for £37.50 = 15p per kWh

I hardly ever charge away from home, so the above plans were no good for me.

Then to compare with other providers…

Due to the credit system that OVO uses, trying to work out how many kWh I was putting into the car was not an easy process.  There was no way to download data from the charge anytime app or look at my bill and and clearly see the number of kWh used by the car.  The new Indra app has also removed the ability to download historical data.  I had to take the value of the credit on each OVO bill and convert it to kWh (credit amount / (peak unit rate - discounted unit rate)).

I could then clearly see how much I was using on the car over the past year, and how much I was using on the rest of the house.

  • With the increase per kWh from 7p to 14p, I will be going from £326 to £652 per year for the car.
  • Using the new October prices from OVO and the 14p car rate, I’ll be paying approx £2,500 per year for my electricity.
  • Plugging in the new October Intelligent Octopus Go prices, I’ll be paying approx £2,300 per year.  Note that this does not even take into account the overnight discounted rate provided to the house by Octopus, so I expect my bill to decrease further.

With Octopus I was concerned about not being able to charge during the day.  It turns out that Octopus provides a very similar “ready by” service to their customers and that more often than not, they will give you charge if you need it.  As I said earlier, its very rare that I’ll ever use this facility.  You can also choose not to integrate your car with Octopus and just connect the charger.

For me, I loved what OVO offered, but sorry, it makes sense for me to move.  I had confirmed a fixed rate with OVO to start from the 3rd October - I have now cancelled that and signed up for Octopus.  Let’s see whether Octopus put up their prices.

Thanks to OVO for looking after me for the last two and a half years…  bye!

Be Careful with at Octopus Intelligent Go.  the READY time, by their Terms, NEEDS to be between 4am and 11am.  you cannot set 5pm for example and force charge through the day, like you can with OVO.  so by setting 4am, it will still do most of the charging through the night, but will do small bits through the day

Rank 4
October 1, 2025

As with many of the comments here, got to do the spreadsheets as OVO have made it difficult to understand. 2 EVs and solar panels - rarely do public charging, and that's only with Tesla Superchargers. I have had a lot of problems recently (see different thread) with changes, making my Indra charger unreliable and going off line resulting in having to do full cost charging for an hour or two.

I have been a loyal OVO customer for years - even came to Bristol to a VIP open day, but it looks like OVO have blown it with us. What are they thinking? 

Rank 4
October 1, 2025

Could we have a reply from OVO please. I would accept a reasonable price increase eg to say 10p/kWh and drop all the public charging and quota nonsense, unless it's what some EV owners want. If OVO have made a mistake when they offered us 7p, then say so, and explain things. This is what the public have been asking the government to do instead of just announcing changes with no rationale. 

Rank 4
October 1, 2025

Could we have a reply from OVO please. 

You’ll be lucky.

Perhaps this explains it all:

https://www.msn.com/en-au/money/news/ovo-energy-at-risk-as-gas-and-electricity-supplier-slumps-to-a-loss-and-fails-financial-stress-tests/ar-AA1NEO5F

In a nutshell, OVO need to show they have net assets of £115 per customer - and they don’t.

So pi**ing off, say, 100,000 or more Charge Anytime customers sufficiently to make them leave will actually be useful for them, as it will help reduce this capital requirement!

 

 

 

Newcomer
October 1, 2025

It may not help them, depending on how many ‘leavers’ are like me.

I have always run in good credit with them, and leave with them owing me over £600, so in my case they lose a customer and £600 in capital.

It’s unlikely the example 100,000 customers you use are in the same position, but if they were that would be £6M in capital they would also lose, further burdening the asset per customer needed from the remaining customers.

Rank 4
October 1, 2025

 

I have always run in good credit with them, and leave with them owing me over £600, so in my case they lose a customer and £600 in capital.

 

Interesting point - at this time of year we are over £2K in credit at the start of the winter usage. Does all this money disappear if they go into receivership, which is what the linked article hinted at if they get things wrong.