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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
  • 17379 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 24, 2025

Time to look elsewhere - OVO WTF!

Rank 6
September 24, 2025

OK did some brief calculations based on the stats I see in the CA app, and whichever way I look at it, its at least a doubling of the cost to charge the EV.

Mainly because each of the plans has a scaled allowance limit.

Some months I use the EV charge a lot less, others more. 

Newcomer
September 24, 2025

I only ever charge from home and do about 5000 miles.  This doubles my costs overnight for zero benefit.  Unfortunately I now have a fixed contract till July, so I’m probably stuck for now.  I guess I have plenty of time to research moving elsewhere for a better deal. 

Rank 6
September 24, 2025

I am a heavy user. 3 cars doing around 2500 miles a month. Currently the cost at 2p a mile is around £50

 

the highest pack is £79 for only 2000 miles so I will end up paying 26p a kWh for the rest if I go that. That 500 miles would be £130. So can’t do that 
 

So I can also stay on PAYG 14p and pay £100 

 

I can’t move as no other tariff with anyone else’s allows all day charging on 3 cars 

 

so it’s either now £100 on PAYG or move to a different supplier 

Newcomer
September 24, 2025

You’re right,@Smorl it makes no sense to most of us.

That said, some of you folks may recall being invited to take part in an online survey about Charge Anytime a couple of months ago.

I did it. It was asking questions about all of these ‘features’ OVO are now implementing. At the time, I gave it all a big thumbs down in my responses, but I guess there must have been a load of positive responses from others that convinced OVO to do this. 

All very sad. 

Or maybe they just ignored the responses and were bringing this in whatever people thought?  I know I responded that none of the options were useful for me.  I doubt I’m alone….. and looking at the replies on here there seems to be a lot of unhappiness.  Does OVO care any more though?  I suspect it doesn’t unfortunately. 

Rank 2
September 24, 2025

I only ever charge from home and do about 5000 miles.  This doubles my costs overnight for zero benefit.  Unfortunately I now have a fixed contract till July, so I’m probably stuck for now.  I guess I have plenty of time to research moving elsewhere for a better deal. 

Your not stuck as they have changed the contract you can now exit for free

Newcomer
September 24, 2025

I only ever charge from home and do about 5000 miles.  This doubles my costs overnight for zero benefit.  Unfortunately I now have a fixed contract till July, so I’m probably stuck for now.  I guess I have plenty of time to research moving elsewhere for a better deal. 

Your not stuck as they have changed the contract you can now exit for free

Are you completely sure about that?  These things are usually ‘offers’ and are outside of the ‘contract’.  The small print usually covers this stuff.

Newcomer
September 24, 2025

I only ever charge from home and do about 5000 miles.  This doubles my costs overnight for zero benefit.  Unfortunately I now have a fixed contract till July, so I’m probably stuck for now.  I guess I have plenty of time to research moving elsewhere for a better deal. 

Your not stuck as they have changed the contract you can now exit for free

Are you completely sure about that?  These things are usually ‘offers’ and are outside of the ‘contract’.  The small print usually covers this stuff.

Apologies, I have just read the bottom of the email.  Seems you are correct.  Will have to start looking around for options.

Rank 1
September 24, 2025

Another disgusted customer here. If anyone wants to do the maths, chatgtp is a quick way to do comparisons based on your personal circumstances.  I'm going to be at least £280 worse off a year staying with pay as you go or £409 worse off going the subscription route. Moving to Octopus will be the cheaper option for me personally but I'm still going to be paying around £200 more than I was. Would rather give this to Octupus than Ovo!

Newcomer
September 24, 2025

This is really, really poor on the part of OVO. We decided to stick with them despite their drop in support for our Ohme Pro a few months ago and the subsequent teething issues we've had with their beta version of Charge Anytime and our Merc EQ vehicle.

We currently have just one EV, a company car which covers 1000 miles a month for both work and domestic purposes. That EV comes with the MB Charge card and app that already lets me utilise over 50,000 public charge points in the UK without installing third party apps - although I've only needed to use public chargers 5 times in the least 10 months. We're thinking of getting a 2nd "city car" type EV and today’s proposals have thrown up a few questions as to whether we should go ahead and get a 2nd EV at all.

The new packages that have been proposed today by OVO are of no benefit to us whatsoever; staying on Charge Anytime with it's new 14p kWh rate is plain ridiculous at double the current rate.

Likewise the £27.50 Standard Monthly Plan is also almost double the £15.44 we've currently paid per month since we started using our EV last December. And what happens if you cover more than the 700 miles per month that are included in this package..? OVO have claimed in a press release that this tariff will save the average driver £340 a year, so I'd like to see the calculations to show how this is the case!

Needless to day the Premium Monthly Plan at £37.50 is simply extortionate compared to the rates we've been paying to date and the "extras" are either pointless or overpriced when factored into this.

All in all it's time to start doing some homework and moving to another supplier - with no exit fee applicable given that OVO are the ones implementing the changes in our contract.