Electric vehicles: Best electricity tariffs named by French consumer association

A leading consumer association in France has named the best electricity contracts designed with electric vehicle users in mind.

UFC-Que Choisir this week identified and compared six electricity contracts that are aimed at owners of electric vehicles (EVs) who want to charge them at home. (Some suppliers, including Engie and EDF, even ask for proof of electric vehicle ownership before they allow users to sign up for these packages).

They are (in no particular order):

• EDF tarif bleu base (used as the baseline price comparator, not an EV-specific contract)

• TotalEnergies Charge’Heures

• Engie Elec’Car

• Ilek Offre Voiture Électrique

• Ekwateur, option véhicule electrique

• Alterna, véhicule electrique

• Octopus Go

Calculation simulations

The association based its calculations on two examples of common electric car models:

• The Renault Zoe: Small city car with a 52kWh battery capacity 

• The Tesla Model 3: Larger car with a 50kWh battery capacity for the standard (lowest) range

The company also calculated consumption based on owners in both cases: 

• Driving 1,000 km per month in the vehicle

• Requiring five monthly charges for the Zoe, and three for the Tesla

The study considered whether the contract was for a basic electricity option, or the baseline HP-HC option (heures pleines-heures creuses, peak and off-peak hours) of the regulated electricity sales tariff (tarif réglementé de vente d’électricité, TRVE). 

This option means an increase in the electricity tariff during peak hours, and a reduction in rates during low-usage times.

Which were the best contracts?

Contracts that offer the HP-HC TRVE option (ie. they offer both peak and off-peak rates) are the most attractive for users of these vehicles, the comparison concluded. Of course, users can maximise savings if able to charge their vehicles only during off-peak times.

As the price comparison shows below, installing your own ‘Wallbox’ charging terminal at home can make a significant difference in comparison to using a normal outlet. 

Some suppliers were found to be offering more tailored offers with lower rates. Some also have a third tier - ‘super off-peak hours’ - which offer even lower rates than the off-peak times (however, it depends on your usage, as these hours can fall in the middle of the day, when many people are not at home, UFC-Que Choisir warns).

The study found that one contract in particular stood out from the rest in the highest number of electric vehicle comparisons and simulations. 

This was the offer from Octopus Go, which came out best-value repeatedly at off-peak hours on price for users of either car (Zoe or Tesla), how often you only charge at off-peak times, and whether you plug into a Wallbox or normal socket.

It enabled users to save an average of €14.68 per month compared to the basic option. “It offers the biggest savings on vehicle charging compared to the TRVE,” the authors said.

The top 3 lowest-cost tariffs, by car model and type of charging outlet

Charging via a normal outlet shows as always more expensive than via a Wallbox.

• Lowest-cost tariffs for Zoe, with Wallbox: Octopus Go (€27.25), EDF Vert Électrique Auto (€27.98), Ilek offre voiture électrique auto (€28.88)

• Lowest-cost tariffs for Zoe, with normal outlet: Octopus Go (€34.71), EDF Vert Électrique Auto (€35.73), Ilek offre voiture électrique auto (€36.91)

• Lowest-cost tariffs for Tesla, with Wallbox: Octopus Go (€15.72), EDF Vert Électrique Auto (€16.14), Ilek offre voiture électrique auto (€16.45)

• Lowest-cost tariffs for Tesla, with normal outlet: Octopus Go (€19.77), EDF Vert Électrique Auto (€20.35), Ilek offre voiture électrique auto (€21.12).

In all cases, the EDF tarif bleu base was the most expensive.

Off-peak options, EV or no EV

Yet, whether you use electricity to charge a vehicle or not, the association found that the most cost-effective contracts overall are those that focus on peak and off-peak rates.

Similarly - as to be expected - the savings only add up if users are very careful to use the most electricity during off-peak hours, as peak hour rates can be very high.

Several suppliers told UFC-Que Choisir that their rates are more favourable when it comes to using electricity for other uses too (so as well as or instead of charging cars), such as running high-demand appliances, including washing machines, dishwashers, and water heaters.

However, in this case, the consumer association found that the supplier Alterna offered the biggest savings. “The saving is around €50 per month for an all-electric home compared to the TRVE HP-HC option," the report states. 

TotalEnergies’ ‘Charg’Heures’ offer can also achieve savings of around €35 per month compared to a TRVE option only, it said.