Octopus Energy has launched a 50% discount on kerbside charging for drivers without driveways, available to new customers leasing an EV through Octopus Electric Vehicles.
The deal brings on-street charging down to from 22.5p per kWh through the Ubitricity and Connected Kerb networks, accessed via the Octopus Electroverse app. Octopus says that works out to around 7p per mile and about £16 for a full charge on a typical MG4.
The offer launches across 20,000 chargepoints, with plans to expand to more networks and locations. It’s available for a limited time and subject to a fair use limit based on lease length and mileage. Once the limit is reached, drivers revert to standard rates.
Who is it for?
The offer is aimed at the roughly one third of UK motorists who say home charging is the final barrier to going electric. According to Octopus, there are now nearly double the number of EV chargers in the UK than petrol pumps, citing Department for Transport statistics from 2026.
Gurjeet Grewal, CEO of Octopus Electric Vehicles, said: “We’re making EV driving cheap for everyone, not just those with driveways. We’ve already helped thousands of drivers switch to electric but the landscape is changing fast, and more people without driveways are becoming EV-curious.”
Matt Davies, Founder and Director of Octopus Electroverse, added: “For too long, not having a driveway has meant paying more to go electric. That’s never sat right with us. EVs are getting cheaper, technology is getting better, and now public charging is catching up, too.”
The launch follows a reported 36% spike in EV leasing interest through Octopus, which the company attributes to volatile fuel prices pushing more consumers towards electric.
How does it compare to home charging?
Octopus themselves acknowledge the gap. The press release states that 22.5p per kWh works out to “only around 5p per mile more than smart charging at home.” That’s an honest admission that home charging on an off-peak EV tariff remains significantly cheaper.
For an average UK driver covering 7,100 miles per year, the annual cost difference looks roughly like this:
- Home charger on off-peak EV tariff (7-9p/kWh): around £150-£190 per year
- Octopus kerbside deal (from 22.5p/kWh): around £480 per year
- Standard public kerbside (45-52p/kWh): around £960-£1,100 per year
- Petrol equivalent (17p per mile, per Octopus): around £1,200 per year
The deal roughly halves the cost of public kerbside charging and comes in well below petrol. But it’s still around three times more expensive than charging at home on a smart tariff. For drivers who genuinely can’t install a home charger, that’s a meaningful saving. For anyone with a driveway, home charging remains the cheapest option by a wide margin.
What you need to know
- Available to new Octopus EV leasing customers only
- 50% off applies at Ubitricity and Connected Kerb chargepoints via the Electroverse app
- 20,000 chargepoints at launch, with more networks planned
- Subject to a fair use limit tied to lease length and agreed mileage
- Limited time offer, no confirmed end date
- Alternative option: £800 Electroverse credit (new lease) or £400 (approved used) instead of the 50% kerbside discount
Our take
The headline is eye-catching, and for drivers without off-street parking, a halved kerbside rate is a genuine improvement. But the fine print matters. The fair use limit means the discount is tied to your lease mileage, and once you hit the cap, you’re back to full price. The offer is also only available through Octopus EV leasing, so if you own your car or lease elsewhere, it doesn’t apply.
The bigger picture is encouraging. On-street charging networks are growing fast, and deals like this signal that the industry recognises kerbside charging needs to be cheaper to bring more drivers across. Whether 22.5p/kWh is enough to convince terrace-dwellers and flat-owners to go electric remains to be seen, but it’s the most competitive on-street rate we’ve seen aimed at everyday drivers.
For anyone with a driveway and the option of a home charger, the maths hasn’t changed. A smart charger on an off-peak tariff still costs a fraction of any public option.
Source: Octopus Energy.
