E.ON Next’s Next Drive Smart tariff pays EV drivers an overnight rate of 6.5p per kWh, fixed for 12 months – but there is no BYD-style charging bonus in the UK
Key points
- E.ON Next’s Next Drive Smart tariff currently charges 6.5 pence per kilowatt-hour between midnight and 6am, fixed for 12 months, according to the supplier’s own tariff page.
- That is about 19.8p below the average standard electricity rate of 26.322p/kWh – on 2,000 kWh of overnight charging a year, that works out to roughly £396 saved, by Net Trends’ own calculation.
- Unlike the BYD-E.ON partnership launched in Germany on 2 November 2026, there is no BYD-branded charging bonus in the UK – E.ON Next’s offer applies to any compatible electric car, not a single manufacturer.
E.ON Next, the UK arm of the German energy group E.ON, pays Next Drive Smart customers 6.5 pence per kilowatt-hour for overnight charging, fixed for 12 months. There is no equivalent to the BYD charging bonus that just launched for E.ON customers in Germany.
In Germany, BYD and E.ON Energie Deutschland started a joint “Home Charge” bonus on 2 November 2026: 12 cents per smart-charged kilowatt-hour, plus an £80-equivalent new-customer bonus, worth up to €560 over two years. In Britain, E.ON’s retail brand runs its own, manufacturer-neutral overnight tariff instead – and it has been cutting that rate step by step through 2026.
What E.ON Next actually offers
According to E.ON Next’s own Next Drive Smart tariff page, information correct as of 28 October 2026, the overnight off-peak rate is 6.5p per kWh between midnight and 6am, and that price is fixed for 12 months. Charging scheduled through the E.ON Next Home App outside that window is still billed at 6.5p, the page states; “boost” charging at other times costs 34.322p/kWh.
A fixed-rate sibling tariff, Next Drive Fixed, charges 7.5p/kWh overnight under the same conditions, based on the same source. Both tariffs carry no exit fees, so switching away is free at any time.
“Our Next Drive tariffs have been designed to give customers greater flexibility.”
Jean Coleman, Director of Commercial, E.ON Next, press statement of 6 February 2026
What the 6.5p rate is worth in practice
E.ON Next’s own comparison value for a standard, non-EV electricity rate was 26.322p/kWh as of 22 October 2026, according to the tariff page’s footnotes. Net Trends has used that published figure, not a marketing claim, to work out what overnight charging is worth.
Model calculation: what 6.5p a kWh saves over a year
- Price gap: 26.322p (standard rate) − 6.5p (Next Drive Smart, overnight) = 19.822p per kWh.
- Annual volume: 2,000 kWh charged overnight a year (the same figure BYD and E.ON use in their German model calculation, for comparability).
- Saving: 2,000 kWh × 19.822p = 39,644p, or about £396.44 a year.
This is Net Trends’ own calculation from E.ON Next’s published rates, not a figure from the supplier. Drivers who charge less overnight, or who often use “boost” charging, will save less.
Who can get it
Checklist: does Next Drive Smart make sense for you?
- Is a smart meter installed that can send half-hourly readings, with consent given to share them?
- Is there a compatible electric car or a supported home charger (E.ON Next lists zappi, Hypervolt, Indra, Simpson & Partners and Sync Energy)?
- Is only one vehicle being connected – the tariff supports a single car per account?
- Is smart charging actually used regularly? E.ON Next says it can remove customers from the tariff if it is not.
- Would “boost” charging at 34.322p/kWh often be needed instead of overnight charging?
Why there’s no BYD angle here
BYD does sell passenger cars in the UK, and E.ON Next is part of the same corporate group as E.ON Energie Deutschland. Despite that, neither company’s UK press material mentions a joint charging bonus of the kind launched in Germany. E.ON Next’s own tariff pages and press releases name only one partner for EV drivers: Zoom EV, which offers public-charging, parking and car-rental perks to Next Drive customers, not a car manufacturer.
For UK drivers, the practical equivalent of the German bonus is simply E.ON Next’s own overnight rate – available regardless of which electric car is parked on the drive, as long as the charger and smart meter requirements above are met.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a BYD charging bonus in the UK like the one in Germany?
No. E.ON Next’s published tariff pages and press releases do not mention any partnership with BYD or another car manufacturer. The Next Drive Smart overnight rate is open to any compatible electric car.
How much is the Next Drive Smart overnight rate?
6.5 pence per kWh between midnight and 6am, fixed for 12 months, according to E.ON Next’s tariff page (information correct as of 28 October 2026).
What does charging overnight save compared with a standard tariff?
Using E.ON Next’s own published standard-rate comparison of 26.322p/kWh, the gap is 19.822p per kWh. On 2,000 kWh charged overnight a year, that is about £396.44 – Net Trends’ own calculation, not a supplier figure.
Are there exit fees if I switch tariff later?
No. E.ON Next states that customers can leave Next Drive Smart or Next Drive Fixed at any time without exit fees.
Sources and status
- E.ON Next: Next Drive Smart tariff page, information correct as of 28 October 2026.
- E.ON Next press release of 23 March 2026 on Next Drive Smart and Fixed rates.
- E.ON Next press release of 20 August 2026, with the quote from Jean Coleman, Director of Commercial.
- BYD/E.ON Energie Deutschland: joint press release on the German “Home Charge” bonus, 2 November 2026 (in German).
Research and data as of: 11 November 2026.
Transparency note: AI-assisted tools were used in researching, structuring and writing this article. The sources used are listed in the article. Publication takes place only after manual editorial approval. Translation and UK-market adaptation of a Net Trends original article.
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