EV Charging Off-Peak: How to Pay $0.06/kWh

Owning an EV is already cheaper than petrol on running costs. But most EV owners are leaving money on the table by charging at standard electricity rates. Switch to an off-peak EV plan and your charging costs can drop to $0.06 per kWh — that's roughly $2 to charge your car for 300km of driving.

Here's how the numbers work, which plans offer the best rates, and how to set up overnight charging so it happens automatically.

The off-peak advantage: real numbers

Electricity prices in Australia vary dramatically depending on when you use them. Time-of-use plans split the day into peak, shoulder, and off-peak periods:

The Ovo Energy EV plan is the standout — $0.06/kWh between midnight and 6am is roughly one-fifth of the standard off-peak rate and one-eighth of peak rates.

Annual cost comparison: off-peak vs standard vs petrol

Based on the average Australian driving 15,000km/year with an EV consuming 15kWh/100km:

At $0.06/kWh, your annual "fuel" cost is $135. That's $11 per month. Your petrol-driving neighbour is paying $190 per month. The off-peak EV plan saves over $2,100 per year compared to petrol.

Ovo Energy EV plan: the details

Ovo Energy offers a dedicated EV plan with a super off-peak rate of $0.06/kWh between midnight and 6am. Key details:

• EV rate: $0.06/kWh (midnight–6am)
• Availability: Victoria, NSW, QLD, SA (check your postcode on their site)
• Requirements: You need a smart meter (your distributor installs this free in most states)
• Rest of house: Standard time-of-use rates apply during other periods for your general usage
• No lock-in contract: Switch anytime

The key insight: the $0.06/kWh rate applies to all electricity used during midnight–6am, not just your EV charger. So your dishwasher, washing machine, hot water system — anything you can schedule to run overnight benefits from the rate.

How to set up overnight charging

Option 1: Use your car's built-in scheduler

Most modern EVs have charge scheduling built in:

• Tesla: Set "Scheduled Departure" or "Start Charging" time in the app
• BYD: Schedule via the car's infotainment or BYD app
• Hyundai/Kia: Schedule in the Bluelink/Kia Connect app
• MG: Schedule via the car's settings

Set the start time to 12:00am and the end time to 6:00am. The car handles the rest.

Option 2: Use a smart charger

Dedicated wall chargers like the Zappi, Tesla Wall Connector, or Wallbox Pulsar can be scheduled independently of the car. This is useful if your car doesn't have good scheduling features, or if you want the charger to control timing regardless of which car is plugged in.

Option 3: Simple timer switch

The budget option: plug your charger into a $20 timer switch from Bunnings. Set it to turn on at midnight and off at 6am. Simple, reliable, no app required.

Is 6 hours of overnight charging enough?

For most drivers, absolutely. Here's why:

• Level 2 home charger (7kW): Delivers ~42kWh in 6 hours — enough to add ~280km of range
• Standard powerpoint (2.3kW): Delivers ~14kWh in 6 hours — enough to add ~90km of range
• Average daily driving in Australia: ~35km

Even on a standard powerpoint, 6 hours of off-peak charging covers 2-3 days of average driving. With a Level 2 charger, you could drive 280km and fully replenish overnight. For the vast majority of EV owners, overnight charging covers all your needs.

Combining off-peak charging with solar

If you have rooftop solar, the optimal strategy is:

1. During the day: Charge from solar when the sun is shining (essentially free)
2. Overnight: Use the $0.06/kWh off-peak rate for any additional charging needed

This combination can reduce your annual EV charging cost to near-zero. A 6.6kW solar system generating 20kWh/day can cover your daily driving needs for free, with the off-peak rate as backup for heavy-use days or winter.

Other EV electricity plans worth considering

• Amber Electric: Wholesale pricing that can go negative (you get paid to use electricity) during windy/sunny periods. Volatile but potentially very cheap for flexible EV charging.
• AGL EV Plan: Offers dedicated EV rates in some areas. Compare with Ovo.
• Origin Spike: Wholesale pricing similar to Amber. Good for tech-savvy users who can automate charging around price signals.

Use our EV Charging Cost Calculator to compare costs at different rates, and our EV vs Petrol Calculator to see the full annual running cost difference.

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