By 
Key takeaways
- Charging at home off-peak in NZ costs $0.13 to $0.20 per kWh. Public DC fast charging runs $0.40 to $0.85 per kWh: a 3 to 6× multiplier on every kilometre driven on the road.
- The label "EV plan" is mostly marketing. What actually saves money is one of three things: free hours (Contact, Electric Kiwi), a discounted overnight window (Meridian, Genesis) or time-of-use pricing (Octopus). Pick by usage shape, not by name.
- The daily fixed charge changes everything from 1 April 2027 (end of the Low User regulation). EV households crossing 8,000 kWh/year will lose the low-user discount and need to re-evaluate their plan.
- If you have or plan to install solar, the buy-back rate matters more than the EV rate. A 4 c/kWh difference on a 5 kW system can outweigh the savings from any free-hour plan.
Why most "best EV plan" lists mislead
The standard NZ EV plan article ranks retailers by a single number, usually a headline c/kWh rate during off-peak hours, and presents the cheapest as "the best". This is a poor framework. A plan that prices the off-peak window at 12 c/kWh but charges $2.50 a day in fixed charges can easily cost more than a flat-rate plan at 28 c/kWh once total annual consumption is included. Yet that comparison almost never appears in the listicles.
The real economics of EV charging in New Zealand are decided by the interaction of four variables: the off-peak rate, the off-peak window length, the daily fixed charge category (low vs standard user), and the solar buy-back rate if a household exports power. Reading rates alone hides the structural trade-offs each retailer has baked in.
The 2026 EV electricity plan landscape
Nine plans from eight retailers are positioned for EV charging in 2026. Six are explicitly branded "EV plans" or "Good Nights / Off Peak" variants; three are flat-rate plans that still suit specific EV usage patterns. The cards below show the structure of each, with the off-peak window, solar buy-back and verdict laid out in the same order so they can be compared row by row.
Contact Energy
Good Nights
Headline feature
3 free hours of power every night
- Off-peak window
- 9:00 pm to 12:00 am
- Solar buy-back
- 12.5 c/kWh
- Contract
- No fixed term
- Exit fee
- None
Best for
EV owners who can schedule charging between 9pm and midnight
Selectra verdict
The most aggressive free-hour offer aimed at EV households. Worth it only if your charger can be timed and your daily usage fits inside the 3-hour window.
Electric Kiwi
MoveMaster
Headline feature
1 free Hour of Power daily + off-peak overnight
- Off-peak window
- Pick any hour 9pm to 7am
- Solar buy-back
- 12.5 c/kWh
- Contract
- No fixed term
- Exit fee
- None
Best for
Households where the EV needs a top-up rather than a full overnight charge
Selectra verdict
A 7 kW home charger pushes about 7 kWh in the free hour, roughly 35 to 45 km of range, free, every day of the year.
Meridian Energy
EV Plan
Headline feature
Half-price overnight rate
- Off-peak window
- 9:00 pm to 7:00 am
- Solar buy-back
- 12.5 c/kWh
- Contract
- 12 months
- Exit fee
- None
Best for
EVs that need a full 6 to 8 hour overnight charge, large weekly mileage
Selectra verdict
Long off-peak window beats free-hour plans once you charge more than ~15 kWh per night. The 12-month term is the trade-off.
Genesis Energy
Energy EV
Headline feature
Half-price 9pm to 7am + 2% prompt-payment discount
- Off-peak window
- 9:00 pm to 7:00 am
- Solar buy-back
- 8.5 c/kWh
- Contract
- 12 months
- Exit fee
- $150
Best for
Existing Genesis customers who already bundle gas
Selectra verdict
Comparable maths to Meridian, but the $150 exit fee plus weaker solar buy-back hurts if your situation changes mid-term.
Octopus Energy
OctopusPeaker
Headline feature
True time-of-use pricing across 3 windows
- Off-peak window
- Night window 11pm to 7am
- Solar buy-back
- 12.5 c/kWh
- Contract
- No fixed term
- Exit fee
- None
Best for
Smart-charger households that can shift most usage to the night window
Selectra verdict
Best plan for households running a heat pump or hot water cylinder on a timer alongside the EV. Requires a smart meter, which most NZ homes already have.
Mercury Energy
Off Peak
Headline feature
Discount on overnight kWh consumption
- Off-peak window
- 11:00 pm to 7:00 am
- Solar buy-back
- 8.5 c/kWh
- Contract
- No fixed term
- Exit fee
- None
Best for
Households who want flexibility and don't want to lock in a fixed term
Selectra verdict
Not branded as an EV plan, but the structure works for night charging. Solar buy-back is below market average.
Electric Kiwi
Kiwi (anytime)
Headline feature
Flat anytime rate, no time-of-use complexity
- Off-peak window
- No free window
- Solar buy-back
- 12.5 c/kWh
- Contract
- No fixed term
- Exit fee
- None
Best for
EV owners who can't time charging (no smart charger, shared driveway, irregular shift work)
Selectra verdict
Choose this when control over charging time is impossible. It is the floor case, not the optimisation.
Ecotricity
ecoSAVER
Headline feature
100% renewable + CarbonZero certified
- Off-peak window
- No off-peak window on this plan
- Solar buy-back
- 16.0 c/kWh
- Contract
- No fixed term
- Exit fee
- None
Best for
Owners who weight verified renewable sourcing above the lowest possible kWh price
Selectra verdict
Pure-renewable supply (the only Toitū CarbonZero certified retailer in NZ) at a small premium. Strongest solar buy-back rate in this list.
Toast Electric
Toast Electricity
Headline feature
Simple flat-rate retailer, no add-on fees
- Off-peak window
- No free window
- Solar buy-back
- 11.0 c/kWh
- Contract
- No fixed term
- Exit fee
- None
Best for
Low-mileage EV households (under 8,000 km/year) who can't shift load
Selectra verdict
Not an EV plan, but the no-extras model can beat a poorly-used off-peak plan if your charge is always opportunistic.
Data verified May 2026 from retailer published rate cards. Rates and conditions are indicative for an Auckland (low-user) connection; ICP-level pricing varies. Always confirm with the retailer before signing up.
How EV pricing actually works (the three structures)
Every EV-friendly plan in New Zealand falls into one of three structural buckets. The maths inside each bucket is different, and so are the households each suits. Understanding which bucket a plan belongs to is more useful than ranking them on a single number.
Free-hour plans (Contact Good Nights, Electric Kiwi Hour of Power)
These plans give you a defined block of free electricity inside a fixed daily window. Contact Good Nights offers 3 free hours from 9pm to midnight. Electric Kiwi MoveMaster gives you 1 movable hour anywhere in your off-peak band. The free electricity has to be "consumed" inside that window: anything you draw outside it is billed at the standard rate.
A 7 kW home AC charger uses about 7 kWh of electricity per hour. Multiply that by 365 days and the Electric Kiwi free hour alone delivers around 2,500 kWh of free power per year, equivalent to roughly 12,000 to 15,000 km of EV range, worth around $300 to $500 at average NZ rates. That is the entire annual charging bill for many low-mileage drivers.
The trap: the value only materialises if you can actually charge during the free window. A timer on the wall charger, or a vehicle that supports scheduled charging, is effectively mandatory. Without one, you are paying a premium for a feature you don't use.
Discounted overnight plans (Meridian, Genesis EV)
These plans don't give anything away free. They charge a 50% lower rate during a long overnight window, typically 9pm to 7am or 11pm to 7am. The longer window favours high-mileage drivers: a 60 kWh battery topping up from 30% to 80% needs around 30 kWh of charge, which won't fit inside a 1 to 3 hour free block but slots comfortably into a 10-hour off-peak window.
The crossover point is around 15 kWh per night. Below it, free-hour plans win. Above it, an overnight half-price window wins. A driver clocking 20,000 km/year in a typical EV (16 kWh/100 km) needs roughly 9 kWh per night on average, but actual sessions cluster at 25 to 40 kWh when battery levels are low. So the question is not "what's your average" but "how big is your largest typical session": that is the load the off-peak window has to absorb.
True time-of-use plans (Octopus Peaker)
Time-of-use plans split the day into three or four pricing windows: peak, off-peak, night, and sometimes weekend. The night rate is typically the cheapest available kWh price on the New Zealand market, often under 12 c/kWh including GST. Peak rates are also the highest available, often above 40 c/kWh.
Time-of-use only works if you can actively shift consumption. Households running a hot water cylinder on a ripple-controlled relay, a heat pump that can be set to night mode, and a wall charger with scheduled charging will see the biggest gains. Households with electric ovens, daytime work-from-home loads and unscheduled charging will pay more than on a flat-rate plan. There is no middle ground.
The hidden cost drivers EV listicles omit
The daily fixed charge (the silent killer)
Every NZ retailer charges a daily fixed amount regardless of usage. Low users (under 8,000 kWh/year) pay around $0.30 to $0.60 per day; standard users pay $1.50 to $2.50 per day. Adding an EV to a household typically pushes annual usage by 2,000 to 4,000 kWh, which is enough to flip many households from low user to standard user. That switch alone adds $300 to $700 per year to the bill, often wiping out the savings from the EV-specific tariff. For context on where this puts you relative to the rest of the country, see the average electricity bill in NZ.
From 1 April 2027, the Electricity Authority phases out the Low Fixed Charge regulation entirely. The mandatory low-user category disappears, and retailers can charge a single daily fee. EV households should expect a daily fixed charge of around $1.80 to $2.20 by mid-2027 regardless of consumption. Plans signed in 2026 on a 12-month term will renew under that new pricing structure.
Solar buy-back: the asymmetry retailers don't advertise
An EV driver with rooftop solar is two customers to a retailer: a buyer of off-peak power overnight, and a seller of midday solar exports. The buy-back rate decides which retailer captures the most value. The 2026 buy-back range across the NZ market is 8 to 17 c/kWh; the spread is 9 c/kWh.
For a 5 kW solar array exporting an average of 4,000 kWh/year (typical for an Auckland north-facing roof), the difference between a 8 c/kWh buy-back and a 17 c/kWh buy-back is $360 per year. That is more than the entire annual saving most EV-specific plans deliver. If you have or plan solar, the buy-back rate is the dominant variable, full stop.
Exit fees and 12-month locks
Meridian EV Plan and Genesis Energy EV both require a 12-month contract. Genesis charges a $150 exit fee. The retailers know that an EV household is high-value (large annual spend, low credit risk, sticky once locked in) and use the term to capture that value. The market norm in 2026 is no-term plans with zero exit fees: any plan locking you in should pay a meaningful premium in headline rate to justify the loss of flexibility.
Home vs public charging: the real cost gap
Public charging is sold as a convenience layer over home charging. Its pricing reflects that: every NZ public DC fast-charge network in 2026 prices kilowatt-hours at 3 to 6 times the home off-peak rate. The numbers below assume a typical EV consuming 16 kWh per 100 km.
| Charging method | Typical price per kWh (NZD) | Cost per 100 km | Annual cost (15,000 km) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home off-peak (free hours) | $0.00 to $0.13 | $0 to $2.10 | $0 to $310 |
| Home off-peak (discounted rate) | $0.13 to $0.20 | $2.10 to $3.20 | $310 to $480 |
| Home anytime (flat plan) | $0.25 to $0.32 | $4.00 to $5.10 | $600 to $770 |
| Public AC (22 kW) | $0.30 to $0.45 | $4.80 to $7.20 | $720 to $1,080 |
| Public DC fast (50 to 75 kW) | $0.55 to $0.75 | $8.80 to $12.00 | $1,320 to $1,800 |
| Public DC hyper (150 kW+) | $0.70 to $0.85 | $11.20 to $13.60 | $1,680 to $2,040 |
The annual cost gap between the best home off-peak setup and a DC-fast-only routine is roughly $1,500 to $1,700 per year for a single-EV household. That gap is bigger than the price difference between any two retailers. Charging behaviour is a more powerful lever than plan choice.
The 4-factor framework for choosing your plan
Skip the rankings. Answer these four questions in order, and the right plan structure becomes obvious:
Can you schedule charging?
If your charger or car supports scheduled charging and your driveway is private, you can capture every free-hour and off-peak plan. If not, only flat-rate plans deliver predictable savings.
Yes → free-hour or off-peak. No → flat-rate.
How many kWh per typical session?
Add up your battery delta times typical km/week. Under 10 kWh per night → free-hour plans win. 10 to 20 kWh → either. Over 20 kWh per session → long off-peak window or time-of-use.
<10 → free-hour. >20 → overnight.
Do you have or plan solar?
Solar households should optimise for buy-back rate first, then off-peak rate second. A 5 kW system can earn $300+ per year more on a strong buy-back plan, swamping the EV-specific savings.
Solar → optimise buy-back first.
Do you cross 8,000 kWh per year?
Adding an EV typically adds 2,000 to 4,000 kWh/year. If you were already a low user, the EV may push you over and reverse your daily-charge category. Run the maths on standard-user pricing before locking in.
Over 8,000 → standard user maths apply.
An insider observation: why retailers want your EV
An EV-owning household in New Zealand is one of the most profitable residential customer profiles a retailer can land. Three reasons rarely get spelled out:
- Annual consumption roughly doubles. A typical home uses 7,000 to 8,000 kWh/year. Add an EV and that rises to 10,000 to 12,000 kWh. The retailer's per-customer margin scales with that volume.
- Load is predictable and night-heavy. Retailers buy wholesale electricity ahead. Night demand is cheap to procure (often under 5 c/kWh wholesale) so the markup on a 12 c/kWh "off-peak EV rate" is healthy, even after the discount.
- Switching friction is high. Once a household sets up scheduled charging tied to one retailer's free-hour or off-peak window, the cost of relearning a new plan structure deters switching. Retention rates on EV customers are visibly higher than the residential average.
The strategic implication for the customer is simple: retailers are competing for your EV business. That competitive pressure is real and visible in 2026 (Octopus undercutting on time-of-use, Contact extending the free window, Electric Kiwi keeping the only sub-$10 deposit). Treat that competition as leverage. Most retailers will match a competitor's headline feature if you call to leave, and many run unadvertised onboarding credits in the $50 to $150 range.
What to do this week
- Pull your last 12 months of consumption from your retailer's portal. You need annual kWh and the ratio of day vs night usage. Most NZ retailers expose this in CSV form.
- Check whether the EV will tip you over 8,000 kWh/year. If you are at 6,500 kWh today and the EV adds 3,000 kWh, you are crossing the low-user threshold and need to compare on standard-user pricing.
- Run two quotes for your ICP: one on a free-hour plan (Contact Good Nights or Electric Kiwi MoveMaster) and one on a discounted-overnight plan (Meridian or Octopus Peaker). Both retailers will give exact rates for your address in under a minute.
- If you have or are quoting solar, treat buy-back rate as a separate decision and request quotes from the three highest buy-back retailers in 2026: Ecotricity (16 c/kWh), Octopus and Electric Kiwi (12.5 c/kWh).
- Confirm your charger supports scheduling before signing up to anything time-of-use. A $50 firmware-update charger can save $400/year on the right plan. The reverse is also true.
Independent comparison
See which NZ retailer fits your EV usage
Browse retailer-by-retailer rate cards, off-peak windows and solar buy-back across every NZ power company.
The Selectra expert answers your questions
Yes, by a wide margin. The 2026 NZ market shows home off-peak rates of $0.13 to $0.20 per kWh against public DC fast-charge rates of $0.55 to $0.85 per kWh. For a typical 15,000 km/year EV driver, that is the difference between roughly $400 and $1,700 in annual charging cost: a 4× spread. The only times public charging makes economic sense are road trips, time-critical top-ups and households without off-street parking.
There is no single best plan. The answer depends on three things: whether you can schedule charging, how much you charge per session, and whether you have solar. Free-hour plans (Contact Good Nights, Electric Kiwi MoveMaster) win for low-mileage drivers with smart chargers. Long discounted-overnight plans (Meridian, Octopus Peaker) win for high-mileage drivers. Households with solar should optimise for buy-back rate (Ecotricity, Octopus, Electric Kiwi) above the EV rate.
Quite possibly. An EV typically adds 2,000 to 4,000 kWh per year to household consumption. If you were already at 5,000 to 6,500 kWh/year, an EV almost certainly tips you over the 8,000 kWh threshold (9,000 kWh in the lower South Island). Crossing that line means the daily fixed charge rises from $0.30 to $0.60 to $1.50 to $2.50, which adds $300 to $700 to the annual bill. The mandatory Low Fixed Charge regulation expires on 1 April 2027, so this distinction disappears for everyone after that date.
For free-hour and off-peak-only plans, yes. The plan only saves money if your car charges inside the defined window. Most modern EVs (Tesla, BYD, Polestar, MG, Kia, Hyundai, all post-2022 models) support scheduled charging from the dashboard, no smart charger needed. Older or simpler EVs may need a smart wall charger with timer functions, typically $1,200 to $2,500 installed. The investment pays back in under 18 months on a household doing 15,000 km/year.
For households with solar, yes. A 5 kW residential array in Auckland exports around 4,000 kWh/year. A 4 c/kWh difference in buy-back rate is therefore $160 of annual income. The 2026 buy-back range spreads from 8 to 17 c/kWh, meaning the swing between worst and best is roughly $360/year. That number is larger than the savings most EV-specific plans deliver against a standard flat-rate plan. The order of decision matters: pick on buy-back first, then optimise the EV rate within the shortlisted retailers.
The Electricity Authority is phasing out the Low Fixed Charge regulation over a five-year window that ends 1 April 2027. From that date, retailers no longer have to offer a low-user tariff. Daily fixed charges will normalise to around $1.80 to $2.20 across all households. Two practical consequences for EV drivers: (1) plans signed in 2026 on 12-month terms will renew under the new structure, so factor that into any locked-in deal; (2) the gap between best and worst plan widens, because daily-charge-light retailers lose their advantage and rate-based competition intensifies. Expect more time-of-use and dynamic-pricing plans in 2027 as a result.
A standard 7 kW single-phase AC wall charger (sufficient for overnight charging of any current EV) costs $1,200 to $2,500 installed in 2026. Three-phase 22 kW chargers cost $2,500 to $4,500 and only make sense for households with three-phase supply and a vehicle that accepts 22 kW AC. The cost is a one-off and pays back fast: on a 15,000 km/year usage, switching from public DC to home off-peak saves $1,200 to $1,400/year, so payback on a $2,000 charger is roughly 18 months.