Editorial Policy — Standards & Methodology | EV Tariff

EV Tariff is an editorial research resource. The same standards apply to every page on the site, whether it is a tariff comparison, a charger review or a grant explainer. This policy documents how we work so readers can hold us to it.

Every factual claim on this site is traceable to a primary source. In order of preference:

1. Regulator / Government — Ofgem default tariff cap announcements, GOV.UK Find a Grant, OZEV scheme T&Cs, HMRC, ASA and CMA guidance.
2. Industry bodies — SMMT for registration figures, Zap-Map for public-charger counts, the Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) for regional unit rates.
3. Suppliers' own published terms — energy supplier tariff sheets, charger manufacturer specifications, installer pricing pages.
4. Industry press — Auto Express, What Car?, the Telegraph EV desk, Fully Charged Show — used for context, not as the primary number.

Forum posts, social-media threads and other sites' interpretations are never the only source for a number. If we use a community sentiment quote or a Reddit summary, it is clearly framed as such.

Tariff rankings are based on the effective off-peak unit rate (p/kWh), the length of the off-peak window, the standing charge, exit-fee terms, and any smart-charging conditions (e.g. 'must use a compatible charger'). Where a tariff varies by DNO region, we publish a regional break-down and rank within that region — not against an averaged national rate.

Charger rankings are based on smart-tariff compatibility (with current published Intelligent Octopus Go and similar API integration lists), real install cost from a representative sample of DNO regions, app reliability (independent reviews and store ratings), warranty length, and OCPP support.

We do not use affiliate commission rates as a ranking factor. If the cheapest or best-rated option doesn't have an affiliate programme, it still wins.

Tariff pages, grant pages and the pillars they sit under are reviewed:

• Within 48 hours of every Ofgem default-tariff-cap announcement (quarterly).
• Within 48 hours of every UK Budget that touches energy bills, the Climate Change Levy or EV-specific grants.
• Within 7 days of any major energy supplier announcing a new EV tariff or changing an existing one.
• Every 90 days at minimum, even when no external change has triggered an earlier review.

Every page carries a 'last reviewed' date that reflects the latest substantive review — not just a typo fix.

If we publish an inaccuracy and notice it, we correct the page immediately and add a dated correction note at the top. If you spot something wrong, please flag it — we want to fix mistakes faster than competitors do, not slower. (Contact route is forthcoming alongside the postcode calculator launch.)

Some links on this site are affiliate links — see the affiliate disclosure for which programmes are active. We will not run sponsored content for the supplier whose tariff is currently our top recommendation in a category; we may run sponsored content for runners-up only, and it is always labelled as 'Sponsored' and excluded from comparison-table rankings.

We do not accept payment to add, remove, or move a product on a comparison table.