InstaVolt, the UK’s largest ultra-rapid public EV charging network, has cut its off-peak rate to 55p per kWh (about $0.74) between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. daily — an 11-hour window the operator describes as the cheapest rapid public charging rate available in the UK. The new tariff is free to access through the InstaVolt app with no subscription or membership fee, and took effect April 22, 2026.
Highlights
- Off-peak rate of 55p per kWh (≈$0.74) applies from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily for InstaVolt app users, with no membership required.
- Flagship Winchester Superhub moves to a flat 70p per kWh (≈$0.95) year-round, with app users paying 55p off-peak and 65p during the day.
- Pricing shift is underpinned by InstaVolt’s ongoing investment in on-site battery storage, which stores energy overnight when wholesale costs and grid demand are lower.
An 11-hour off-peak window, no app membership required
From April 22, any driver with the free InstaVolt app can access the 55p per kWh rate across participating sites for 11 consecutive hours each night. InstaVolt says the window is designed for drivers who can charge flexibly — whether overnight, during an evening stop, or as part of a regular routine. At 55p per kWh, a typical 40 kWh charging session costs around £22 (about $29.73) for app users, with no additional fees.
The pricing sits against a broader UK backdrop of falling home charging costs and expanding smart-tariff options, where off-peak home rates from suppliers such as Octopus Energy can reach single-digit pence per kWh. Public rapid charging remains significantly more expensive than home charging, but the 11-hour window and removal of membership gates narrows the gap for drivers without off-street parking.
Battery storage as the pricing mechanism
InstaVolt attributes the lower off-peak rate to on-site battery storage, which allows the company to buy and store electricity overnight, when non-commodity costs and grid demand are lower, and discharge it to chargers during higher-cost periods. The approach decouples the network’s power purchasing from peak grid demand and is intended to insulate pricing from energy market volatility.
The strategy builds on InstaVolt’s broader infrastructure rollout, which includes the UK’s first motorway service area with on-site battery storage at Welcome Break Corley Services on the M6. An additional 12 battery installations are planned across the network, with sites in North Wales and Eastbourne identified as next.
Winchester Superhub moves to 70p flat rate
The Winchester Superhub — InstaVolt’s flagship site near the A34 and junction 9 of the M3 — carries the company’s largest battery storage deployment to date. Throughout summer 2026, the hub will offer a flat 70p per kWh (roughly $0.95) around the clock for all drivers, with app users paying 55p off-peak and 65p during daytime hours.
Winchester opened in March 2025 with 44 ultra-rapid chargers up to 160 kW, an on-site solar array of 870 panels, and a 4 MWh battery storage system. The site’s app-only off-peak rate previously stood at 50p per kWh, announced in April 2025 when the daytime app rate was cut to 65p. The new schedule raises both the app off-peak and daytime rates by 5p per kWh each — a shift InstaVolt has not directly addressed in its announcement.
Executive commentary
Delvin Lane, CEO of InstaVolt, said: “We believe public charging should be as affordable and accessible as possible, and our off-peak rate is a direct expression of that commitment. Fifty-five pence per kWh, for eleven hours a day, available to any driver through our free app: no membership, no catch. We are investing in the infrastructure to make this possible, and as that investment grows, we expect to be able to go further. This is what innovation through action looks like.”
The announcement does not disclose how many sites currently have battery storage operational, how many more are planned beyond the 12 units flagged for rollout, or what proportion of the network supports the new off-peak rate at launch. InstaVolt states that off-peak rates are available at “participating” sites, indicating the 55p rate is not yet available network-wide.
