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13/06/2025

Tomato Energy: Electricity tariffs and the best alternatives (2025)

Tomato Energy’s innovative tariffs attracted huge interest from UK households looking to lower energy bills. But with new customer sign-ups paused, many are now asking: what are the best alternatives?

In this article, we break down Tomato’s Lifestyle, Intensity and Smile tariffs – and show how customers can still achieve (or beat) those savings today by pairing modern time-of-use tariffs with smart battery optimisation.

The topic in a nutshell

Tomato offered the cheapest overnight electricity rates in the UK

Its Lifestyle and Intensity tariffs offered overnight rates as low as 5p/kWh, highly attractive for battery and EV owners able to shift usage.

In 2025, Tomato faces legal action and has stopped accepting new customers

HMRC has opened a formal legal case against Tomato Energy, and new customer sign-ups remain closed.

Fortunately, similarly priced tariff alternatives exist

With smart tariffs like Octopus Agile, E.ON Next Drive and OVO Charge Anytime combined with [Capture AI]’s optimisation, households can still unlock strong savings today.

What is happening with Tomato Energy?

Tomato Energy entered the UK electricity market in 2023, offering ultra-cheap overnight tariffs, aimed at EV and battery owners who could shift usage. It quickly gained popularity with flexible Economy 7-style and smart time-of-use tariffs like Lifestyle, Intensity and Smile.

However, in April 2025, Tomato came under investigation from HMRC and faced regulatory action from Ofgem. While existing customers remain on their tariffs for now,  new customer sign-ups are suspended and customers have been reporting serious support issues – including unanswered emails and long delays. Others flagged missing bills and unprocessed meter readings, raising concerns about Tomato’s ability to manage accounts reliably. Tomato’s long-term future is uncertain.

Which tariffs did Tomato Energy offer?

Tomato Lifestyle

The Tomato Energy Lifestyle tariff was designed to save customers money by tailoring energy usage to specific times of the day. Customers could select a "Lifestyle" option that best reflected their daily routine, such as "Work From Home," or "9 to 5." Based on the option chosen, the tariff adjusted the cheap and expensive periods accordingly. The tariff also relied on smart meter data to optimise recommendations.

Tomato Intensity

Tomato Intensity offered a hybrid fixed + green grid tariff. The base rates followed three daily time bands, but customers received a 15% discount when the UK grid was running at low carbon intensity (≤ 115g CO₂/kWh), as measured live via National Grid ESO and Carbon Intensity API.

This plan rewarded customers for using energy when the grid was greener but applied a higher standing charge than Lifestyle.

Tomato Smile

Tomato Smile was Tomato Energy’s most dynamic smart tariff directly linked to half-hourly wholesale market prices. As wholesale prices changed, so did your bill. This made Smile especially attractive for customers with batteries who were able to shift energy use into cheaper periods, such as overnight or when renewable generation was high. Cheaper wholesale prices often align with greener grid periods, giving Smile customers both financial and environmental benefits.

What are the best alternatives to Tomato Energy?

While Tomato isn’t open for new customers, several strong alternatives now offer similar time-of-use structures, often combined with [Capture AI]’s fully automated battery management. Here’s how the main competitors compare to each Tomato plan:

For Tomato Lifestyle customers (fixed time-of-use)

Closest alternative: E.ON Next Drive

Next Drive offers a simple fixed overnight window ideal for battery owners. You get 6.7p/kWh overnight (12am–7am) and a daytime rate around 27p/kWh (regional average). It’s a 12-month fixed tariff with no exit fees, designed originally for EV charging but works for battery charging. For customers who previously used Lifestyle’s ‘Battery’ or ‘Default’ profiles, this is the closest like-for-like alternative. Read our full review on E.ON Next Drive to understand whether this works for you.

For Tomato Intensity and Smile customers (carbon-linked & wholesale tracking)

Closest alternative: Octopus Agile (and Agile Export)

Both Tomato Intensity and Smile aimed to reward customers for using electricity during greener, cheaper periods either through carbon-linked discounts or direct wholesale tracking. Octopus Agile replaces both by exposing customers directly to half-hourly wholesale prices, which naturally reflect grid conditions and renewable output. Prices update daily for the next 24 hours with overnight prices often dropping to 8–15p/kWh, and occasionally turning negative during surplus renewable generation.

Octopus Agile works best with battery storage that can shift when it charges and discharges. Capture AI automates this for you – buying low, selling high – so you get the most out of your system without lifting a finger. Read our full guide on Octopus Agile to see how it works and whether it's right for you.

How Capture unlocks the full potential of time-of-use tariffs

Time-of-use tariffs only unlock their full potential when paired with a smart battery system. Capture Energy manages both your tariff and your battery through [Capture AI], automatically charging during cheap periods, discharging when electricity costs rise, and exporting excess energy back to the grid when it’s most profitable.

By fully automating both import and export optimisation, [Capture AI] ensures your system operates at maximum savings across all available revenue streams including bill savings, flexibility services, and grid export. See how one of our customers, Helena, gets her electricity for free using Octopus Agile managed by [Capture AI].

If you're reviewing your tariff options, this may also be the perfect time to review how your battery is optimised. With [Capture AI] managing both your tariff and battery in sync, it's possible to unlock significantly more savings from whichever tariff you move to next. Get started with the form below!