What does the E.ON OVO deal mean for customers?
For now, very little changes for your bill. E.ON has agreed to buy OVO Energy, and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has cleared the E.ON OVO deal at its first stage of review. That is a ruling on competition, not a promise about prices.
Headlines about a giant new supplier can make a bill feel suddenly shaky. It is worth taking a breath first. Nothing in the CMA’s decision changes your tariff or your rates, and the only real way to overpay here is the Do-Nothing Default.
Key takeaways
- The CMA cleared E.ON’s purchase of OVO Energy on 1 October 2026.
- Your current tariff and rates are not changed by that decision.
- E.ON says the two companies stay fully independent until the deal completes, and no completion date has been given.
- The price cap rose 4% from 1 October across England, Scotland and Wales, so your tariff is the thing worth checking.
Has the CMA cleared the E.ON OVO deal?
Yes. The CMA’s case page says it cleared the anticipated acquisition by E.ON SE, through E.ON UK Limited, of OVO Energy Ltd on 1 October 2026. The inquiry itself launched on 2 September, after an invitation to comment ran from 8 July to 23 July. The full decision text was published on 6 October.
Clearance at this stage means the deal does not go forward for a deeper investigation. It is a competition check. It is not an approval of anyone’s prices or service levels, so nobody should read it as good or bad news for a household bill.
One note on dates. Trade reports have described the timetable in slightly different ways, so the CMA’s own page is the one to trust. It does not say when the E.ON OVO deal will complete, and E.ON’s own statement says only that it will now move to close the transaction, so we will not guess at a date.
How big would the combined company be?
Energy Live News reports that the deal is likely to create the UK’s largest energy supplier, with almost 10 million customers, and that the agreement was signed back in May. The value of the deal has not been made public.
Treat that size claim as an expectation rather than a confirmed number. It comes from trade reporting, not from E.ON or the CMA, and other outlets have framed it more narrowly as the largest electricity supplier. E.ON’s own announcement of the clearance makes no claim about being the biggest.
What E.ON does say is clear and more useful to you: until the deal completes, E.ON and OVO continue to operate as fully independent businesses, with no change for customers of either company. In plain terms, you are still an E.ON customer or an OVO customer today, with the same tariff, the same app and the same bill.
That matters because a merger story tends to travel faster than the facts. A friend of a friend will tell you OVO customers are being moved, or that E.ON bills are about to jump. Neither claim is in the CMA’s decision, and neither should change what you do today. If a message about your account looks odd, log in to your own supplier account or ring the number on your bill rather than clicking a link in a text.
Size alone does not tell you whether a tariff is good value. A bigger supplier can still sell you a pricey standard tariff, and a smaller one can still sell you a cheap fix. The deal does not change that.
Do you need to do anything about the E.ON OVO deal?
No, the CMA’s decision does not ask customers to do anything. If anything about your account does change later, you should hear from your supplier directly, so keep an eye on emails and letters from them.
What is worth doing is a quick check of where you stand. Ofgem says energy prices went up by 4% for a typical household for 1 October to 31 December 2026. That figure is an average across England, Scotland and Wales, and it does not cover Northern Ireland, which has its own arrangements. If you are on a standard variable tariff, your unit rates follow the cap, so that rise lands on you whether or not your supplier is being bought.
One caveat Ofgem makes itself: this period cannot be compared directly with earlier ones, because VAT was removed from electricity from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027 and the 4% figure already takes that into account.
Here is the five minute version:
- Find your tariff name and see whether it is a fixed deal or a standard variable one.
- If it is fixed, check the end date and any exit fees before you think about moving.
- Grab a recent meter reading so any comparison starts from real numbers.
- Compare what is on offer, including from suppliers other than E.ON and OVO.
If you are already on a fixed deal that suits you, the honest answer may be to sit tight and diary the end date. Set a reminder a few weeks before it finishes, because that is when suppliers hope you will drift onto a standard tariff without noticing. The E.ON OVO deal does not change that rule.
Your own usage drives your bill, so any saving depends on your usage and the deals available on the day. We will not promise a figure, and neither should anyone else.
Should you switch because of the E.ON OVO deal?
Not because of it, no. The E.ON OVO deal is not a reason to move, and it is not a reason to stay put either. The reason to switch is a tariff that costs more than it needs to.
Fixing takes about a minute of effort. Regret lasts a year. If you want a steadier bill going into winter, a fixed deal is the usual route, though you should always weigh the exit fees and your own plans first. Our best energy tariff guide walks through the checks, and our price cap October explainer covers the 4% rise in more detail.
If you are curious how suppliers get sold or fail, our guide to what happens if an energy supplier collapses covers it. For the practical switching steps, see how to switch energy supplier.
Frequently asked questions about the E.ON OVO deal
- Will my energy bill go up because of the E.ON OVO deal?
- Nothing in the CMA’s decision changes your tariff or rates. Your bill still depends on your tariff, your usage and the Ofgem price cap if you are on a standard variable tariff.
- Is the E.ON OVO deal finished?
- The CMA has cleared it, but no completion date has been given. E.ON says that until completion the two companies continue to operate as fully independent businesses.
- Do OVO customers have to move to E.ON?
- Nothing in the CMA’s decision asks customers to move or take any action. If anything changes for your account, you should hear from your supplier directly.
- Can I still switch while the deal is going through?
- Yes, you can compare and switch as normal. If you are on a fixed deal, check the end date and any exit fees first.
Sources
- CMA, E.ON / OVO merger inquiry case page: the 1 October 2026 clearance, the 2 September 2026 launch of the inquiry, the 8 to 23 July invitation to comment, and the 6 October publication of the full decision.
- E.ON, acquisition of OVO cleared by the CMA (1 October 2026): that E.ON and OVO continue to operate as fully independent businesses until completion, with no change for customers.
- Ofgem, changes to the energy price cap between 1 October and 31 December 2026: the 4% rise for a typical household, the England, Scotland and Wales basis, and the electricity VAT change that makes direct comparison with earlier periods unreliable.
- Energy Live News, E.ON receive initial clearance for OVO takeover: the almost 10 million customer expectation, the May signing and the undisclosed deal value.
Checked 8 October 2026.
