Britain’s £2.70 wake-up call

In a small central London store last week, you could pick up groceries including bread, cereal, coffee and fruit – all to the value of £2.70.

It wasn’t a surreal flash sale or a throwback to 1990s prices.

It was our latest PR stunt with purpose, and possibly the most refreshingly blunt call to climate action this year.

E.ON Next’s EVerything £2.70 store wasn't about the value of groceries.

It was about the value of overnight charging.

Specifically, the stunt showcased how charging an electric vehicle at home overnight on an EV tariff could cost as little as £2.70 – the same as those great value in-store items.

The goal?

To make the true cost-saving potential of EV ownership hit home for a public still wary of price tags and plug-in logistics.

It worked, as it was hailed a PR activation with substance at its heart.

The 36 Eastcastle Street store in West London – filled with brightly coloured everyday items all stickered at £2.70 – brought to life a simple and stark sum: the cost of a full charge for an EV at home during off-peak hours using the E.ON Next Drive tariff.

For many, the revelation you could power a full day of driving for less than a latte was a quiet bombshell.

And this wasn’t just a flashy PR moment.

It landed because it cut through the fog of speculation and confusion that surrounds EV adoption in Britain.

So much of the conversation is dominated by myths around the upfront cost of vehicles, battery anxieties, and the perceived inconvenience of charging.

But this pop-up reframed the narrative: compared to fuel, EVs are not only better for the planet — they can also be better for your wallet.

Real numbers, real change

Let’s be clear: the headline figure – £2.70 – isn’t some dream scenario.

It’s based on E.ON Next’s Next Drive tariff, where charging at night (between 12am and 7am) costs only 6.7p per kWh.

That means a 40kWh charge – enough to get most EVs well over 150 miles – rings in at under three quid.

In a country where petrol prices have hovered around £1.35 per litre and where filling a modest hatchback now costs over £80, that kind of saving isn’t just significant — it’s transformative.

This is especially important as Britain continues to weather a cost of living crisis.

The idea that people could save over £1,000 a year by switching to an EV and charging it smartly at home isn’t just a nice-to-have. For many households, it’s a potential lifeline.

Turning curiosity into commitment

Of course, a pop-up shop doesn’t change the world on its own. 

But it does do something more powerful than any statistic-laden press release: it sparks curiosity.

The people who wandered into that little store in Shoreditch didn’t leave with a scooter for £2.70 – they left with a question: “Why am I still paying a small fortune to fill up my tank?”

The hope now is that this curiosity snowballs.

Because while EV adoption is growing – with more than 1.5 million now on UK roads – there’s still a mountain to climb before the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars.

Misconceptions about cost and convenience are among the biggest barriers, especially for households who don’t see themselves as early adopters.

E.ON Next’s stunt cut through that noise with elegant clarity: if you’ve got a driveway and a plug, you’ve got the power to save.

Scott Somerville, Director of External Affairs at E.ON Next, said: “With our £2.70 pop-up shop, we wanted to show people just how stark the difference can be in value between spending £40 or far more at the pump versus just a few pounds to fully charge your car at home with the E.ON Next Drive tariff.

“What sets our tariff apart is the longest overnight off-peak charging window on the market – between midnight and 7am – making it not only cheaper, but also easier for people to charge when demand is lower.

“Ultimately, our message is simple: we want people to drive miles – smarter, cleaner, better and more affordably.”

The road ahead 

The transition to electric transport won’t be driven by glossy adverts or government mandates alone.

It will be driven by everyday economics – by the moment when charging at home becomes not just greener, but obviously cheaper compared to fuel.Our £2.70 shop was a reminder that sometimes, the most effective climate communication isn’t a warning – it’s a bargain.

Now, the question is whether Britain will take it.

Because if you can charge your car for the price of a sandwich, why wouldn’t you?