British Gas vs EDF (November 2026): Which Is Cheaper?

British Gas or EDF: which is better? On customer service, EDF. Citizens Advice scored EDF 2.96 out of 5 for April to June 2026, tenth of 16 suppliers, against 2.61 and 14th place for British Gas. On price they are close. Energy Review’s East Midlands example, checked on 1 November 2026, put both standard variable tariffs at about £1,672 a year and both cheapest trackers at about £1,622 a year. EDF’s two-year fix was cheaper than British Gas’s Fix and Fall, at about £1,948 against £2,066. None of those fixes, and none of the cheaper market fixes checked on 9 November, came in below the £1,723 typical price cap figure, and all of them cost more than the £1,672 same-home variable in Energy Review’s example, so compare the whole market before you choose.

Last updated: 10 November 2026. Service scores from Citizens Advice (April to June 2026). Tariff prices from Energy Review for a representative East Midlands home paying by monthly Direct Debit, checked 1 and 9 November 2026. The typical cap figure is from Ofgem, for 1 October to 31 December 2026. Your own price depends on your region, meter and usage.

British Gas vs EDF at a glance

*Energy Review estimates for an East Midlands home on monthly Direct Debit: tracker and variable prices, and the two suppliers’ listed fixes, from Energy Review’s British Gas vs EDF Energy comparison, with sources checked 1 November 2026. Cheapest market fixes: from Energy Review’s cheapest fixed energy tariffs, updated 9 November 2026. They are a guide to how the tariffs compare, not a quote for your home.

This SwitchSquid guide compares British Gas and EDF for a typical dual-fuel household. We may be paid if you use the comparison buttons on this page. It does not change the price you pay. British Gas trades as Scottish Gas in Scotland, with the same tariffs and service.

Are EDF and British Gas the same thing?

No. They are separate companies with separate licences, apps, tariffs and customer service teams. British Gas belongs to Centrica. In Scotland it often trades as Scottish Gas, but it is still the same supplier group. EDF Energy is the UK retail arm of EDF Group, which also generates a large share of Britain’s nuclear power. You cannot use a British Gas tariff with EDF, or the other way round. Moving between them is an ordinary supplier switch.

We have more detail on each brand on our British Gas supplier page and our EDF Energy supplier page.

Price: how British Gas and EDF compare in November 2026

The price cap, and why it matters

From 1 October to 31 December 2026, Ofgem’s price cap puts the typical dual-fuel Direct Debit bill at £1,723 a year, 4% higher than the previous period. That is a comparison figure based on typical use, not a maximum bill. Ofgem caps the unit rates and standing charges on standard variable tariffs. Your bill still depends on how much you use, where you live and how you pay. Electricity in this cap period is shown without VAT, because VAT on domestic electricity is 0% from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027; gas still carries 5% VAT, as Ofgem’s October 2026 price cap announcement explains.

Variable and tracker tariffs

Both suppliers’ standard variable tariffs sat at the cap in Energy Review’s 1 November example, at about £1,672 a year for that East Midlands home, with no exit fee. The two figures are not identical to Ofgem’s £1,723 typical GB figure because regional rates and the usage assumptions in a comparison can differ. If you want to stay free to leave, either variable tariff does the same job.

Both also sell a tracker that follows the cap with a discount on the standing charge. Energy Review priced British Gas’s Cap Tracker and EDF’s Simply Tracker at about £1,622 a year in the same example, roughly £50 a year below each supplier’s variable tariff. The catch is the exit fee: £50 on the British Gas tracker and £100 on EDF’s. A tracker is not a fixed deal. The price can still move when the cap changes, including in January 2027.

Fixed deals, and why none of them beat the cap

If you want to know your unit rates for longer, EDF’s Simply Fixed 2Yr was the cheaper of the two 24-month deals in that comparison, at about £1,948 a year with a £200 exit fee, against about £2,066 and a £250 exit fee for British Gas’s Fix and Fall. EDF also listed a 12-month Simply Fixed at about £2,094 a year, with a £100 exit fee. Those are still well above both the £1,672 same-home variable and the £1,723 typical cap figure. A fix can be worth it for certainty, especially if you think the January cap will rise, but it is not cheaper than the cap on these public tariffs. Our British Gas Fix and Fall guide explains how Fix and Fall works if the market falls during the term.

The wider market was cheaper than either brand’s headline fix, but it still did not dip under the cap. Energy Review’s cheapest fixed energy tariffs, updated 9 November 2026, put the cheapest public fix at £1,803 a year for Utility Warehouse’s UW Fixed Saver 101, which needs at least two other paid UW services. Outfox Energy’s next two fixes were about £1,810 a year. Even those deals are above both the £1,672 same-home variable and the £1,723 typical cap figure. If you fix, do it for a price you can live with and an exit fee you can afford, not because a fix is “below the cap”.

Customer service: what Citizens Advice found

Citizens Advice comparison of energy suppliers’ customer service scored suppliers for April to June 2026 and will publish the next set in December 2026. EDF scored 2.96 out of 5 and ranked 10th of 16. British Gas scored 2.61 and ranked 14th. That is a clear gap, even if neither sits at the top of the table. Energy Review’s 1 November write-up also summarised Trustpilot as 4.8 for EDF, with 84% five-star reviews, against 4.4 for British Gas, with 66% five-star and 20% one-star reviews. Trustpilot is not a regulated score, and it can be skewed by who bothers to review, so treat it as a second opinion rather than a verdict on its own.

If billing problems or long waits have worn you down, the Citizens Advice table is the more useful guide. EDF is ahead of British Gas on that measure. If your only concern is the monthly Direct Debit, the two variable tariffs are close enough that a whole-market quote matters more than the brand name.

What does Martin Lewis say about EDF Energy?

Martin Lewis’s Money Saving Expert, in its ‘Is it time to fix or stay on the price cap?’ guide (correct as of 10 November 2026), compared fixed deals with the October price cap. An EDF 18-month exclusive fix was listed at 2.5% more than the October cap, after £20 cashback through Cheap Energy Club, with £75-per-fuel exit fees. A British Gas 17-month exclusive fix was listed at 3.7% more than the cap, on the same basis. A Fuse Energy 24-month fix was listed at 2% more than the cap. Those exclusive tariffs are not the same as the public Simply Fixed and Fix and Fall prices in the table above, and they still sit above the cap, not below it.

The same page is about whether to fix at all before the next cap period, not a general verdict on EDF as a company. If you use a comparison, check the tariff name, term and exit fee on the day, because exclusive deals change.

Who are the top 10 worst energy suppliers in the UK?

There is no official “worst supplier” list, and a social-media ranking is not evidence. The fairest public yardstick we have is the Citizens Advice star rating, which covers the largest suppliers and is updated every quarter. For April to June 2026, British Gas ranked 14th of 16 with 2.61 out of 5, and EDF ranked 10th with 2.96. That puts British Gas near the bottom of that table, but it does not, on its own, make it “the worst supplier in the UK”. Smaller suppliers are not all in the same scorecard, and one bad quarter is not a lifetime record. Citizens Advice says it will publish the next scores in December 2026.

Extras: smart tariffs, boilers and electric cars

If you already have British Gas HomeCare and like it, you can keep the cover and still switch your energy supply. The two contracts are separate. If you have an electric car or a heat pump, compare the off-peak hours and the eligibility rules, not just the headline annual estimate, because those tariffs only pay off if you can shift your use.

Who should choose British Gas, and who should choose EDF?

How to switch between British Gas and EDF

1. Find a recent bill, your meter readings and your annual usage in kWh.

2. Compare tariffs with your postcode. Check exit fees on your current deal before you go.

3. Sign up with the new supplier. They handle the switch, and you do not need to call your old one.

4. Most switches finish within 5 working days. Take a meter reading on the day the switch happens.

5. Your old supplier sends a final bill and must refund any credit within 10 working days of that bill.

Our guide to how long it takes to switch energy supplier walks through each day, including busy holiday periods.

Should you switch before January?

Ofgem’s next cap period runs from 1 January to 31 March 2027. If you are on either supplier’s variable or tracker tariff, your rates will move with the new cap. If you would rather know your unit rates for the next year or two, compare fixes before the new cap is published, because fixed prices often move once that figure is known. Just remember: a fix that costs more than £1,723 a year at typical use is a certainty purchase, not a saving against the current cap.

FAQ

Are EDF and British Gas the same thing?

No. British Gas is part of Centrica and trades as Scottish Gas in Scotland. EDF Energy is part of EDF Group. They have separate tariffs, apps and customer service, so moving from one to the other is a normal switch.

What does Martin Lewis say about EDF Energy?

Martin Lewis’s Money Saving Expert, in its ‘Is it time to fix or stay on the price cap?’ guide (correct as of 10 November 2026), listed an EDF 18-month exclusive fix at 2.5% more than the October cap after cashback, with £75-per-fuel exit fees. That is advice about fixing versus the cap, not a general endorsement of EDF over every other supplier.

Is EDF the cheapest energy supplier?

Not on the public tariffs checked in early November. Energy Review priced EDF’s cheapest tracker the same as British Gas’s, at about £1,622 a year in its East Midlands example, and cheaper public fixes came from other suppliers, from about £1,803 a year, on 9 November 2026. EDF’s two-year fix was cheaper than British Gas’s Fix and Fall, but it was still above the £1,723 typical cap figure.

Who are the top 10 worst energy suppliers in the UK?

There is no official worst-ten list. Citizens Advice scored the largest suppliers for April to June 2026: British Gas was 14th of 16, with 2.61 out of 5, and EDF was 10th, with 2.96. Use that table, and the next update in December 2026, rather than an unofficial ranking.

Which is cheaper, British Gas or EDF?

It depends on the tariff. Both variable tariffs and both trackers were closely matched in Energy Review’s 1 November example. EDF’s 24-month fix was about £118 a year cheaper than British Gas’s Fix and Fall in that example. Your postcode and usage can change the order, so get a quote.

Does British Gas have exit fees?

On its tracker and fixed tariffs, yes. The Cap Tracker had a £50 exit fee and Fix and Fall £250 for dual fuel in the 1 November comparison. The standard variable tariff has no exit fee.

How long does it take to switch from British Gas to EDF?

Usually up to 5 working days under Ofgem’s switching rules. Your new supplier arranges it. Check any exit fee on your current tariff before you apply.

Sources: Citizens Advice comparison of energy suppliers’ customer service (April to June 2026 scores); Ofgem’s price cap unit rates and standing charges; Ofgem’s October 2026 price cap announcement; Energy Review’s British Gas vs EDF Energy comparison (sources checked 1 November 2026, page updated 9 November 2026); Energy Review’s cheapest fixed energy tariffs (updated 9 November 2026); Money Saving Expert: is it time to fix or stay on the price cap? (correct as of 10 November 2026).