# What Is the Best Electricity Tariff for Students in Germany? (2026) > Electricity tariffs for students in Germany, ranked on a student weighting: unit cost at 45%. Why the cheapest headline rate is not always the cheapest year. By Jules de Bruin · URL: https://www.guide-germany.com/energy/providers/best-for-students **The verdict** For students, **Octopus Energy Relax12** leads at **3.7 out of 5**, unit rate **EUR 0.28/kWh** for the catalogue's reference postcode. It carries **no sign-up bonus**, so the rate you sign is the rate you keep. The lowest headline in the catalogue, **immergrün!** Spar Smart FairMax at 24.12 cents in Berlin, includes a bonus and comes with a record of contested price increases. In Munich the **SWM** default tariff is cheap enough to sit on this list for your first weeks. ## Which electricity tariff is best for students? Sort byOur rankingUnit rateContract freedomEnglish supportSorted by **unit rate**, not our recommendation. The default view is our ranking, weights published below. Sorted by **contract freedom**, not our recommendation. The default view is our ranking, weights published below. Sorted by **english support**, not our recommendation. The default view is our ranking, weights published below. #2 by unit rateEUR 0.28/kWh#1 by english supportEnglish support availableOctopus Energy ### Relax12 4.4Score 3.7/5. Honest fixed rate, English support, no clawback traps [Get this tariff](https://octopusenergy.de/)Unit rate (Arbeitspreis)EUR 0.28Standing charge (Grundpreis)EUR 178.90/year (EUR 14.91/month)Estimated annual costEUR 1,149.80 (3,500 kWh/yr; sibling Relax24: 27.37 ct/kWh with 24-month guarantee)Contract12 monthsPrice guarantee12 monthsPrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - 27.74 ct/kWh fixed without any bonus games - Trustpilot 4.8/5, top tier among large suppliers Cons - Standing charge ~**EUR 14.9**/month above discounters Best for Students who want the strongest overall fit. Octopus EnergyRelax12EUR 0.28/kWh#1 by unit rateEUR 0.24/kWh#3 by english supportGerman-only supportimmergrün! ### Spar Smart FairMax 3.2Score 3.3/5. Cheapest headline rate, but monitor price letters closely [Get this tariff](https://www.immergruen-energie.de/)Unit rate (Arbeitspreis)EUR 0.24Standing charge (Grundpreis)n/aEstimated annual costEUR 771.90 (3,200 kWh/yr Berlin incl. bonus)Contract12 monthsPrice guarantee12 monthsPrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - Cheapest Berlin fixed listing at 24.12 ct/kWh (Aug 2026) - 12-month price guarantee Cons - History of contested price increases (Verbraucherzentrale warnings 2021-2023) Best for Students in a different city or with a different priority. immergrün!Spar Smart FairMaxEUR 0.24/kWh#1 by contract freedomno minimum termSWM ### Grundversorgung (Munich) 3.0Score 3.2/5. Zero effort on arrival; switch within the first month [Get this tariff](https://www.swm.de/privatkunden/energie/strom/grundversorgung)Unit rate (Arbeitspreis)EUR 0.31Standing charge (Grundpreis)EUR 161.60/year (EUR 13.47/month)Estimated annual costEUR 1,253 (3,500 kWh/yr Munich)Contractno minimum termPrice guaranteeno price guaranteePrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - Auto-supply from day one of a Munich move - Two-week cancellation, no term Cons - ~**EUR 360**/yr above cheapest Munich switcher tariff Best for Students in a different city or with a different priority. SWMGrundversorgung (Munich)EUR 0.31/kWh#2 by contract freedomcancellable monthlyRabot Energy ### rabot.home flex 3.8Score 3.0/5. Low average rates without hardware requirements [Get this tariff](https://www.rabot.energy/)Unit rate (Arbeitspreis)n/aStanding charge (Grundpreis)EUR 216/year (EUR 18/month)Estimated annual costEUR 950 (3,500 kWh/yr modelled at trailing dynamic average (Jul 2026))Contractcancellable monthlyPrice guaranteeno price guaranteePrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - Dynamic tariff usable without smart meter (load profile) - Monthly cancellable Cons - Savings-share fee model is hard to compare Best for Students in a different city or with a different priority. Rabot Energyrabot.home flexn/a/kWh#3 by contract freedomcancellable monthlyNaturstrom ### naturstrom 4.4Score 2.9/5. Monthly cancellation ideal for semester-length stays [Get this tariff](https://www.naturstrom.de/privatkunden/oekostrom)Unit rate (Arbeitspreis)EUR 0.31Standing charge (Grundpreis)EUR 166.80/year (EUR 13.90/month)Estimated annual costEUR 1,248.30 (3,500 kWh/yr, no bonus, the price is the price)Contractcancellable monthlyPrice guaranteeno price guaranteePrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - Monthly cancellable, no lock-in, no bonus traps - Double-label green certification (Grüner Strom, ok-power) Cons - No price guarantee: rate can be raised with notice Best for Students in a different city or with a different priority. NaturstromnaturstromEUR 0.31/kWhPolarstern ### Wirklich Ökostrom (Komfort) 4.2Score 2.9/5. High standing charge penalises small flats' consumption [Get this tariff](https://www.polarstern-energie.de/strom/)Unit rate (Arbeitspreis)EUR 0.31Standing charge (Grundpreis)EUR 217/year (EUR 18.08/month)Estimated annual costEUR 1,311.80 (3,500 kWh/yr, no bonus)Contract12 monthsPrice guarantee12 monthsPrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - Grüner Strom Label with highest-tier plant funding - No bonus traps, stable honest pricing Cons - High standing charge (~**EUR 18**/month) hurts low users Best for Students in a different city or with a different priority. PolarsternWirklich Ökostrom (Komfort)EUR 0.31/kWh#3 by unit rateEUR 0.31/kWhGreen Planet Energy ### green energy strom 4.0Score 2.9/5. Green credentials strong, price mid-table, 12-month term [Get this tariff](https://www.green-planet-energy.de/)Unit rate (Arbeitspreis)EUR 0.31Standing charge (Grundpreis)EUR 154.80/year (EUR 12.90/month)Estimated annual costEUR 1,222 (3,500 kWh/yr Berlin)Contract12 monthsPrice guarantee12 monthsPrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - Cooperative linked to Greenpeace heritage - Among highest new-plant funding contributions Cons - Regional price spread up to 5 ct/kWh between regions Best for Students in a different city or with a different priority. Green Planet Energygreen energy stromEUR 0.31/kWh#2 by english supportEnglish support availableOstrom ### Ostrom SimplyFair12 4.3Score 2.8/5. App-first English onboarding suits international students [Get this tariff](https://www.ostrom.de/)Unit rate (Arbeitspreis)EUR 0.35Standing charge (Grundpreis)EUR 135.60/year (EUR 11.30/month)Estimated annual costEUR 962 (3,500 kWh/yr Berlin, first year (no bonus scheme))Contract12 monthsPrice guarantee12 monthsPrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - Full English app and support, rare in German energy - No bonuses, so year-two price equals year one Cons - No phone hotline, chatbot-first support draws complaints Best for Students in a different city or with a different priority. OstromOstrom SimplyFair12EUR 0.35/kWhAlso a strong fit The general weighting also picks **Octopus Energy Relax12**, so the winner holds for students. What moves is the shelf behind it: **unit cost** carries 45% here against 35%, and **price guarantee** 10% against 20%. ## Which tariffs are ruled out for students? 13 of the 26 electricity tariffs in the catalogue carry a hard blocker for this reader. Their score is capped at 1.0, however cheap they are. - **Vattenfall ÖkoStrom12**: SEPA account required, documents only in German. - **EnBW EnBW clever strom 12**: documents only in German. - **eprimo eprimoStrom PrimaKlima 18**: documents only in German. - **Yello Mein Yello Strom Basis**: documents only in German. - **EWS Schönau Ökostrom 12**: fixed term to 31.10.2027. - **Ostrom Ostrom SimplyDynamic Monthly**: smart meter (iMSys) required. - **Tibber Tibber dynamischer Tarif**: smart meter or Pulse device required. - **Octopus Energy dynamicOctopus**: smart meter (iMSys) required. - **SWM M-Strom Fix 12**: documents only in German. - **GASAG Strom Öko**: documents only in German. - **enviaM MEIN STROM relax 12 Monate**: documents only in German. - **E WIE EINFACH E WIE EINFACH Strom (MeinSmart Tarif)**: documents only in German. - **MAINGAU Energie MAINGAU StromGarant**: documents only in German. ## What should a student check before signing? Three things decide a student tariff more than the unit rate. First, the **standing charge**: on a small flat it weighs more than a cent per kWh, and the catalogue ranges from about EUR 72 to EUR 217 a year. Second, the **term**: most fixed tariffs run twelve months, which collides with a semester abroad or a move. Third, the **bonus**: a first-year figure that includes one is clawed back if you leave early. Every tariff ranked here debits by **SEPA** from a bank account and needs a German supply address. If you leave before the term ends, the [short-stay ranking](/energy/providers/best-for-short-stays) is the better list, because the Grundversorgung ends on two weeks notice (§ 20 StromGVV). ## The same tariffs, ranked for other readers [Compare every tariff in the catalogueUnit rate, standing charge and term side by side→](/energy/providers-price-research)[Short stays](/energy/providers/best-for-short-stays)[New arrivals](/energy/providers/best-for-new-arrivals)[Students](/energy/providers/best-for-students)[General ranking](/energy/providers)Each page scores the same electricity catalogue on the same five criteria, only with different weights. For families and for settled residents the weighting returns the same order as the general list, so they have no page of their own: the general ranking is theirs. ## How did we compare the tariffs? We scored the 26 electricity tariffs in the catalogue; gas is ranked separately. Each criterion gets 0 to 5 points from fixed record fields: unit rate under 27 cents = 5, under 30 = 4, under 33 = 3, under 36 = 2, above that 1, no fixed unit rate 3, minus one point for a new-customer bonus. Price guarantee of 24 months or more = 5, 18 = 4, 12 = 3, none = 0. No term, or monthly with up to two weeks notice = 5, twelve months = 2. Grundversorgung = 5 for signing up, smart meter required = 2, otherwise 4. English service = 5, otherwise 1. A tariff can only be picked when its own persona verdict in the catalogue is at least 3 out of 5 with no blocker. Prices are for each record's reference postcode and consumption profile, because the grid operator at your address sets part of the price. Always re-check the tariff for your own postcode. ## Related Guides - [Best energy providers in Germany](/energy/providers) - [Setting up electricity and gas](/energy/setting-up-utilities) - [How electricity and gas work in Germany](/energy/electricity-gas) - [Every tariff in the catalogue](/energy/providers-price-research) --- Source: https://www.guide-germany.com/energy/providers/best-for-students Last updated: n/a Format: LLM-readable Markdown twin (.md) of the canonical HTML page.