Every year, millions of British households face the same puzzle: which energy supplier will actually deliver good service when things go wrong? Recent rankings from Which? and Citizens Advice reveal dramatic differences between the best and worst performers in the industry.
Energy supplier rankings expose stark contrasts between industry leaders and laggards when customers need help most.
Four suppliers earned Which? Recommended Provider status in 2026 after a survey of nearly 12,000 customers. E (Gas & Electricity) topped the rankings with exceptional customer service, ease of contact, and clarity. Octopus Energy, now Britain’s biggest electricity supplier, joined the elite group with strong overall performance. Sainsbury’s Energy achieved this honor for the first time with a 76% customer score and three or four stars across all service areas. 100Green also made the cut, demonstrating excellence throughout the assessment. Many top suppliers also emphasized diversification benefits in their offerings to appeal to risk-conscious customers.
The worst performers tell a different story. Scottish Power scored just 56% overall and received the lowest points for complaints handling. EDF faced criticism for insufficient monitoring of phone lines and emails despite a 4.8 Trustpilot rating. British Gas struggled with complaint resolution and customer switching issues, even though complaints fell over 20% yearly. All three received scores below 60%, landing at the bottom of combined surveys.
Mid-tier suppliers showed mixed results. E.ON Next performed best among big suppliers at 66%, though still mediocre. Ovo Energy barely crossed the 60% mark at 61%. British Gas ranked 16th in some reviews despite being the second largest supplier. So Energy scored well with customers but achieved an overall score of 60% due to low marks in the supplier assessment.
Citizens Advice scores for July-September 2025 painted another picture. Outfox Energy ranked second with 4.0 out of 5 overall. 100Green and Co-op Energy both achieved 3 out of 5, with 100Green reaching a perfect 5 out of 5 in one category. Surprisingly, Octopus Energy and E scored just 3 and 2 out of 5 overall respectively. TruEnergy bottomed out at 1.9 out of 5.
The message is clear: bigger doesn’t mean better. Top providers responded to over 90% of emails within two days and excelled in helping vulnerable customers. With fixed tariffs now reliably cheaper than the energy price cap, consumers no longer need to accept poor value or shoddy service. Choosing wisely could mean the difference between smooth sailing and endless frustration.
