Stiftung Warentest reveals: What to look out for when comparing electricity prices

Nowhere in the whole world does a kilowatt hour cost more than for German consumers – a bitter realization, especially with prices still rising. The only thing that helps is a comparison. But even Germany’s best comparison portal leaves a lot to be desired.

Expensive electricity: German consumers pay the highest prices worldwide

Germans pay the highest electricity price in the world. The comparison portal Verivox currently calls up 31.80 euro cents – in an international comparison an absolute negative peak value and almost three times the global average of 11.62 cents (source: Verivox). These are the absolute numbers. In Germany, however, purchasing power is also comparatively high.

In relation to purchasing power, Germany ranks 15th worldwide and is still at the top of the G20 – the leading industrial nations. So it’s no wonder that consumer advocates have recently sounded the alarm – and customers react in shock. who wants to save electricity, currently has bad cards. It is even worse if you don’t dare to compare prices.

Just recently the Stiftung Warentest determined the best comparison portals for electricity prices in Germany. the Check24 achieved the best grade with “satisfactory (2.8)”. A triumph looks different, so the product testers explicitly do not speak of a test winner (source: Stiftung Warentest).

The consumer-friendly default settings are positively noted at Check24. In addition, it can be used there in contrast to the competition compare the monthly installment, although not directly apparent. The focus is on the monthly average price, but this includes any bonuses that do not apply equally to all customers. In the data protection declaration, however, there are serious shortcomings.

The average price is also in the foreground with Verivox, which is just in second place. What the two top dogs also share: The results of the comparison would not sorted according to the cheapest offer, advertised tariffs are shown preferentially instead. The Stiftung Warentest calls this “zero placement”. You create a slot outside of the rating, which can be seen prominently in front of place 1.

With the conclusion of a cheaper electricity tariff you can save a lot of money – with the tricks from our Video this is also possible with online shopping:

Despite criticism: those who use Check24 and Co. properly can save a lot

But anyone who knows such stumbling blocks can – and should – use portals to compare prices (see Check24). Here it is recommended to look for alternative tariffs on several portals and compare their results. The Stiftung Warentest also advises paying attention to good customer ratings and, in particular, using the correct old tariff as a comparison. In this way, the most reliable result possible can be achieved.