Chargers are easily available

An electric vehicle (EV) is a car that runs on electricity stored in batteries instead of traditional petrol, gasoline or diesel fuel.

The best place to charge is at home using a normal 3-pin wall plug or purchase a faster home charger.
If you use your car during the day for work, consider switching to an energy plan (like OvoEnergy or AGL) that provide cheaper rates between midnight and 6am, specifically for EV charging

If you live in an apartment block, you may need to discuss with your strata a location to charge your EV.

Otherwise look for one of the public charging stations. Some workplaces, shopping centres, and public parking areas offer charging stations as well.

Apps to help you find chargers and plan trips:

Plug Share

A Better Route Planner

The range of an EV varies by model. Entry-level EVs may have a range of around 300 kms, while high-end models can exceed 600 kms on a single charge.

Charging times depend on the charger type and the EV's battery size.
Most public fast chargers take about 20-30 minutes to add sufficient charge for the next leg of your journey.
Using an ultrarapid 350kW charger can charge a car in as little as 8 minutes; whereas using a 7kW standard charging point will require around 10 hours from empty to full. Remember, you don’t have to charge it full every time though.

There are more and more EVs on the market all the time! Here are some links you could review (current as of July 2025)

Currently Available - NEW

Currently Available - Second hand

Coming soon

EVs generally have fewer moving parts than internal combustion engine vehicles, leading to lower maintenance costs. They require periodic checks on the battery, motor, and other components but because they don’t have dirty fuel running through them, they need less maintenance and servicing.

There are plenty of new and second hand EV models available in Australia.
In websites like Carsales.com, remember to filter for EV in your search criteria.

As with any car, it's a good idea to research different models and consider your needs before making a decision.

For Example:
If the car is mostly used locally, you probably don't need a long-range battery.
If you want to be able to charge or run electric items or your home off the car battery, check that it has Vehicle-to-Load(V2L) or vehicle-to-home (V2H) capability.
If you want to be able to feed energy back into the grid from the car battery, check that it has Vehicle-to-Load(V2L) capability.

If employed, novated leasing is one of the most affordable ways to own an EV due to tax exemptions

Find out more

While EVs might have a higher upfront cost, they are much cheaper to run and maintain.

Are electric cars really better for the environment, given the embedded emissions in the big battery?
Here’s an in-depth analysis
and another.

A commonly-expressed concern is that the EV battery might not last the lifetime of the car and would be expensive to replace.
How Long will my EV battery last?

A common concern is the potential battery fires from EVs.

The evidence shows that EV battery fires are very rare and EVs are no more likely to catch fire than an internal combustion vehicle.

That said, battery fires are more intense and our firefighters and emergency response teams have been receiving training on how to deal with them.

More information: NRMA and EV Firesafe Report and EV Firesafe Website

Additionally, a Swedish study from May 2023 showed that petrol cars are more than 20 times likely to catch fire. All fires are extremely rare

EVs contain lithium, which is mined to create batteries. It’s a great resource and it can be recycled.

Can our electric grid handle it?
Yes - the energy providers are confident that there will not be an issue:
- many people charge their EV’s during the day from their rooftop solar.
- some energy plans offer special rates for EV charging when there is typically excess energy available eg. AGL and OvoEnergy plans for EV charging between midnight and 6am.
- EV owners are encouraged not to charge their EVs during the evening peak (5pm to 9pm)

With the introduction of Vehicle-to-Grid(V2G) and Virtual Power Plants(VPP)s, EV batteries are forecast to become a useful player in the energy market, helping to provide energy when needed eg. during peak periods and blackouts.

While the upfront cost of EVs can seem high at the moment, we encourage you to factor in the long-term savings when making your calculations. The average Australian household spends over $3000 every year just on fuel costs, compared with a few hundred dollars charging an EV (or free if you can charge it using your daytime solar).

The cost of EVs is also declining, especially if the federal government introduces more policies to support this market transition, such as fuel efficiency standards). This is a rapidly changing space, with new models coming online regularly.

As new EV models are launched and second hand ones hit the resale market, electric cars are still in outstanding condition with clean engines, and minimal wear and tear. They have been selling quickly. Not only have early owners of EV’s saved money but they’ve been able to recoup significant value when they next upgrade.

In the last few years demand for EV’s has been outstripping supply and that has been hugely beneficial for for early adopting owners, with some owners reporting up to 100% resale value.

While no one can accurately predict what a car will be worth three years from now, we’d expect an EV bought today to be worth more than the ‘48% rate after 3 years’ the ATO stipulates.

For businesses, we assume you’re taking advantage of the fringe benefits tax (FBT) exemption that applies to EVs below the luxury car tax threshold, and you are novated leasing, so you will not only get the tax benefits but could also have a car worth more than the final payment on a lease after three years.