Like never before there’s a growing demand for Electric Cars, and unlike any other vehicle purchase there’s a lot of unknowns for the vast majority of buyers. This is your simple guide to Buying an Electric Car in Australia.
What you need to know, how to work out if an EV is right for you, busting the myths about Electric Cars in Australia and everything you need to know about Charging an EV.
Watch the latest episode of Two Blokes Talking Electric Cars where we cover this all and the details are below too!
Before anything else, the honest answer is: it depends on how you live. Not in a wishy-washy way, but in a very specific, practical way.
How far do you drive every day?
Research consistently shows the average Australian drives less than 40 kilometres a day. Every single EV on sale today covers that without breaking a sweat. If you’re in that camp, an EV will suit your life perfectly.
If you’re doing 200 kilometres each way on a regular basis, it’s a different conversation, but it still doesn’t have to be a dealbreaker.
Do you have somewhere to charge at home?
This is the big one. If you have off-street parking with access to a power point, that is genuinely all you need to get started. That standard household power point, using what we call a granny charger (the cable that comes with the car), will top up whatever you’ve used overnight. For someone driving 50 kilometres a day or less, it’s plenty.
If you don’t have charging at home, you need to do a bit of extra research. Can you charge at work? Is there a public charger nearby? Some people even drive to their parents’ place and plug in there. It requires a bit more planning, but it’s not impossible.
Do you do long highway drives?
Road trips are fine in an EV. I do them regularly. An EV roadtrip will be different to what you’re used to. You’ll need to plan a charging stop or two, which is very manageable. What changes is the mindset, not the ability to get there.
Are you towing anything heavy?
Light towing, yes. Big caravans, you’d be pushing it. Towing significantly reduces an EV’s range, in some cases by close to half. If regular heavy towing is part of your life, a plug-in hybrid is probably a better fit for now. Big roof storage or bike racks along with any trailer will dramatically change the aerodynamics of the car, and thus, the range.
Is this your only car?
If you’ve got two cars and you’re replacing one with an EV, just do it. The second car removes all the range anxiety and gives you a learning period. Most people who go through that quickly wonder what they were worried about.
These are the things people say to talk you out of buying an EV. Here’s the truth on each one.
“The range isn’t good enough”
Ninety percent of electric vehicles on sale today have a range of over 400 kilometres. And here’s the thing: you’re supposed to stop on long drives anyway. The “stop, revive, survive” message exists for a reason. A charging stop at a fast charger on the highway is just that, a stop. Have lunch, use the bathroom, get back on the road.
“Charging takes forever”
At home, you don’t think about it. You plug in when you get home, and the car is ready in the morning. You don’t watch it, just like you don’t watch your phone charge.
On the road, a fast charger at a highway stop will take your car from 30% to 70 or 80% in 20-40 minutes (Depends on the car and the charger). You don’t need to get to 100%. The car charges fastest when the battery is low, and slows down as it gets full. On a road trip, the sweet spot is to pull in when you need it and leave when you have enough.
“They’re too expensive”
This was true years ago when a Tesla Model S was the only option and it cost over $100,000. In 2026, you can buy the BYD Atto 1 for around $25,000 and the Jaecoo J5 for under $40,000. There is an EV for almost every budget now.
Yes, the EV version of a given car is typically $9,000 to $15,000 more than the equivalent petrol model. But the average driver saves around $3,000 a year on fuel costs alone. That gap closes fast.
“The battery will die and cost a fortune to replace”
This one does real damage, and it is simply not true. The battery has an 8-year warranty. An 8-year warranty means it’s expected to perform for at least that long. It doesn’t mean you replace it at 8 years, any more than you replace your television every year because the warranty runs out.
Pickles, one of Australia’s largest auction houses, has tested hundreds of used EVs. The average battery health at around 30,000 kilometres and 2.5 years old is 96%. Stories of EVs needing battery replacements are essentially non-existent.
“There’s nowhere to charge”
Pull up Plugshare.com and zoom in on your suburb. You’ll be surprised how many chargers are around, in shopping centres, council car parks, service stations, and on the side of streets. The Tesla Supercharger network has large sites in regional locations, open to all brands, and is expanding constantly.
“You’re not actually green because the grid runs on coal”
Plenty of people buy an EV because it drives better and costs less to run, not for environmental reasons. That’s a perfectly valid reason. If you have solar panels, a big chunk of your charging is free. The major charging networks invest in renewable energy. And even charging off the grid in Australia is cleaner than it was five years ago and will only improve over time.
Beyond fuel savings, here’s how to think about the full cost of ownership.
Servicing costs are lower
An EV has far fewer moving parts than a petrol car. No oil changes, no timing belts, no exhaust system to worry about. Because of regenerative braking, your brake pads will also last significantly longer since the car slows itself using the motor rather than the brakes.
The one caveat is tyre wear. EVs tend to be heavier vehicles and can wear through tyres slightly faster than their petrol counterparts. Adding a couple of PSI above the recommended tyre pressure is something dealers suggest to help with that.
Do the spreadsheet
When calculating your 5-year ownership cost, don’t assume all your charging will be free solar. A realistic approach is to assume roughly 50% on solar, 30% on the grid at standard rates, and 20% at public fast chargers. That gives you a conservative but honest number to compare against petrol.
Look at the incentives
If you’re employed and can access a novated lease, the FBT exemption on electric vehicles is a genuine saving. Talk to your accountant about what’s available in your state and what depreciation assumptions make sense. Secondhand EV prices are also holding up much better than many predicted, which matters if you’re planning to sell or trade in after a few years.
Understand what range really means
There are two testing standards you’ll see, NEDC and WLTP. Neither perfectly reflects real-world driving. The most useful thing to know is that EVs are more efficient in the city than on the highway, which is the opposite of a petrol car. A car rated at 500 kilometres of range might deliver 550 in stop-start city driving but closer to 400 on a freeway at 110km/h.
Cold weather also reduces range. On a very cold morning, your displayed range will drop below the rated figure. This is normal.
A useful resource is ev-database.org, which lists city, highway and combined range estimates for most vehicles sold in Australia.
Understand your charging options
Check what your car can actually accept before spending money on a three-phase installation. If your car maxes out at 11kW, you don’t need it.
Ask about what comes in the box
Not every car includes every cable. Most come with a granny charger. Many also include a public AC cable, which lets you plug into chargers at shopping centres that don’t have a cable attached. If it’s not included, buy it. Having both cables in the car gives you maximum flexibility wherever you end up.
Battery and vehicle warranty
Battery warranties are typically 8 years. Vehicle warranties vary by brand, anywhere from 3 to 7 years. Ask specifically what the battery warranty covers, particularly around features like bidirectional or vehicle-to-grid charging, which some brands exclude from warranty cover.
Software updates
Most modern EVs update themselves over the air, like your phone. Some older or more traditional brands still require you to bring the car to a dealership for updates. Ask the dealer which applies, because software updates often add features, not just bug fixes.
ADAS and safety features
On your test drive, nudge slightly over the speed limit in a 50 zone. See what the car does. Lane keeping, speed alerts, and automatic braking systems vary enormously between brands. Some are genuinely helpful. Others are intrusive enough that they’d drive you mad on a daily commute. Find out whether they can be turned off, and how easily.
Delivery timeframes
Ask upfront how long you’ll be waiting. Some cars are available from stock. Others require months. If you’re replacing a car on a specific timeline, this matters.
Test drives and dealer policies
Many dealerships require you to book a test drive in advance. Ask whether you can take the car on the road you actually drive, not a set route around the block. If you want to take it home to check it fits your garage or carport, ask for that. If they won’t accommodate you, try another dealership. You are the one writing the cheque.
Set a budget first. EVs now range from around $25,000 to over $300,000. Knowing your number narrows the field significantly.
Know your must-haves. Boot space, towing capacity, number of seats, ISOFIX anchor points for child seats, whether it needs to fit your golf bag, whether you need seven seats. Write them down before you walk into a showroom so you’re not talked into something that doesn’t fit your life.
Drive more than one car. It reinforces your decision or changes it. Either outcome is valuable. You might find a feature on a car you’d never considered that becomes the thing you can’t live without. One pedal driving is a great example. Some people love it. Others don’t. You won’t know until you try it.
Join the Facebook owner groups for any car you’re seriously considering. Ask current owners what happens when something goes wrong. How does the dealership handle service? What’s the claims experience like with insurance? How easy is it to get it repaired if you have a bingle? These are things people never think to ask before they sign, and they absolutely should.
Ask your insurer. When you’re getting insurance quotes, ask about qualified repair centres for that specific car. NRMA Insurance has done significant work on EV-qualified repair networks and can give you a sense of what the experience looks like if something goes wrong.
Don’t just buy the brand you’ve always had. The EV market in 2026 is completely different to even two or three years ago. There are Chinese brands, Korean brands, European brands and American brands all competing hard for your money. Some of them offer genuinely extraordinary value. Take your time, do the research, and drive as many as you can before deciding.
And if you want to talk it through, We’d love to chat to you on our podcast Two Blokes Talking Electric Cars – send a text or WhatsApp to 0477 657 657. That’s what Two Blokes Talking Electric Cars is there for.
Two Blokes Talking Electric Cars is hosted by Trevor Long and Stephen Fenech and is available on all major podcast platforms and YouTube.
Trev is a Technology Commentator, Dad, Speaker and Rev Head.
He produces and hosts several popular podcasts, EFTM, Two Blokes Talking Tech, Two Blokes Talking Electric Cars, The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen, and the Private Feed. He is the resident tech expert for Triple M on radio across Australia, and is the resident Tech Expert on Channel 9’s Today Show and appears regularly on 9 News, A Current Affair and Sky News Early Edition.
Father of three, he is often found in his Man Cave.
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