Compare models and read in-depth electric car reviews
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Electric vehicles, or EVs for short, are powered by a rechargeable battery and 1 or more electric motors.
Electric car builders may install 1, 2 or even 4 motors. The most common battery type is Lithium-Ion (Li-ion), which is increasingly found in everything from mass-market handheld devices to remote-controlled models. There are weight, discharge and energy density benefits to Li-ion, making them the go-to power cell until new battery technology is developed.
Because of the efficient way electric motors deliver torque, acceleration is far more immediate than an internal combustion engine.
Instead of having a fuel filler, EVs have a charging plug, and in place of trips to a petrol station, you visit a charger.
What's the difference between an EV, PHEV and a hybrid/mild hybrid?
An EV (or more accurately, a Battery Electric Vehicle/BEV) has 1 or more electric motors and a rechargeable power bank that provides propulsion. Tesla is the most obvious and perhaps well-known EV maker, though established car manufacturers like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Volvo and Nissan are all in the game now.
A PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) is a car with electric motors, a much smaller battery and a traditional internal-combustion engine (ICE). It combines the 2 forms of drive to provide the best of both worlds, including reduced fuel usage, emissions and an EV-only mode. As the name implies, you can plug-in a PHEV to recharge the batteries. An example of PHEV would be the Mitsubishi Outlander or Hyundai Ioniq. There are even some large SUVs like the Volvo XC90 available as PHEV variants.
A Mild-Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV) generates its own electrical energy from a traditional internal combustion engine and augments it with an electric motor. Typically, there's no option to select electric-only mode. Some models might have the ability to momentarily run on electric power alone, with this activating briefly at low speeds. Others may utilise the motors for energy recovery, improving efficiency. You could think of an MHEV as a stepping stone between a PHEV and a traditional internal combustion engine car. Perhaps the most famous MHEV is the Toyota Prius.
The PHEV or MHEV acronyms more accurately denote the type of "hybrid" vehicle a model is.
Electric Vehicle incentives & subsidies
Historically, Australia has lagged behind other developed countries with few states and territories offering meaningful Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) subsidies or rebates. For example, in Norway, there are more than 10 incentives and perks that apply when you buy an EV.
In Australia, there are now some state-level incentives, like stamp duty and registration discounts in NSW, ACT, Victoria and Queensland. These are changing all the time, so keep your ear to the ground.
Starting 1 September 2021, the NSW Government is offering 25,000 rebates of $3,000 to buyers of electric cars valued under $68,750 (including GST).
Additionally, from the same date, electric vehicles worth less than $78,000 (whether new or used) will be exempt from stamp duty. The NSW Government says that equals to potential savings of up to $5,540!
Be aware that from 1 July 2027 (or when 30% of the number of new vehicle orders are electric), EV drivers will be levied with a 2.5 cent per kilometre road-user charge. The NSW Government indicates that the average motorist pays $622 annually now in fuel excise, and this road-user charge will total around $315 yearly (for the average driver).
Starting 2 May 2021, Victoria introduced a $3,000 Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) subsidy program. The incentive is designed to effectively reduce the cost of purchasing an eco-friendly vehicle and to encourage the uptake of electric cars.
Am I eligible for an electric vehicle subsidy?
Initially, the Victorian Government is making 4,000 grants available (just under 2,000 remain as of late December 2021), each worth $3,000, with 2 more rounds of subsidies set to occur over the next few years.
Eligibility criteria for the Victoria ZEV subsidy:
You must be a Victorian resident or business located in the state (proof of residential status and identity required)
Private buyers have 1 subsidy only. Businesses can apply for 2.
Car must be valued under $68,740
Motorbikes and other non-car vehicles do not qualify.
According to the ZEV Subsidy website, the grant is deducted from the final price at the point of sale. Tesla says the value is taken from the driveaway price. Your electric vehicle dealer should know more.
Victorian EV drivers can also qualify for a $100 rego fee discount.
ACT electric car buyers benefit from a few concessions. Electric vehicles are subject to a stamp duty exemption, which can equate to a substantial saving. If you buy your car between 24 May 2021 and 30 June 2024, you also receive a 2-year exemption from rego.
Queensland electric car buyers benefit from a reduced stamp duty rate. This can make a substantial difference if you're also considering a high value, V8 luxury car.
If you're in South Australia, you have a few electric vehicle incentives available to you. The first 7,000 SA drivers to buy an electric car after 28 October 2021 receive a $3,000 subsidy – providing the car is valued under $68,750 (when factoring in GST).
South Australians also get a rego fee exemption for 3 years (until 30 June 2025) – again, as long as the car is valued under $68,750 (inc. GST).
Northern Territory EV buyers benefit from a rego discount (EVs are placed in one of the cheapest classifications).
It is expected that the Northern Territory government will introduce further incentives in July 2022.
EV buyers in Tasmania receive a stamp duty exemption, potentially saving you thousands (over buying a performance or luxury car with a high-power engine).
Sorry to report this, but there are no incentives for electric vehicle buyers in Western Australia right now. You might find utility company-level perks, like off-peak charging and an allocation of "free" monthly kilometres through trial tariffs from companies like Synergy.
Federal incentives
There is 1 federal incentive available to Australian EV car buyers, an increased Luxury Car Tax threshold for "fuel-efficient" vehicles. This technically isn't an EV exclusive rate, but it means for the 2021–2022 financial year, the LCT threshold for a standard vehicle is $69,152, where a fuel-efficient model has a much higher $79,659. That's a $10,507 difference!
Here are some things you need to think about when purchasing an electric car.
Range is going to be the limiting factor of an electric car. It's much more of a concern than it is with a petrol or diesel vehicle. If you're running low in a fossil-fuel car, you go to the petrol station and top up. The whole thing takes maybe 5 minutes if you also decide to buy some lunch.
When an EV battery runs low, you need to find a charging station. If you live in a city like Sydney or Melbourne, that's not going to be a big problem. There are many outlets available, scattered throughout the metro areas. However, move inland and the distance between chargers starts to increase. More and more are opening all the time, but you need to plan your journey a little more thoroughly.
Then you have to think about charging times. Depending on the amperage of the power point, the charging capacity of your car and the battery level, you could need up to 1 hour to top up your range again. Level 1 chargers are generally for home use and restore 10–20km per hour of charge time. Level 2 can replenish up to 40km per hour, while Level 3 gives 150km (or more) for every hour of recharging. Of course, in day-to-day use, you can just top the car up using a domestic home charger, providing you have a drive to park your EV.
It's important to buy an EV that suits your usage. If you live near a city and only use your car for short trips (statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show most Aussies travel less than 40km to work daily), an EV (even with the shortest range) could comfortably last you several days between charges. If you're driving long distances out into the middle of nowhere, you'll want a model with the most amount of range possible.
Models like the Audi e-tron, BMW iX3, BMW iX, Jaguar I-Pace, Tesla Model S, Tesla Model 3, the Kia Niro Electric and the Hyundai Kona electric can all cover close to 450km (or more) between recharges. Just like a conventional fuel-powered car, how you drive will affect the amount of energy you use.
Electric cars should cost you less per kilometre than an equivalent combustion engine vehicle. If you covered an average of 15,000km, here's how the cost would break down:
Electric car
Battery capacity
Energy use
Annual equivalent fuel costs*
Yearly savings on a fuel car*
Nissan Leaf
40kWh
17.1kWh/100km
$1,440
$798.75
Tesla Model S
60kWh
16.7kWh/100km
$3,012
$2,385.75
Jaguar I-Pace
90kWh
23.0kWh/100km
$2,046
$1,183.50
Hyundai Ioniq
38.3kWh
11.7kWh/100km
$1,440
$1,001.25
Hyundai Kona
39.2kWh
13.1kWh/100km
$1,539
$1,047.75
*Based on equivalent size/performance of vehicle, prices for fuel in Sydney ($1.58 for 91RON ULP as of Jan 2022), price of electric set at $0.25 per kWh.
Servicing costs are also favourable on electric cars, thanks to them having fewer moving parts.
To give you an idea of the difference, a Jaguar F-Pace SUV has a 5-year service plan that costs $1,950. Meanwhile, the same plan on the I-Pace EV (with 70,000 more kilometres covered, so up to 200,000) is complimentary. The Hyundai Kona Elite 2.0-litre petrol CVT has a pre-paid service plan available for $1,595, where the electric Kona Elite costs $1,385.
However, it is worth noting that EVs tend to be more expensive to purchase. For example, a Kia Niro S electric costs $67,490, where the Niro S Hybrid is $41,990.
Economical and green vehicles get federal and, depending on where you live, state-level incentives.
At the federal level, there's a higher Luxury Car Tax threshold for fuel-efficient vehicles (not just electric cars) and some states are now giving drivers reduced stamp duty rates, discounted rego and even grants for buying electric cars.
It is true that at the moment, most of Australia's electricity is generated by burning coal (54%), while renewable energies represent just 24%. Consequently, electric cars aren't as healthy for the environment overall. However, urban areas would benefit from a reduction in localised pollution, such as from exhaust tailpipes. EVs don't emit carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, inhalable suspended particles (measuring just 0.01mm in size) from the exhaust and other pollutants (though the tyres and brake pads will still produce these).
Added side effects would be fewer hospital admissions, longer life expectancy and fewer deaths resulting from lung cancer. As energy production switches to more and more sustainable sources, the carbon footprint of EVs will continue to shrink.
Switching from a petrol to an electric vehicle means you ditch the potentially explosive gasoline in the fuel tank. While it is true that the batteries on electric cars are flammable, manufacturers take extra precautions to isolate and prevent fires. For example, they may install a heat shield, layers of fireproof matting, break up the battery into smaller arrays and use cut-off switches or circuit breakers.
It's not like fossil fuel cars don't catch fire. Apparently, for every billion miles travelled, there are 55 petrol car fires. By comparison, Tesla reports its EVs have a rate of only 5 per billion. There's also the phenomena of static fires, which can occur due to a build of static electricity while refuelling – so much so there's a 2005 Australian Transport Safety Bureau research paper on them.
In fact, some studies suggest EVs are safer in a smash due to the battery pack often residing down under the floor, giving the car a lower centre of gravity.
There's a lot of information and media attention surrounding the potential environmental benefits of electric vehicles.
Using the Green Vehicle Guide, we can directly compare electric cars with a comparable fossil-fuel counterpart for fuel life-cycle emissions, measured in grams per kilometre. This includes transportation (and generation) of both energy sources.
For comparison, a Tesla Model S has a fuel life-cycle rating of 156g of CO2 per km. That's at today's current energy supply mix (largely fossil fuels). An equivalent size passenger car emits over 225g. A University of Queensland report from last year placed the emissions as much as 40% lower, even with today's energy sources. As the government switches to more renewable and sustainable energy sources, the effective emissions will lower too.
If you charge your EV using a solar power set-up, then the car will definitely be environmentally friendly.
Switching the nation's fleet of cars over to electric would help Australia minimise its reliance on imported fuels.
Electric cars make heavy use of rare-earth materials and metals, many of which are found in Australia. Mining companies suggest Australia has significant deposits of some of the more in-demand minerals.
Just like you wouldn't expect an engine to last forever, batteries have a limited lifespan. The general consensus estimates a lifespan of 10–20 years, depending on the model and also operating conditions.
EVs share the same batteries you'd find in a mobile phone. You may have observed that over time, you get through less and less of the day on a single phone charge. That's because the device makers allow us to use 100% of the battery. However, it's thought that just 500 recharges from 0–100% actually damage the cell.
It's interesting how car manufacturers are handling this. Carmakers are limiting the amount you can discharge. They add a protective buffer that stops the car going into the dangerous levels of charge, where you'd actually harm the battery. In theory, at least, they should last much longer this way. For example, Tesla only allows you to charge to 90% by default, though you can override this if you needed a little more range, for example.
Which EV model is best?
Best is a subjective term, so the best electric car for you will depend on how you plan on using it.
Which EV should I buy for a family car?
If you have kids, you're definitely going to need space. You might like something SUV-shaped, these models are proving extremely popular with car buyers at the moment. You'll also no doubt appreciate a practical and hard-wearing interior. Safety likely ranks as a high priority for parents.
That narrows our comparison down to a handful of key models – the Tesla Model X, the Mercedes EQC, Jaguar's I-Pace and the Hyundai Kona.
The first 3 are all built by luxury/high-end car manufacturers, with corresponding prices. So for the Model X, Tesla asks from $136,895 (not including taxes and fees), the Merc is around $144,933 (driveaway cost), while the Jag can be in hand from $155,376. They're not cheap, but you are getting a prestige SUV.
The Tesla Model X was highly reviewed by a family car review. The only point it got knocked back on was the price. The doors lift upwards which is also a really handy touch when you've got arms full of groceries and kids, and you need to pop them in the car.
The Jaguar is touted as a serious competitor to the Model X, with great handling, mean styling and an interior that is described as supreme. Car reviewers wrote of the Mercedes-Benz EQC that it was a really luxurious and refined EV that was perhaps a little too heavy and lacking in range.
At the other end of the EV SUV market is the Kona, which starts at $63,607. The Kona is a smaller vehicle, more akin to a crossover than an SUV. Motoring experts said the Kona was still a touch pricey, but that it was comfortable, with a respectable range and a practical interior.
All of the above models are modern vehicles, featuring many advanced safety assists.
Which EV is the most sporty?
The fastest electric car currently available in Australia is the Tesla Model S Performance, which blasts from 0–100km/h in just 2.6 seconds.
Porsche builds the Taycan Turbo S, which has 560kW and zips from a standing start to 100km/h in 2.8 seconds. The Taycan also has lots of sporty tech like adaptive air suspension, rear-axle steering, Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport (PDCC Sport) and torque vectoring. Car reviewers described the Taycan as phenomenal, with jaw-dropping performance and a stylish design.
Which EV is good for around-town driving?
You'll probably want something compact for pure city-use, making parking and navigating tight roads easier. The Nissan Leaf springs to mind. It's sold as the world's best-selling EV, has a 270km range and some unique features which make it well-suited to eating up city streets.
For a start, there's the single-pedal driving mode, which automatically brakes when you ease off the accelerator. It smoothens out potholes and speed bumps with clever use of the brakes and motor. It even brakes each wheel separately for better turning. Then there's the list of safety assists. Couple those with its keen (for an EV) starting driveaway price of $54,494 and you can see why it's so popular.
Hyundai's Ioniq would also be another strong contender for similar reasons.
Which EV should I buy for a company car?
If you need to travel long distances, range is going to be the most critical factor to consider. Tesla still holds the crown for the EV with the most range, as of January 2020. The Model S Long Range spec has a New European Driving Cycle (NEDC – actually created in the 1980s) derived range of 713km! The NEDC test is more of an ideal conditions figure. The Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP – came into effect in 2017) takes place in a lab, but inputs real-world data into the equation. The Model S Long Range has a WLTP figure of 610km, which is still the highest on the market to date.
Also, with the Tesla network of superchargers, you can restore up to 249km of range in just 15 minutes.
I want an electric ute
Your options at the moment are a bit limited, but they are coming.
The Tesla Cybertruck is perhaps the most obvious option. It'll start from $58,900 when it arrives here, although production has been put back to 2023. It's a bit of a beast, with a towing capacity of 6.35 tonnes on the top-spec model and a super rugged stainless-steel body. Models are also incoming from Rivian and Bollinger. It is also believed that major car companies like Ford and GM are working on EV utes. Locally, many mining companies are already converting staples like the LandCruiser 79 to electric power.
Ben Gribbin is an automotive writer at Finder. He is a life-long car enthusiast, bringing many years of experience working with and writing about cars. During his time, Ben has been a freelance writer, editor and reviewer for a number of leading publications across the UK. He was voted the Guild of Motoring Writers Breakthrough Blogger in 2015.
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