Buying an electric vehicle

Things to consider when choosing the right electric or hybrid vehicle to suit your lifestyle

  1. Choose an EV that suits your lifestyle

    Your ideal electric car will depend on several factors, including your budget, travel habits, and lifestyle.

  2. Save with incentives

    Check what government rebates or incentives are available in your state or territory.

  3. Charging options

    Find out where your closest public charging station is. Consider installing a home charger if you have off-street parking or adding solar to re-charge for free.

  4. Driving range

    Check how far the electric car model will travel on a full charge to make sure it works with your driving habits.

The different types of electric cars are determined by the degree to which electricity is used to power the vehicle. While some people don’t consider hybrid vehicles EVs in the strictest sense, we’ve included them in our summary because they draw at least a portion of their power from electricity.

Battery electric vehicles

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) – also known as ‘plug-in’ EVs – run soley on electricity and use an external electrical charging outlet to charge the battery.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

Plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) are powered by a mix of fuel and electricity. They can be charged with electricity using a plug, but also have a fuel engine.

Hybrid electric vehicles

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) are powered by both petrol or diesel and a small battery. The battery is charged up by the braking system in the vehicle, so no plug-in charging is needed.

What's the best electric vehicle for me?

Choosing which electric car is right for you depends on your current lifestyle and driving needs. Whether you’re considering going for a fully battery electric (BEV), a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or a hybrid (HEV) model, it’s good to understand the pros and cons of the different types of EVs, including the driving range and battery performance.

To help you decide which is best, you can search and compare the driving range, running costs and energy usage of different vehicles using the Australian Government Green Vehicles Guide.

How much does an electric or hybrid vehicle cost?

In Australia, new battery electric vehicle (or BEVs) can cost anywhere between $47,500 to $70,000 for the cheapest models and up to $200,000+ for more high-end models.

Hybrid cars (or HEVs) – with a combined petrol engine and electric motor – start from around $25,500 to $70,000 depending on brand, model and make.

While availability is limited, there’s second hand EVs starting from around $20,000–$30,000 up to +$60,000.

How much do they cost to run or service?

Electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids have much lower running costs than petrol and diesel-powered vehicles. Once the inital cost of buying a vehicle is removed, you’ll save money that otherwise would be spent on petrol and servicing costs. EVs or battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have far fewer moving parts, so they require less maintenance and don’t require regular fluid changes.

To find out how much you could save, check out CHOICE’s tool to compare the running costs over time.

How far can an electric vehicle travel on one charge?

Today’s electric vehicles have an average battery range of 480km, but the technology is advancing so rapidly that new models can drive for almost 550km or more on a single charge. In simplicity, the bigger the battery (kWh size), the further you can travel on one charge.

The average Australian drives 38km per day so an EV owner can go for at least 10 days without a recharge. Unlike petrol cars, you can recharge at home or anywhere with access to electricity.

Electric and hybrid car reviews

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