You can now buy an EV for $25,000 and there’s a wide range of electric cars and SUVs for less than $45K from BYD, MG, GWM, Chery and other brands. Here are the cheapest EVs to buy in Australia right now.
Electric
Should I get an EV or a home solar battery first?
Buying an electric vehicle or solar battery can reduce your bills but deciding which to invest in first can be a tricky decision. Here’s how to choose.
Australians are catching on to the benefits of electric vehicles and solar batteries. EVs accounted for 14.6 per cent of all new vehicles sold in Australia during March 2026, almost double the percentage sold in March 2025.
Buoyed by the federal government’s Cheaper Home Batteries program, home solar batteries have also surged in popularity over the last year. Between July and December 2025, 183,245 home batteries were sold in Australia, four times the number sold in the same period the year prior.
While the financial benefits of these technologies are well documented, the upfront costs mean that few households can afford to purchase both an electric vehicle and home battery system at the same time.
So, which should you buy first?
To help you answer that question we’ve compared the costs and benefits of EVs and solar batteries.
In this article
Many households can benefit from both an EV and solar battery but deciding which to purchase first can be tricky. Image: Matt Harvey
Why get an EV or solar home battery?
EVs and solar home batteries are both technologies helping drive the electrification of Australian homes.
They can both help reduce household running costs and emissions, but how they do so, and how effective they can be, is highly dependent on individuals and their lifestyles.
What problem do you want to solve?
I want to reduce fuel costs
For motorists who drive a lot and want to reduce their fuel costs, an EV may be the better technology to prioritise.
Solar Victoria estimates that driving an EV instead of a petrol or diesel car with an internal combustion engine (ICE) can save motorists up to $1,600 a year in fuel and maintenance bills. For drivers with high annual kilometres, the savings can be even greater.
I want to reduce home electricity costs
If you’re aiming to minimise your home electricity bills then installing a home solar battery could be the better option for you.
Solar batteries work by storing excess electricity generated during the day, allowing you to use it (or feed it back into the grid) at night-time when demand is highest and supply is lowest.
Installing a solar battery at home can also be useful for households wanting more energy security and a backup electricity supply in case of a power outage.
Solar batteries can help provide households with energy independance, especially in blackout-prone areas.
Cost comparison: EVs vs solar batteries
EV Costs
New EVs start at around $25,000 plus on-road costs in Australia, with electric SUVs starting at $31,990 plus ORCs. Finance options, including green loans, can help you buy an EV by spreading the cost over time through repayments. Alternatively, a novated lease allows eligible employees to make repayments from their pre-tax salary, and that has the potential to reduce your taxable income and result in a tax saving.
In addition to the upfront purchase price, you should also factor in how you’ll be charging your new EV when calculating total costs. Charging at home will generally be cheaper than at a public charging station, especially if you have solar panels or a battery installed where clever planning can see you charge for free.
The savings from an EV are typically more immediate compared to a solar home battery.
Australia’s Electric Vehicle Council calculates that swapping to an EV can reduce your cost per kilometre by 80 per cent a year (based on the average Australian motorist driving 12,000km per year and spending $2,500 on petrol).
The discount on registering an EV in Victoria ended in January 2026.
Read more: The cheapest EVs you can buy in Australia.
Do EVs cost less in maintenance than ICE vehicles?
It’s hard to definitively say that EVs cost less in maintenance costs than petrol or diesel vehicles.
However, EVs do have a less complex powertrain with fewer moving parts, and typically use fewer fluids to operate, so maintenance spending in those areas can be less.
With fewer components requiring routine attention, EVs can take less time to maintain – potentially reducing servicing costs. Where a conventional service schedule might be as frequent as every six or 12 months, some EVs only have a 24-month service interval.
Expect to spend more on tyre replacement, as electric vehicles are often fitted with specially tuned, low-rolling resistance tyres, which can be more expensive to replace.
Find out more about the differences in servicing costs between EVs and ICE vehicles.
Solar home battery costs
Home solar batteries typically start at $11,500. You’ll also need to factor in the cost of solar panels if you don’t already have them installed.
You can expect solar batteries to last between 12 and 15 years generally, though batteries can last up to 20 years in optimum conditions. All batteries sold through RACV Solar come with a 10-year product warranty, as well as a 5-year warranty on installation.
Solar Victoria estimates that ideally a solar home battery will pay for itself within 10 years.
What if I’ve already got solar panels?
Having a pre-existing solar PV system in place will benefit you regardless of whether you opt for an EV or solar home battery first.
For EV owners, solar panels can help them reduce the charging costs of their vehicle, especially if they’re able to charge their vehicle during the day.
And since solar panels are a necessity for solar home batteries, having them already installed can help you save on some upfront costs when installing a battery.
Bidirectional charging can allow some EVs to be used like a solar battery, but the technology isn't widely available in Australia just yet. Image: Matt Harvey.
The rebates available for EVs and solar home batteries
Rebates and incentives for EVs
Victoria has not offered an EV purchase subsidy since 30 June 2023. Eligible EV owners can still receive a $100 registration rebate, which is automatically applied at renewal and shown on your renewal notice. Other states and territories may offer additional incentives.
At a federal level, the main incentive is the Electric Car Discount, which exempts eligible EVs from Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) and certain import charges, helping reduce the cost to employees when vehicles are provided through a novated lease.
Learn more: Electric vehicle rebates, discounts and incentives in Australia
Rebates for solar batteries
You can access rebates for solar home batteries through the federal government’s Cheaper Home Batteries program. Changes to this scheme will come into effect from May 1, 2026.
Learn more: Rebates for solar products in Victoria.
Can an EV replace a home battery?
Theoretically, yes. Some EVs are capable of bidirectional charging. This is where the EV can supply power back into a home (or the electricity grid), in addition to taking power from the home or grid to power itself.
In homes that have a solar PV (panel) system installed, EVs with bidirectional charging can even be used like a solar battery by absorbing excess electricity during the day and feeding it back to the property at night.
However, this technology is still in its infancy in Australia, with very few bidirectional charging-capable EVs available in the local market.
Learn more: Bidirectional charging in Australia.
Final verdict: should you get an EV or solar home battery first?
Deciding whether to get an EV or home solar battery first is a deeply individual question determined by your personal circumstances and where you’re hoping to make the most savings.
Get an EV first if:
- You drive a lot
- You want to save on fuel costs
- You want more immediate savings.
More: Research and compare electric cars in Australia
Get a home solar battery first if:
- You want energy independence and have blackout protection
- You want to reduce your home energy costs
- You already have solar panels.
