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    Soaring fuel prices see spike in EV interest in Australia
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    Soaring fuel prices see spike in EV interest in Australia


    Soaring fuel prices see spike in EV interest in Australia

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-22/ev-interest-rises-as-fuel-prices-soar-australia/106472022?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=link

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    30 Comments

    1. SoldantTheCynic on

      It pushed me over the edge to get an EV after sitting on the fence for a while. Went to BYD about 2 weeks ago and they were packed. From doing a test drive to putting down a deposit 4 hours later, the immediately available stock of the model I wanted had all sold out, and wait times were starting to get unpredictable.

      Obviously an EV won’t suit everyone but I expect a lot of people will be looking to trade in or lease to insulate themselves against fuel shock going forward. Great time to be a Chinese EV manufacturer!

    2. michaelhbt on

      We were planning on getting one when our lease runs out. Word of warning there is a 3 month wait in some places

    3. maxinstuff on

      This is kind of funny to me – I suppose even if we take up EV’s for the wrong reasons the outcome is still positive.

      Firstly – oil prices have always been subject to hard to predict geopolitical issues – but it never stays up permanently. Only a couple of years ago oil prices were negative for a short time….

      Secondly – it’s not like electricity prices have been stable either – at least oil eventually comes back down, I don’t think I’ve ever seen electricity prices (to consumers) drop outside of explicit government subsidies.

    4. No_pajamas_7 on

      I dont believe its converting people from solid ICE advocates to EV buyers.

      Just bringing forward those that were thinking about it anyway.

      50l every fortnight at 40cents more is only $10/week more. And it may only last 3 months.

      People aren’t racing out and financing a new car to do that. Not people that can do maths.

    5. Virtual-Exercise-256 on

      If I was looking to buy new vehicle anyway, this whole situation would’ve tipped me fully into EV, easy. Unfortunately I can’t casually drop 40k into new vehicle, so I’ll just keep driving my 20+ year old commodore, I’ll drive it till it can’t drive no more..

    6. Jealous-Hedgehog-734 on

      I had one for the novelty value and liked it, but when I traded it in there wasn’t really any more interesting available as an EV at the time. They where all kind of alike.

      I think manufacturers are starting to push the boat out on more interesting EVs now though. Renault have a hot hatch and VW do the Microbus.

    9. HorseRenior77 on

      I just put an order on a Tesla, my car was playing up and it was always on the cards. But wow every EV I looked at actually went up in price this past week. They still all sold out.

    10. Ok-Limit-9726 on

      I have seen more enquires to ev forums on Fb and reddit in the last 3 weeks than the last 18months!

    12. finlopes997 on

      With the rumours that the next budget might change or take out the EV exemption for fringe benefit taxes, I finally pulled the trigger on a used 2025 GWM Ora. This whole fuel crisis convinced me.

    14. Gothiscandza on

      Kind of expecting this to have a similar effect that the 1970s oil shock did on car consumer behaviour. The fuel shortages and high prices really snapped people into going for less big cars and was what really set up the rise in small cars, particularly from Japanese automakers, which really rocketed them to success and surpassing the old American ones. 

      Can definitely see that it’s basically the perfect setup for a similar effect with EVs, since they were already on an uptick before, and the scale coming out of the Chinese ones in particular were starting to make them more and more affordable (relatively). Combine that with a reminder that fuel is potentially riskier than we took for granted, while electricity generation can be more secure. Would absolutely not be surprised to see this as a big turning point in consumer behaviour like the ones decades ago. 

    15. Rich_Sea_2679 on

      People who can afford an EV are probably not the People too bothered by fuel price increases.

    16. mitvh2311 on

      I just bought a new diesel car last year. I’m not interested in EVsand even if I was I can’t get one

    18. exidy on

      Just wait for wartime profiteering on gas to send electricity prices through the roof again. 🙁

    19. kingofcrob on

      Power company’s just got hard because it’s a good excuse to increase price’s.

    20. Der0- on

      Those driving the too big for our road yank tank emotional support vehicles must be sitting really smug behind the wheel now.

    21. CassiusCreed on

      I bought a diesel last year. Interesting in electric but also enjoy off roading and I don’t think there are any pure electrics capable of that yet.

    22. Believe_in_u_always on

      Have to wonder, is the government using the war as an opportunity to push EV’s on the Australian people since there are a lot of EV’s sitting in stock yards around Australia?

      I mean, the barrel was higher during the Ukrainian debacle compared to now so I guess to me it raises questions. Perfect opportunity to push EV?

    23. tjpdaniels on

      I’m glad I got my order in earlier this year but unfortunately for me it has already been delayed

    24. herbse34 on

      I’ve had 3 anti Ev friends/family members put a deposit on an EV within the week

      Almost everyone I know who had a go at me for getting an EV has been discussing the options available now.

    25. Dream-Big2250 on

      Planning on getting an MG4 at some point in the next year. Looks like excellent value for money.

    26. Particular_Shock_554 on

      How about improving public transport? We could have high speed solar powered intercity railway instead of driving to airports to burn jet fuel.

    27. Reptilia1986 on

      Solar + battery + ev is a must. Not only do I save around $9k a year(could be more with another ev), but I produce 50% excess which helps out someone else in the system.

    29. International-Past21 on

      I guess BYD using slave labour and being ranked near the bottom in all EV comparisons isn’t turning people off. Guess can’t be surprised in a nation where Shein and Temu also do great business. There are other reasonably priced EVs out there, such as Hyundai, Toyota, and Mazda.

    30. Carmageddon-2049 on

      So, to save $100 at the bowser, people are willing to spend $40k on an EV?

      There is a goldilocks zone where an EV makes sense. Not if the only reason is to save on fuel.