Should I buy an electric vehicle in 2026? All your EV questions answered

Are you considering an electric vehicle? If so, you’ve come to the right place because here you will find independent advice from an experienced motoring journalist.  And that’s important, because electric vehicles have become a political, ideological issue with misinformation from two competing camps.

On one hand you have rabid anti-EV crazies who cannot accept change, and push outright lies about EVs.  On the other, you have fervently pro-EV people who distort reality, omit key facts and generally push EVs as hard as they can, asking not “what is best for you?” but “how can I get this person into an EV, regardless of what they actually need”.

As an independent journalist, I’m here to give you an unbiased view of EVs, and I can also say it has never been a better time to go electric, if an electric car suits your needs. So let’s start:

What is an EV anyway? And what is a BEV?

The term EV stands for Electric Vehicle, and means a vehicle that can power itself in whole or part via electricity.  Crucially, this means hybrid vehicles – which have both a petrol or diesel engine and an electric motor – are EVs as they have electric propulsion.  The term BEV is Battery Electric Vehicle and that is a vehicle which has electricity as its sole propulsion method, but usually people write EV when they mean BEV. 

A PHEV is a Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle which has an electric motor with a battery that can be charged while the car is at rest, plus a petrol or diesel engine.  Non-PHEV hybrids have batteries that are only charged off the engine or when the car slows down, a process known as regen, short for regeneration.

Final acronym, for the moment – ICE means Internal Combustion Engine which is either a petrol or diesel engined vehicle.

Watch this video for a detailed explainer of all the types of EV:

Can a BEV or PHEV save you money?

Probably yes, and as time goes on, the chances of that answer being “yes” are steadily increasing.  Everyone has a different situation, but when you are comparing BEV to ICE here is your basic equation:

purchase price x run cost. 

For example, if a hypothetical BEV costs $50,000 and costs $500 to run per year, your 5-year run cost is $52,500. 

Compare that to a hypothetical ICE costing $40,000 but costing $3500 to run each year so that’s $57,500.

BEVs will definitely cost much less to run than ICE as petrol and diesel is very expensive compared to electricity, and BEV servicing costs are almost nothing.  The run costs which may be slightly higher for BEV are insurance and tyres. Historically, BEVs were much more expensive to buy than ICE, but that gap is narrowing rapidly and BEVs retain their run-cost advantage.

Resale value for some BEVs has been terrible, but it has hugely improved and now I think it’s pretty much on par with ICE.

Now of course there are a lot of factors affecting that cost-effectiveness equation, and you need to do your own maths, but here’s some considerations:

• how expensive will the BEV be compared to the ICE equivalent?  An additional $20,000 for a BEV buys a lot of petrol so isn’t worth it, but if it’s only another $5000, or even better same cost as the ICE, then you’ll be ahead almost immediately. Can you get any tax concessions or rebates for a BEV?
• can you afford the up-front cost of a BEV? You can buy a decent ICE for under $10,000, not so much a decent BEV.
• can you charge the BEV cheaply; ideally at home using solar/battery? If you only use commercial, public fast chargers then your cost-per-km will be similar to that of an ICE. Apartment dwellers often find it difficult to charge at home.
• how many km will you drive per year?  The more distance you drive, the better the BEV looks as it has a low operating cost.

Generally, if you are a suburban dweller able to charge the car from your home, and you do about 15,000km a year, and your big trips are maybe 3-4 times a year and on well-travelled routes…then a BEV will suit you very well. 

Many of my followers have a 4WD for touring and towing, and a BEV for everything else.

Also read the answer about whether you should buy a PHEV.

How often does an EV battery need replacing?

Never.  There are 10 year old Teslas with 80-90% of original battery life left, and the tech has only got better since. The “oh you will need to buy a new battery every <X> years” is a lie.  On this one I agree with the pro-EV crowd🙂  Read a detailed explanation here.

Are PHEVs a good idea or should I just buy a BEV?

PHEVs can be the best of both worlds, but according to the pro-EV people, PHEVs are the worst of both worlds and only for those people too timid or stupid to buy a BEV.

If you do a lot of country driving and don’t have time to energy-manage your vehicle, then maybe PHEV is for you. But it is true that a lot of people who buy PHEV could drive a BEV instead. Read on to see which is best for you.

A modern PHEV has an electric-only range of 50-180km, and means a lot of daily-drive work around the suburbs is near-free electric motoring. A PHEV also has an ICE, usually petrol, so you can drive interstate, or remotely and not worry about electric range or charging.  Even with a 600km-claimed range BEV you won’t get anywhere near 600km, and you WILL need to manage your energy; plot where the chargers are, and when you arrive hope that a) they are working, b) unoccupied and c) know what you’ll do while you wait.  Charger maintenance problems are a well-known issue for travellers, and if the charger is occupied…you could be waiting anywhere from minutes to hours for your turn.

In an ideal world you’d stop exactly where you need to along your way, get out of your car and find a charger right next to the cafe or wherever you happen to stop. The car would then charge while you eat, and be at 100% the moment you need to leave – this is the utopia preached by the pro-EV people who say “well my bladder doesn’t have a range of more than 200km, ha ha”.  The reality is that this utopia doesn’t always happen, but is becoming more common on the high-traffic inter-city freeway routes.

A more common scenario when travelling rurally is using apps to find chargers before you set off, reading user check-ins to see if the chargers are actually functional, and then planning your route accordingly.  If the chargers aren’t where you really want them, then tough, you’ll need to wait in the car or walk while it charges. And if there’s only one where you need it, better hope it’s not used when you arrive. Contrast that to ICE where you just set off and get on with your day.

Now if you don’t mind managing your car’s energy then you can drive almost anywhere on sealed or unsealed roads in Australia in a BEV.  Many people do just that, and the pro-EV people are full of such stories, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t extra effort compared to an ICE or PHEV.  So if you want to travel away from the main routes and just get on with your hobby or job, not worrying about energy management, then a PHEV could be perfect for you, and don’t let the purists talk you out of it.  PHEVs are often cheaper than BEVs too.

Watch this video for an example use case:

What is the realistic range of an BEV?

Every BEV has a claimed range, usually the WLTP number which is the test taken to determine range.  Just like an ICE has a claimed fuel consumption which you don’t usually achieve,  you won’t often achieve the claimed range number either.  Hills reduce range, as does use of heater or aircon, and even rain. You can probably safely work on 80% of the stated range, like you’d work on 20% more fuel consumption than the manufacturer’s official figure if you were to buy an ICE. 

You may see BEV ranges claimed as NEDC numbers. That’s an older test standard which nobody should be using, but carmakers quote it because it’s easier to get bigger range number than WLTP. So be extra careful of range claimed under NEDC.

What are BEVs good at, and not good at? Would one suit me?

Everyone is different, but here’s some general advice:

BEVs are well suited to:

• Towncars – the perfect BEV use case is charge and home and do city/suburban trips.
• Interstate city driving on main routes – there are now plenty of chargers on the main routes so driving intercity on freeways is easy and barely takes any more time than ICE.
• SUVs, roadcars, 5-seaters – many vehicles in this segment
• Light-duty and short range towing – BEVs tow really well, but there’s not many that can tow heavy, and range is dramatically cut when towing (see answer below)
• Rural people who can charge at home, and do trips within BEV range either out-and-return, or charging at destination. Given the huge mileages rural people can rack up BEVs offer huge savings as their run cost is low.

BEVs are not suited for:

• 4WD – there are no BEVs that have serious offroad capability. There are several 4WD PHEVs from BYD, GWM and Ford.
• Heavy towing (2500kg+) – there just aren’t the vehicles on the market to do that kind of work, and if there were range would be severely limited. BEVs are great at towing, but range-limited.
• Long distance towing – because BEVs lose a lot of range compared to ICE when towing then this makes them problematic long-distance towing vehicles. You’re needing to stop a lot to charge, and charging with a trailer is a pain.
• Extensive rural driving – in many places there are few chargers and charger reliability is a problem, so you need to spend time managing your energy not getting on with your day.
• Sports cars – there’s no equivalent of the MX-5, GR86, Yaris GR or the N cars. The Tesla 3 is a sporty drive, there is the Hyundai IONIQ N but generally, the BEV sports car options are limited and expensive.
• People movers – very few BEVs have more than 5 seats.

Note that PHEV 4WDs can do all but the last two of the list above which is why I think they have a place in the market.

Do BEVs depreciate really quickly?

Not any more. They used to, and some luxury models still do but luxury ICE depreciate quickly too.  I think you’re now safe from poor resale if you buy a mainstream model say under $100k.  It’s only really the really expensive BEVs that will have poor resale.

What’s the impact of fast charging on battery life? How much care do I need to take when charging?

I would just charge, drive and not worry about it.  Your modern BEV has a sophisticated battery management system which manages the speed of charging and even heats and cools the battery to the best temperature for charging.  There are different battery chemistries and if you want to get really specific there may be charging scenarios you want to avoid, but realistically…just use the car.

Can I drive a BEV into the country or interstate?

Short answer is yes, if you’re prepared to spend time and effort managing the charging.  See the answer to “are PHEVs a good idea?”

How fast does a BEV charge?

Ignore the headline figures of something like “400km in 15 minutes”.  That is only possible with a really fast charger, which you probably won’t find, with your battery quite low, with the battery conditioned at the right temperature, and with nobody else using the charger as a 2-bay charger will split its power over 2 bays so each get half, and such a charger would be really expensive, therefore destroying your return on investment.

The speed of charging depends on; the power of the charger, the size of the car’s battery, and how much charge the car’s battery needs.  So a small car connected to a fast charger looking to go from 20% to 80% charge might need less than half an hour.  A bigger car on a slower charger going from 10% to 100% could take hours.  Generally, the charge from 80-100% takes longer than the charge from say 40-80% which is why many BEV owners on a road trip only charge to 80% and then move on.

However, the majority of city BEV owners never need to visit a public charger, and just use a simple 10A household plug to charge.  That’s slow, typically adding only about 10km of range per hour, but if you’re home from the evening that could be 12-16 hours of charging a day…and on average, suburban dwellers drive far less than that.  Home charging is also the cheapest electricity, even if you don’t have the benefit of solar and a battery, and way cheaper that petrol or diesel.

Are EVs more of a fire risk than ICE?

The matter of EV fires is hotly debated (ha) and both sides are guilty of misinformation.  Here is the reality, and the short answer is – don’t not buy a BEV because you’re worried about fire, don’t believe the scaremongers.

Now for the detail.  Risk is made up of two parts – probability of the event occurring, and impact, which is the consequence if the event does occur.

Probability first – the chances of either EV or ICE having a fire is microscopically tiny, so you shouldn’t worry about it.  Whether one is 10 or 20 times more, or less likely than the other to catch fire is a pointless statistic – it’s like buying one lottery ticket, then buying 10 more and saying well I’ve now increased my chances of winning by ten!  Yes you have, but you’re still not going to win as 10 times a microscopic chance is still a microscopic chance!

In any case…there is no solid data to firmly support EVs or BEVs being more or less likely to catch fire.  The reason is that to compare EV to ICE you need two controlled datasets with the only variable being whether the car is BEV or ICE, and we don’t have that data.  Overall, BEVs are newer than ICE vehicles, rarely modified, and not used for utilitarian high-risk applications like diesel 4x4s – most are suburban cars.  There simply isn’t the comparable data to exactly compare the two types of vehicle, only to infer that BEVs might be less likely. 

Pro-EV people cite a “NHTSA report” or AuztoinsuranceEZ report which actually isn’t a NHTSA report, it’s made up stats using NHTSA data:

Here is the data the above infographics are based on. It is for fires only, and doesn’t include new-car data…for some odd reason that was source from new-car sales for 2017 only, so how does that correlate to all ICE fires with a fatality, 2013-2017? Answer: it doens’t.

That is misinformation and is debunked here, so ignore the “EV are X times less likely to catch on fire” statements based on that infographic.

Then we need to consider what a fire event is.  Clearly, if it’s arson then we can’t blame the vehicle either way.  And also not if it’s a fire event that was unrelated to the propulsion system, for example something the vehicle was carrying, which is less likely for BEVs which tend not to be utes or vans.   So we need to filter all fire events to only count those events where the fire was attribute to the fact the car was electric, or ICE.  And again, comparable datasets down to that level of detail doesn’t exist.  But like I said above, it doesn’t matter…the chances of either catching fire are so tiny it’s a pointless argument anyway.

Then we come to the consequence. Here the situation is much clearer; an EV fire event is much worse than a ICE fire event because of the difficulty of putting out the EV fire, even submerging the car won’t necessarily put the fire out, and even after it’s out, it may re-ignite.  But should you be worried? 

A good way to look at the risk is to see what insurance companies are doing, and they’re not worried so you shouldn’t be either.

Watch this in-depth interview and this analysis of a Tesla fire, and for more information, visit EV Firesafe.

Are BEVs worse for the environment?

No. This is a common myth pushed by the anti-EV people.  The short answer is building an BEVs has a greater environmental impact than ICE, but once built, the BEV’s emissions are much smaller and so it starts to pull ahead of the ICE.  The break-even point could be anywhere from months to years depending on which scenario you’re modelling – buying a big BEV and driving few miles per year will take a long time to be environmentally positive, but a small BEV that you drive a lot will be ‘green positive’ much sooner.

It is also worth noting that BEVs only pollute at their point of manufacture, not where people live, in cities, suburbs or towns. 

This graph from Volvo shows a range of break-even points for environmental effect:

Where can I charge an EV? Can I charge at home?

Anywhere you can plug in household appliances like kettles, power tools or toasters.  All they need is a standard household 10A outlet.  Charging will be slow, maybe 10km of range per hour, but over a week that translates to a lot of range, more than most people drive per week.  However, it is a wise idea to get your house electrics checked over as charging an EV will generate more load over time than pretty much anything else you can plug in – appliances like toasters or kettles are transient, and even power tools aren’t often used continuously but in short bursts.

You can also invest in specialist chargers for your home which charge the car faster.

Apartment dwellers and the like may not be permitted to charge in basements, and those people with no off-street parking may need to run extension cables to their cars which is a safety issue as a trip hazard, and also not ideal from an electrical safety perspective. However, solutions to both problems are appearing.

Can I buy a secondhand BEV? Is it safe, a bargain?

Yes, plenty available, but the fuel crisis is pushing up prices. You need a budget in the order of $20k+ for a decent secondhand BEV. If your budget is more like $10k, then you’re better off with a small, cheap, ICE car for the moment. You should get the battery checked using a service my TESTMYEV.

Can I use an extension lead to charge an EV?

Yes but it is best avoided, and if you do, don’t coil it and don’t charge for long.

How are BEV tyres different to ICE tyres and do EV tyres cost more?

The battery in a BEV contains very little energy compared to the petrol in a fuel tank. Even though BEVs are very efficient, converting around 90% of that battery energy to forward motion compared to only around 20-25% for an ICE, BEVs still don’t have much energy in their batteries.  So, they need to be as efficient as possible, and low-rolling-reistance tyres are one way to reduce energy use and therefore increase range.  That’s the main purpose of a BEV tyre.  The other difference is that BEV tyres are very quiet as BEVs don’t have a noisy engine so tyre noise becomes more apparent.

You can certainly run normal car tyres on a BEV, but you should expect a range reduction and more tyre noise.  This may be worth it for you as BEV tyres tend to be more expensive than normal car tyres, and if you never come close to using the maximum range of your BEV, run normal tyres on it.

Do BEVs wear through their tyres faster because they’re heavier?

In theory yes, in practice not so you’d notice, if at all – this is a myth by the anti-EV people.  There are a lot of factors to do with tyre wear and the weight difference between BEV and ICE is a factor, but a tiny one blown up out of proportion by the anti-EV people.  The “electric cars are really powerful so they wear their tyres” thing isn’t really true either, you can be a leadfoot in any car and doing so will increase tyre wear.  In any case, the run cost for BEV is so much lower than ICE that additional tyre wear doesn’t really matter.

Can I charge an EV in the rain?

Yes, perfectly safe.

Is it safe to drive an EV through water?

You should be cautious about driving any vehicle through water.  However, all else being equal, BEVs actually do better with water than ICE because there is no air intake for the engine to get water into.  If an ICE ingests water into its engine that can terminally damage the engine, a problem known as “hydrolock”.  So, don’t worry about driving an BEV in the rain or through shallow water.  And, NEVER drive through floodwater in any vehicle!

Once charged, does an EV draw power I need to pay for?

Only a trace amount, nothing to be concerned over.

Are there enough public chargers now?

No, always need more.  On the main inter-city routes there’s now sufficient chargers, it’s off those routes where you’re likely to want more.  Apps like Plugshare really help you find charge points.  A big problem with public charging is broken chargers which is not only very common, but they take forever to get fixed.  And, sometimes when you arrive to charge you may need to wait for others to finish.

Once charged, will an BEV stay charged?

No, but close enough that makes no difference unless you charge to 100% and go away overseas for weeks, you’ll find your BEV isn’t at 100% when you come back.

If we all drive EVs, will the grid be overwhelmed?

No. In fact, it’ll help.  First off, every EV can be scheduled to charge at off-peak times, for example 9pm to 10am, and there are financial incentives for doing so as it’s cheaper. Second, some BEVs can act as house batteries, so actually reducing load on the grid. 

Does it make sense for a diesel generator to power an EV?

Yes, bizarrely enough.  Roughly, the maths looks like this:

If we take a litre of petrol and put it into a diesel car, then 20% of that litre’s energy will go to propelling the car.  The remaining 80% is wasted through friction and as heat and noise.

If we take a litre of diesel and put it into a large generator running efficiently then we only lose 50% of that energy as those generators are pretty efficient.

Now we take the equivalent energy, 50% of that litre, and it goes into an electric car…which can turn 90% of that 50% into propulsion, so of the original litre, about 30-40% ends up as propulsion, compared to maybe 20% for the ICE car.

So, powering an electric car from a diesel generator isn’t a terrible idea at all. The example above is approximate, and you can of course select combinations which come out as worse – a very efficient diesel car and a very inefficient generator will give you the opposite result.  As ever, each side cherrypicks according to their agenda.

Should I wait for a hydrogen car?

Not for passenger cars, no.  Electric does just the job just fine, and there is no demand for hydrogen and only one car on the market that runs on hydrogen, with a tiny handful of refuelling stations.  Ignore the anti-EV people who proclaim the future is hydrogen for passenger cars, it just isn’t.  Hydrogen has its place elsewhere in the transport spectrum.

Should my EV be FWD, RWD or AWD?

This is whether the electric motors drive the front wheels of the car (FWD, Front Wheel Drive), the rear wheels (RWD, Rear Wheel Drive), or all four wheels (AWD, All Wheel Drive).

The ideal is AWD for best traction, especially in the wet. Put your foot down in the wet and no wheelspin, just go! Failing that, you want RWD as it offers better traction under acceleration than FWD. But why are most small ICE cars FWD, and many BEVs are RWD? The short answer is the historic disadvantages of weight and packaging for RWD don’t apply to BEVs, so RWD can make a comeback. And, don’t be worried about losing the back under power, modern electronics keep all that under control.

Will I be trapped inside an EV if there’s a fire?

Some vehicles, including many Teslas have doorhandles which cannot easily be opened from the inside. This has caused deaths and is being changed.  The problem is not specific to EVs.

Is there a dangerous magnetic field around EVs?

No.

Are BEVs heavier than ICE and if so does it matter?

Generally, yes BEVs are heavier than ICE as a quick look at the stats for a car comparing ICE and BEV will show.  However, it doesn’t matter – because the BEV weight is low and central handling is great, and the percentage difference isn’t enough to have any real effect on roads or carparks.  See also the question on tyre wear.

Are EVs more complex than ICE?

No, they are simpler, far fewer moving parts.  That said, the modern ICE is very reliable so while BEVs are simpler and arguably more reliable, the chances of not breaking down are not appreciably better – but there’s no hard data to prove the case one way or the other.

Do EVs have spare tyres?

Generally no, but that’s the same as most new ICE cars.  If you’re concerned watch this video:

Are there 4WD EVs?

There are no 4WD, off-road capable BEVs on the Australian market any more now the F-150 Lightning has been discontinued.  There are some 4WD PHEVs such as the BYD Shark, Ranger PHEV, Cannon Alpha PHEV, Tank 300 PHEV and more. BEV make extremely capable 4WDs if the software is designed correctly, but as they are heavy, payload can suffer.

Can I tow with a BEV?

Yes, and they make very good towcars, better than ICE, except for one big problem and that is range.  Towing will cut the range of a BEV more than ICE, and this video explains why:

The other problem is that the BEVs on the market cannot generally tow heavy loads.  The current top-rated towcars are only around 2500kg, and my advice is to only tow 3/4 of the maximum load, whether the vehicle is BEV or ICE.

You are also unlikely to find fast chargers which accommodate trailers which may require you to unhook the trailer to charge.

Can I just convert my ICE car to a BEV and save money that way?

You can convert your ICE to BEV and there are several specialist companies now that do just that, but the cost of conversion is very high, even with a conversion kit for the car, and the resulting vehicle will not have the range, capability or integration of a modern BEV.  So, it’s a fun project but in no way cost-effective.  Older cars are easier to convert, and then you’ve got an old car with an electric motor which is exactly what enthusiasts want, but it’s not suitable as a general, non-enthusiast car for cost-effective everyday purposes.

Can I charge my EV from solar?

Yes, provided you a) have enough excess solar to charge the car and b) either charge it when the sun shines, or use a smart charging system which does that for you.  Many people do that and get near-free motoring. You can set your EV to charge at certain times of the day or night via the car’s dashboard, or these days often an app to control the car.

Should I change my electricity plan if I get an EV?

Maybe, there are many electricity providers who have EV-specific plans allowing you to charge your EV at night for a very low rate.

Are EVs affected by rodent damage? 

Yes, they are vulnerable to rodent damage, still got yummy electrics and other treats to chew on. Some say EV are less vulnerable to rodent damage but there’s no hard data, and if rodents are a risk you can’t park your EV and assume the critters will leave it alone.

Did I miss anything?