Australia’s best-value electric cars by driving range

Driving range. Besides the purchase cost and charging, limited driving range is another barrier to buying an electric vehicle.

After all, Australia is the sixth largest country and the biggest island on Earth, spanning around 7.7 million square kilometres, according to Geoscience Australia [↗].

While most Australians reside in capital cities and metro surrounds, and only travel 34 kilometres on average per day judging by the Australian Bureau of Statistics [↗], interstate holiday road trips are common and some travel long distances everyday for work.

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This makes choosing battery-electric vehicles difficult for many buyers, especially as an emerging technology which is continually developing.

Meanwhile, solid-state batteries, hydrogen and synthetic fuel powertrains won't be a proper option for some time yet. So, a plug-in hybrid or traditional petrol-hybrid car might be the better choice depending on your range needs right now – as a viable substitute to diesel.

But, if you’ve worked out that switching to an EV is right for you, which models available today will give you the best ‘bang for buck’ in terms of driving range?

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🛣️ How far can EVs drive?

Most new electric car models on sale today provide between 300 to 600 kilometres of claimed driving range, depending on the model and price.

For the complete list of every EV model range figures, click see our story here.

Keep in mind, these are ‘claimed’ figures from the car manufacturer’s controlled laboratory tests, often under a standard called the WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure).

As with regular petrol or diesel cars, the ‘real-world range’ will likely be less – depending on factors such as driving behaviour, air-conditioning use, weather conditions (eg: headwinds, rain), aerodynamic drag (open windows, roof racks fitted), and payload (weight of passengers and cargo, tow trailer).

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Cupra Born

How efficient are EVs?

Total driving range is based on the EV’s battery size (kWh) and energy efficiency (kWh per 100km or Wh per km) of its electric drive unit and body design.

For conventional petrol- or diesel-engined cars, this is equivalent to the fuel tank capacity (litres) and fuel consumption (litres per 100km) respectively.

However, contrary to combustion-engine vehicles, EVs are less efficient at high speeds – so you’re more likely to get more range by travelling at lower speeds in constant stop-start situations, which triggers regenerative braking to recoup some energy back into the battery.

This makes electric cars ideally suited to urban environments, but still significantly more efficient than an engine constantly running at idle or while on-the-move regardless of driving conditions.

🔋 Top 20 best-value EVs, ranked by cost-for-range

If driving range is a priority for you, here’s every EV model that gives the best dollar-for-range in Australia.

You can find news & reviews for each of these models by visiting our Electric Cars page here.