Modern and fuel-efficient cars will save middle income Australians living in the outer suburbs up to $3000 annually under the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), says the Electric Vehicle Council.
The NVES, introduced on January 1, 2025, incentivises manufacturers to gradually reduce the total emissions of the cars they sell, giving motorists dozens more choices at a lower purchase price and cheaper running costs, says the EVC.
“All major mainstream car makers are adapting to Australia’s incremental standards, the same way they adapted to standards in the US and Europe,” says EVC chief executive Julie Delvecchio.
“Manufacturers who want to send their dirtiest cars to Australia are the only ones with anything to lose from this very sensible and measured policy.
“Far from electric cars only being bought by people living in the inner city, EVC data shows the people adopting electric vehicles the most are those living in the outer suburbs – areas like Kellyville in Sydney’s north-west and Werribee in Melbourne’s south-west.
“Traditional suburbs have overtaken inner-city suburbs in EV uptake,” she says.
“Our data shows that outer metropolitan suburbs have accounted for 43% of uptake.
“When combining outer metropolitan, regional and rural, this accounts for 61% of EV uptake in 2023.
“This indicates that EV adoption is growing more rapidly in outer suburban, regional and rural areas than inner metropolitan areas,” says Delvecchio.
‘These communities often commute longer distances, meaning they benefit the most from ditching expensive overseas fuel.
“People living in the outer suburbs also tend to have access to a garage or driveway for home charging, and the added advantage of rooftop solar panels – features that are often harder to come by in the built-up inner city.
“People living in regional centres are also embracing EVs too including in Toowoomba and Ballarat,” she says.
“Australia needs the NVES to continue in the race to catch up with the developed world.”
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