Charging an EV at home in Australia: running costs, tariffs and the FBT exemption

Filling up got expensive again in 2026. On 23 September the ACCC’s average regular unleaded price across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth was 237.1 cents a litre, 66.2 cents more than on 20 February, a week before the conflict in the Middle East escalated. Prices at the bowser also move in weekly cycles in the big cities, so a single week’s average can flatter or exaggerate the gap. Still, if you have a driveway, a power point and flexible charging hours, an electric car is now much cheaper to run per kilometre. How much cheaper depends on your electricity plan.

Cost per 100 km: home electricity against petrol

The sums are simple. Take your car’s consumption, multiply by what you pay. The two examples below are illustrations, not measurements: check the label figures for the cars you are comparing.

• Petrol car using 7 L/100 km at 237.1 c/L: about $16.60 per 100 km.
• EV using 16 kWh/100 km on a 31 c/kWh single rate (Finder’s national average, September 2026): about $4.96 per 100 km.
• The same EV in the Solar Sharer free window: $0 for up to 24 kWh a day, enough for roughly 150 km at that consumption.
• The same EV on your own rooftop solar: you give up only the feed-in tariff you would otherwise have earned for exporting that power.

Charging losses add a little on top. The Electric Vehicle Council says drivers can save $3,000 a year by going electric; that is the industry body’s figure, and your saving depends on how far you drive and your tariff.

Which tariff suits an EV?

Australia’s cheap hours have moved to the middle of the day. Victoria’s default time-of-use tariff since 1 July 2026 has a solar soak period from 11 am to 4 pm, with peak from 4 pm to 9 pm. In NSW, south-east Queensland and South Australia, the Solar Sharer Offer gives three free hours a day (11 am to 2 pm, or 12 pm to 3 pm in SA) to smart meter customers who opt in.

That suits people who work from home, retirees and anyone with a car parked at home at lunchtime. If the car is at work all day, look instead for a market plan with a cheap overnight rate, and set the charger’s timer so it never runs between 4 pm and 9 pm. Compare plans with your real usage on Energy Made Easy, Victorian Energy Compare or through our comparison page.

The home charger

A standard power point gives slow charging, which is fine for many commuters. A wall charger is faster and can follow a timer or your solar output. It must be installed by a licensed electrician, who can also tell you whether your switchboard and connection need an upgrade.

Some households meter the charger separately under its own contract. Victoria’s ESC proposed on 17 September 2026 to clarify protections for separately metered EV, battery and solar arrangements; the final rules are due in December and would apply from 1 March 2027.

Public and kerbside charging

Public charging networks set their own prices and show them in their apps. We could not confirm a single typical public price, so check the app before you plug in.

For renters and apartment dwellers, kerbside charging is coming. On 23 September 2026 the AEMC released a draft rule for the Commonwealth’s $40 million program to put about 14,000 chargers on streets and in regional blackspots by 30 June 2029. The AEMC estimates the network share adds about $1 a year to a typical household bill.

The Electric Car Discount and the FBT exemption

The biggest EV incentive in Australia is not a rebate but a tax exemption. Under the Electric Car Discount, an electric car provided by an employer, including through a novated lease, is exempt from fringe benefits tax if it is below the luxury car tax threshold for fuel-efficient vehicles (the ATO publishes the figure for each financial year) and was first held and used on or after 1 July 2022. Plug-in hybrids stopped qualifying for new arrangements from 1 April 2025.

That is changing. Treasury’s review, published on 5 May 2026, found the cost growing from $1.35 billion in 2025-26 to a forecast $2.8 billion in 2028-29 and recommended phasing it down. The Budget on 12 May 2026 set the timetable:

• From 1 April 2027, cars costing over $75,000 get a permanent 25% FBT discount instead of the full exemption.
• From 1 April 2029, all eligible electric cars move to the 25% discount.
• Cars up to $75,000 keep the full exemption if the arrangement starts before 1 April 2029.
• Every car keeps the treatment in place when its arrangement started, for the life of that arrangement.

If you are considering a novated lease on a car over $75,000, the start date matters: an arrangement that begins before 1 April 2027 keeps the full exemption. Ask your employer and lease provider for the numbers in writing.

Other incentives in 2026

States and territories run their own schemes, which change often; check your state’s transport website. Nationally, a road user charge for EVs is under discussion, but none was in force in the sources we checked. EV uptake is not waiting: battery electric cars were 24.9% of new car sales in August 2026, and the EV Council counted half a million on the road in September.

When it does not add up

An EV saves most for people who drive a lot and can charge cheaply at home. If you can only use public fast chargers, or you drive little, the running-cost gap narrows and the purchase price matters more. Run your numbers, then check whether your electricity plan still fits once the car is home: at 15,000 km a year the example car above adds about 2,400 kWh, which makes a plan comparison worthwhile. Pairing it with solar? Our solar calculator shows how much of that charging your roof could cover, and our contract alert reminds you when to check your plan again.