A subsidy to boost adoption of Zero Emissions Vehicles, including Electric Vehicles (EV), is now available to Victorian car shoppers.
The Victorian Government has announced a subsidy to boost adoption of Zero Emissions Vehicles, including EVs, as it seeks to grow sales to 50% of new cars by 2030.
More than 20,000 subsidies are available under the program. The subsidies will be offered in three rounds until the rebates are fully committed, or for three years – whichever occurs first.
The first round of the plan includes 4000 subsidies of $3000. The value of subsequent stages is yet to be finalised.
The subsidy will be available for purchases of zero emission vehicles including EVs and fuel-cell electric vehicles under $68,740. This encompasses models such as the MG ZS EV and Tesla Model 3, according to the carsales New Car Showroom.
Petrol/electric hybrid vehicles, such as the Toyota RAV4 and Toyota Corolla, and plug-in hybrid vehicles such as the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, are not eligible for the subsidy.
New electric cars on sale in Australia for under $68,740 include:
Hyundai IONIQ – from $48,970 (plus on-road costs)
Hyundai Kona Electric – from $60,740 (plus ORCs)
MG ZS EV – from $43,990 (drive-away)
MINI Electric – from $55,650 (plus ORCs)
Nissan LEAF – from $49,990 (plus ORCs)
Nissan LEAF e+ – from $60,490 (plus ORCs)
Renault Kangoo ZE – from $49,990
Tesla Model 3 – from $66,900 (plus ORCs)
Hot tip for Victorian dealers: Ensure that you highlight that your EV inventory is eligible for the subsidy in your listing comments.
The subsidy is part of the Victorian Government’s new Zero Emissions Vehicle Roadmap, a $100 million plan to fast track the transition to ZEVs before 2050. The ambitious plan has set a target of 50 per cent of light vehicle sales to be ZEVs by 2030.
The announcement of the Roadmap and subsidies comes after fierce criticism of the Victorian Government’s proposal to hit electric vehicles with a road user tax – with some labelling it the most EV-hostile policy in the world.
Consideration and interest grows for EVs on carsales
The automotive industry is moving at pace towards zero emisssions vehicles and electrification as governments around the world seek to decarbonize economies to meet stringent emissions regulations, and spur economic activity post the peak of Covid-19.
Reflecting the pace of change, the carsales Editorial team published over 130 EV reviews, news and advice articles to carsales.com.au between January – March 2021 – almost double the volume published in the same period of 2020, and five times that of 2019.¹
And consumers have voted with their clicks, with page views for carsales EV content increasing 134% year-on-year, compared to the same period of 2020.¹
Key carsales EV advice content to break down barriers and help consumers make the switch to EVs now includes:
Dummies’ guide to electric vehicles
Pros and cons of owning an electric car
How long does it take to charge an EV?
How safe are electric cars?
Which electric cars have the longest driving range?
How much does it cost to maintain an electric car?
What sort of plug does my electric car take?
Will I enjoy driving an EV?
What is my used electric car worth?
How to take care of your electric car’s battery
How do electric cars work?
Despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 was still a year of progress for Australian EV sales. The 1769 EVs reported sold to VFACTS was an increase of 16.2% on 2019, and contrasted the 13.7% decline of the broader new car market.
This result excludes the sales of Australian EV market leader, Tesla, which sold more EVs in 2020 than every other brand combined.
The Californian brand took the opportunity to update its website shortly after the announcement of the subsidy available to Victorian residents, with its popular Model 3 sedan set to be a big beneficiary.
Source: 1. carsales internal data, January – March 2021 vs January – March 2020
