BEST ELECTRIFIED CARS 2026

Charging times vary a lot depending on two things: the size of the car’s battery and the power of the charger you’re using.

At home, most drivers use a wallbox charger. Plugging into a 7kW unit overnight will usually give you a full battery by the morning. It’s slower than petrol filling, but perfectly fine if you treat it like charging your phone — plug in at home and wake up ready to go.

Out on the road, rapid chargers are the quick option. Stop at a motorway service station and a modern EV can often add 80% of its battery in about 30–60 minutes. The very fastest chargers can be quicker still, but they tend to cost more to use.

Charging at home is normally the cheapest way. How much you’ll pay depends on your electricity tariff and the size of your car’s battery, but many suppliers now offer special EV tariffs with lower overnight rates. These can cut your costs by more than half if you schedule your car to charge while you sleep.

Public charging is less straightforward. Prices vary by operator, location and charging speed. Slow chargers in town centres may be reasonable, while rapid chargers on the motorway are usually the priciest. In some cases, public charging can be as expensive as running a petrol car, so home charging is the big saver.

Range used to be the biggest worry for EV drivers, but things have moved on. Most modern electric cars can cover 300–400 kms on a single charge. Some, like high-end models from Tesla or BMW, can manage 550 kms or more.

As with petrol cars, real-world range depends on how and where you drive. Motorway speeds, cold weather or heavy loads can all reduce range, while gentle city driving can make it stretch further.

Yes — and that’s one of their biggest perks. EVs are exempt from road tax in many regions (at least for now), as well as most EVs are now selling in Australian market are exempt from Frindge Benefit Tax. If you drive a company car, benefit-in-kind rates for EVs are much lower than for petrol or diesel models. This can add up to big savings over time.

In short: yes. Many EVs are actually safer than their petrol equivalents. The heavy battery pack is usually built into the floor of the car, which makes the structure stiffer and the car more stable in a crash.

There’s sometimes concern about fire risk, but manufacturers build in layers of protection — from reinforced casings to cooling systems — to reduce the chances. Studies suggest EVs are no more likely, and in some cases less likely, to catch fire than petrol cars.

Here’s one downside: insuring an EV is often a bit more expensive. Repairs can be costlier, mainly because the battery is such a valuable component and specialist repair centres are still relatively few.

That said, dedicated EV insurers are emerging, and shopping around can make a big difference. The usual tricks still apply too: paying annually, adding a dashcam or black box, and keeping your no-claims record clean will all help keep costs down.

All cars depreciate, but EVs are no longer the risky bet they once were. A few years ago, resale values were poor because buyers worried about range and charging. Today, demand for used EVs is rising, infrastructure is improving, and the cars themselves are better than ever.

In fact, many modern EVs now hold their value just as well — or better — than petrol cars.

Not necessarily. Unlike your phone, you don’t need to fully charge your car every day. In fact, keeping your battery between 20% and 80% is healthiest for long-term life. Most cars let you set charging limits in their apps, so you can “top up” little and often rather than draining it right down or filling it right up every time.

On balance, yes. EVs take more energy to build, especially the battery, but once on the road they produce no tailpipe emissions. This makes them far cleaner in cities and towns, improving air quality for everyone.

Over time, as more electricity comes from renewables, the environmental advantage of EVs will only grow. Right now, even when charged from a coal-heavy grid, most studies show EVs have a smaller overall carbon footprint than petrol or diesel cars.