Australia’s most affordable electric cars in 2023

With more electric cars coming to Australian showrooms this year, Drive takes a look at the most affordable battery-powered vehicles on sale today.

The list of electric cars on sale in Australia continues to grow and while they are far from affordable, another sub-$50,000 battery-powered vehicle is just around the corner.

And Chinese cars are leading the charge.

While electric cars are yet to close the price gap to traditional petrol and diesel-powered cars, incentives from state governments across Australia have helped broaden the appeal of plug-in vehicles – with Chinese brands MG, BYD and Great Wall Motors (now renamed GWM Haval) the driving forces.

If you’re in the market for an electric car, it’s worth noting you do not receive your rebate from the state or territory government on the spot – instead, new owners are required to apply for the rebate and wait for it to be processed.

While electric cars are still roughly twice as expensive as their petrol-powered equivalents, there are now at least 10 cars – and one van – sitting below the $70,000 barrier across all Australian jurisdictions before rebates are applied.

Here’s Drive’s list of Australia’s most affordable battery-powered vehicles currently available to order.

Note: Prices include on-road costs, which vary according to different tax rebates and stamp duties in each state and territory.

1. GWM Ora – $44,490 to $47,891 drive-away

When the Chinese-made GWM Ora was confirmed for Australia in February 2023, it became the cheapest electric car available to order with a drive-away price of $44,990 in the Northern Territory.

Due to different government charges in each Australian state and territory, the entry-level GWM Ora Standard Range can cost as much as $47,891 drive-away in Western Australia, with varying prices across local jurisdictions.

The cheapest GWM Ora has a claimed driving range of 310km from its 48kWh battery pack, while the more expensive Long Range and GT can achieve up to 420km between charges due to a larger 63kWh power pack.

2. MG ZS EV Excite – $45,284 to $48,190 drive-away

While the MG ZS EVs Excite was dethroned as Australia’s cheapest electric car when the GWM Ora arrived, it remains the least-expensive SUV, priced from $45,284 to $48,190 drive-away.

Powering the MG ZS EV Excite – which was facelifted last year – is a 51kWh battery, which offers up to 320km of driving range, carried across to the more expensive Essence grade for a premium of about $4000.

A long-range variant with 440km of claimed driving range is also available, though its starting price is between $8000 and $13,177 more than the entry-level grade – starting from $57,284 drive-away in Tasmania and $61,367 in Western Australia.

3. MG 4 Excite – $47,990 to $58,990 drive-away (estimated)

The MG 4 is the latest electric car to have its pricing confirmed for Australia, dropping into third place with its ‘Excite’ grade starting from $44,990 plus on-road costs – though a lack of drive-away pricing on the car-maker’s website means for now we can only estimate the drive-away price (starting from an estimated $47,990 drive-away).

There are two more MG 4 variants – both named Essence – though only the top-of-the-range grade receives a battery upgrade, with its 77kWh power pack increasing its driving range to 530km, with a $55,990 plus on-road costs price tag (starting from an estimated $58,990 drive-away).

According to MG, the MG 4 is available to order now ahead of deliveries beginning later this year.

4. BYD Atto 3 Standard Range – $48,610 to $52,029 drive-away

BYD’s Atto 3 has become Australia’s third-most popular electric car since deliveries began in September 2022, trailing electric-vehicle giant Tesla in the new-car sales charts.

While list prices were increased by $3630 in December last year, the BYD Atto 3 remains in the top five of the most affordable electric cars in Australia with prices ranging from $48,610 to $52,029 drive-away.

The entry-level BYD Atto 3 ‘Standard Range’ is powered by a 49.9kWh battery, capable of a WLTP ‘certified’ driving range of 345km. An ‘Extended Range’ grade is available for an extra $3000, increasing the battery size to 60.5kWh and driving range to 420km.

5. Nissan Leaf – $53,090 to $56,743 drive-away

The Nissan Leaf – one of the world’s first mass-produced electric cars – is Australia’s cheapest battery-powered vehicle not made in China, as all examples are built in the UK (not Japan, despite Nissan’s origins).

Sales of the Nissan Leaf have declined in recent years – contrasting with a boom in electric-car sales – as the hatchback struggles to keep up with an increasingly driving range-obsessed market, delivering just 270km from its small 40kWh battery.

The cheapest Nissan Leaf is priced from $53,090 drive-away – about $1500 more than the BYD Atto 3 Extended Range, but falling short in driving range by 150km.

6. Fiat 500e – $54,995 to $58,269 drive-away

Replacing the petrol-powered 500, the Fiat 500e is almost double the price of its predecessor, and the most expensive passenger vehicle the company has ever sold in Australia – priced from $54,995 to $58,269 drive-away.

The Fiat 500e has been designed as an electric city car, with its 42kWh battery allowing its engineers to package the hatchback to be as small as possible – though a claimed 311km driving range is relatively limited compared to a handful of the aforementioned models.

Australia only gets one variant of the Fiat 500e – the highly-specced La Prima – however it is expected the performance Abarth 500e will launch towards the end of the year, bringing more power but a shorter expected driving range for a higher price.

7. Hyundai Kona Electric Elite – $56,755 to $60,481 drive-away

Hyundai isn’t short of electric cars in its Australian model line-up, though only the battery-powered Kona Electric falls into the sub-$60,000 category in all states (excluding Western Australia), starting from $56,755 drive-away in ‘Elite’ guise.

The Kona Electric’s Elite and Highlander variants are powered by a relatively small 39.2kWh lithium-ion battery pack – almost half the size of those in its Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 siblings – which Hyundai claims can offer up to 305km of driving range.

For an extra $6000, customers can purchase the Kona Electric’s Extended Range Elite grade, delivering a claimed driving range of 484km from its 64kWh battery pack – a gain of almost 60 per cent compared to the smaller battery model.

A new-generation Kona Electric is also expected to arrive in Australian showrooms later this year, though pricing is yet to be announced.

8. Cupra Born – $61,990 to $66,490 drive-away

Cupra might not be a household name, but the Volkswagen-owned Spanish car-maker is the German car giant’s first brand to launch an electric vehicle in Australia.

Priced from $61,990 drive-away in the Australian Capital Territory, the Cupra Born is the cheapest electric-car on sale in Australia with a driving range greater than 500km – claiming it can drive 511km between charges, due to its 77kWh battery.

While Cupra has said it is evaluating a cheaper Born with a smaller 58kWh battery for Australia, the 77kWh electric hatchback remains its only local offering for now.

Note: Cupra supplies drive-away pricing for all states and territories except Tasmania and the Northern Territory, where it has no retail locations.

9. Peugeot e-Partner Pro – $62,580 to $66,817 drive-away

The Peugeot e-Partner Pro isn’t a car as such, but those in the building and delivery trades shouldn’t be left out when it comes to looking for affordable electric vehicles.

Peugeot’s two-seater electric van is the cheapest battery-powered commercial vehicle in Australia, priced from $62,581 to $66,817 drive-away – though it is approximately 50 per cent more than the petrol-powered Partner Pro LWB upon which it is based.

A 50kWh battery pack delivers a claimed driving range of 245km – enough for around-town deliveries and driving between job sites.

Local deliveries of the Peugeot e-Partner are expected to begin in the second half of 2023.

10. Peugeot e-2008 – $62,580 to $66,817 drive-away

Peugeot makes two appearances on this list with a pair of vehicles which cater to completely different ends of the market, but both are sold at the same price.

The Peugeot e-2008 is the electric variant of the French car-maker’s small SUV, sold in Australia in one variant with prices ranging from $62,580 to $66,817 drive-away.

Powered by a 50kWh battery, Peugeot claims the e-2008 can drive for up to 330km between charges – about the same as the similarly priced and sized Hyundai Kona Electric.

Despite the 2008 and e-2008 range recently receiving a facelift in Europe, the first Australian examples of the e-2008 (due between July and September 2023) will not immediately be equipped with the updated design and features.

11. Tesla Model 3 – $63,703 to $68,218 drive-away

While having 10 electric vehicles would provide a nice, even number, it would be remiss not to include Australia’s most popular electric car – the Tesla Model 3.

The sales leader for battery-powered vehicle sales locally since it arrived in July 2019, the Tesla Model 3 is currently priced from $63,703 to $68,218 drive-away in Australia – though its price could change without notice.

New-car prices have typically gone up since the global pandemic started, though the entry-level, rear-wheel-drive Tesla Model 3 has become cheaper – falling from a peak price of $73,900 plus on-road costs in December 2019 to $61,300 as of May 2023.

Regarded as one of the best bang-for-your-buck electric cars, Tesla claims its cheapest Model 3 can achieve a claimed driving range of 491km from its estimated 62.3kWh battery – one of the most efficient zero-emissions vehicles currently on sale.

Owners of the Tesla Model 3 can also access the electric-vehicle giant’s network of ‘Superchargers’, which are capable of charging its battery at rapid speeds.

Electric car prices in Australia

	New South Wales	Victoria	Queensland	Western Australia	South Australia	Tasmania	Australian Capital Territory	Northern Territory
GWM Ora	$45,550	$47,234	$46,114	$47,891	$46,891	$45,090	$45,137	$44,490
MG ZS EV	$45,709	$47,337	$46,297	$48,190	$46,991	$45,284	$45,287	$45,298
MG 4* Estimated	$47,990 to $58,990	$47,990 to $58,990	$47,990 to $58,990	$47,990 to $58,990	$47,990 to $58,990	$47,990 to $58,990	$47,990 to $58,990	$47,990 to $58,990
BYD Atto 3	$49,112	$50,839	$49,705	$52,029	$50,585	$48,610	$48,678	$48,658
Nissan Leaf	$53,536	$55,554	$54,244	$56,743	$55,172	$53,090	$53,081	$53,212
Fiat 500e	$55,574	$58,159	$58,279	$58,269	$57,236	$54,995	$55,301	$55,276
Hyundai Kona Electric	$57,438	$59,390	$58,382	$60,481	$58,936	$56,755	$56,990	$57,348
Cupra Born	$62,490	$64,990	$63,490	$66,490	$64,490	N/A	$61,990	N/A
Peugeot e-2008	$63,029	$65,438	$63,914	$66,817	$65,021	$62,580	$62,581	$62,986
Peugeot e-Partner	$63,029	$65,438	$63,914	$66,817	$65,021	$62,580	$62,581	$62,986
Tesla Model 3	$64,201	$66,767	$65,106	$68,218	$66,456	$63,703	$63,720	$65,742

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