Which EV driving range is longest in Australia?

One of the most common arguments from sceptics are around the EV driving range a standard vehicle can manage on a single charge.

We’ve looked at the best electric cars currently available in Australia (as of September 2026) to see which ones can go the farthest without needing to be plugged in.

EVs with the longest driving ranges

Based on lab testing (we explain this process further down the page), these are the ten best EV ranges currently available in Australia:

To put these figures into perspective, the drive from Newcastle to Canberra is 437km and easily achievable on a single charge. To really push it, going out to Wagga Wagga is 600km from Newy, which any of these cars should be able to do in one go.

At the other end of the scale, the drive from Newcastle to Gold Coast is 705km. You might be stretching things to get there in a Polestar but the Tesla should get you there in a single charge.

Future arrivals

Two cars earmarked for Australia are set to slot right into the top of this table:

• Volvo EX60: 810km, driveaway price from $93k
• BMW iX3: 805km, driveaway price from $95k

With this range, you can get from Newcastle to Mallacoota on Victoria’s south coast.

What is the WLTP driving range?

All the cars in this article are ranked on their WLTP driving range. This is a worldwide benchmark tested in European lab conditions to ensure all EVs are being sold on a like-for-like basis. All cars sold in the EU need to be meet certain standards before being allowed on the market. Although there’s no

Opponents say that lab conditions and real-world driving conditions are different, meaning most cars won’t live up to these benchmarks, but by doing it in this way it’s very easy to compare each car with the same measurement.

WLTP stands for Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure.

Lab testing vs real-world driving

Driving in a lab is very different to driving on a road, stopping for lights and navigating traffic. As a rule of thumb, you can expect to get around 90% of the tested score in real-life driving scenarios.

Drive tested some of the most popular EVs at the start of 2026 and found that some cars were within 3% of their lab tests while others were 31% below where they were tested at.

Tesla’s Model Y was the best on the list, just 3% lower than its lab numbers (while the Model 3 – an older version than currently on the market – was 14% lower). Several cars were within 10%, including the Smart #3 and Kia EV6. Two were more than 20% worse on the road – BYD Atto 3’s range was 23% shorter (369km vs 480km) and MG 4’s was a massive 31% less (281km vs 405km)

Charging times

For some drivers, a quicker charging time is more important than a longer driving range. If you’re sticking to city roads, you can normally just top up at home and never have an issue. Early testing suggests this costs a third of what you’d pay in fuel costs. Less if you have solar panels or an electricity supplier that gives free power during the day.

On longer trips, being able to charge while you stop for something to eat can massively extend how far you can go.

Obviously every car is different, but the latest guidance from the Electric Vehicle Council is that to add 100km to your driving time takes:

• 7 hours on a Level 1 charger
• 2.2 hours on a Level 2 charger
• 3-40 minutes on a Level 3 charger

Level 2 chargers are the ones normally found at shopping centres and in car parks while Level 3 chargers are normally placed along highways to help people on longer journeys. You can see more about Australia’s EV charging network here.

Buying an EV

If you’re thinking about buying an electric vehicle, whether that’s new or second-hand, the first step is to find out what you can afford. Give us a call to get a free quote and see if you’re in a position to make the switch.

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