r/EVAustralia

I bought a Renault Scenic etech espirit Alpine last month. Range up to 560km. Of course that is city driving. So my wife and I decided to go to Katoomba and test the range. The battery is 87kw and google indicated that from our home near Canberra was 340km and would have 10% when arrived.

So on both directions travelling at the speed limit, according to google not the speedo, that is 110 on the Hume we ended up with 30% on the way and 35% on the way back. So quite pleased.

The biggest issue was that the hotel had old Tesla fast Chargers, which apparently check to ensure it is a Tesla or doesn't work. So, luckily bought a granny charger the day before. We stayed 2 nights just in case this happened and took the car 33 hours to fully charge to 100% for the journey home. We could have used other fast chargers in the area but tested the granny charger anyway. Now we know roughly how far we can travel under some conditions. Very happened. We also noted that going to the A9 from Katoomba the car was on 200% for 45km due to the downhill run.

Summary of every every live EV/PHEV deal this month.

📊 The numbers

• 37 live offers across 18 brands
• 27 vehicle discounts / cashback / drive-away pricing
• 7 finance offers
• 2 free home charger offers
• 1 free servicing offer
• 13 end on 31 October, the rest run to December or later

🏆 Brands with the most deals

1. BYD – 11 (including $4,000 cashback on seven models: Sealion 5, Sealion 6, Sealion 7, Sealion 8, Seal 6, Seal 6 Touring and Shark 6)
2. MG – 4
3. GWM – 3
4. Chery, KGM, Tesla, Volvo – 2 each

💸 Biggest savings

• Polestar 3 – free drivetrain upgrade worth $14,400 (orders by 31 Dec)
• Toyota bZ4X – up to $12,500 in value (home charger or Chargefox credit + up to $7,500 finance deposit contribution)
• BYD Atto 1 Essential – $19,990 drive away, up to $7,204 in savings. Cheapest new car in the country, EV or petrol
• KGM Torres EVX – $5,010 factory bonus, no fixed end date
• BYD Dolphin Essential – $28,888 drive away (~$4,262 saving)
• MG IM5 / IM6 – $3,000 cashback + $500 accessories bonus, stackable

🏦 Cheapest finance

• Geely EX5, EX2, Starray EM-i – 0.09% p.a. comparison, no deposit, no balloon (or 6% off on novated)
• Chery E5 – 0.70% comparison, 10% deposit
• GWM PHEVs – 0.88% p.a. (2.71% comparison), zero deposit. It’s this OR the drive-away price, not both
• XPENG G6 – 2.88% p.a., no deposit, no fees
• Volvo – 1% p.a. off the standard loan rate on EVs, half funded by the CEFC

🚀 Launch / intro specials

• Leapmotor B03X – from $29,990 drive away, arriving November. Cheapest all-electric SUV on sale
• BYD Atto 2 DM-i – from $24,990 + ORC, cheapest PHEV in Australia
• Smart #5 – free 7.4kW wall box worth $1,990 (first 60 buyers only)

🔌 Free charging / servicing

• GWM ORA 5 – free 7kW charger on novated leases, from $33,990 drive away
• KGM Musso EV – 3 years / 60,000km free servicing
• GAC AION UT – $31,990 drive away bundled with a 22kW wall charger

Up to now I've felt that EVs are soulless, unsexy and generally not something I would genuinely want. But that just changed as this thing left me drooling :

https://www.renault.com.au/renault-8-gordini-concept/

It's a pity that it's just a showcar that won't go into production. If it did, for the first time ever I would really reaaaallllly want one. If it was too expensive I may even seriously consider selling my beloved V8 Mustang!

Hey everyone,

Looking for real-world perspectives to help break a tie on my next EV under an Australian novated lease (~$75k budget).

(Note upfront: I haven't considering Chinese brands like BYD, Zeekr, Geely, etc. While Chinese EVs offer great cabin luxury, their local parts availability and warranty turnaround remain unproven. I also have major cyber security concerns; Tesla’s vulnerability patching maturity is well ahead of brands like BYD. .

The Contenders & Deals:

• Mercedes-Benz CLA 200 EV: Comes to ~$75k after a 4% corporate/NL discount. It’s a brand-new model/platform, bringing fresh styling and next-gen tech.

◦ Catches: Quoting a 3–4 month delivery wait, and ongoing dealer maintenance is steep (the 5-year Mercedes service plan sits around $4,200).

• Tesla Model 3 / Model Y (2026-built MY27): Taking advantage of a ~5% price reduction on existing stock inventory, meaning immediate delivery, sitting comfortably under budget, and minimal condition-based maintenance costs.

Test Drive Impressions & Practicality Check:

• Mercedes CLA 200 EV: Classic luxury feel, very quiet road isolation, and premium tactile controls. However, the rear seat headroom, legroom, and rear door entry aperture are genuinely tight.

• Tesla (Model 3/Y): The software UX, smart features, Supercharger network convenience, and Autopilot / FSD tech are noticeably ahead. Interior cabin packaging is significantly more open and airy.

Family Context: No young kids or prams to worry about—our kids are grown up. Most driving is daily commuting, but we do occasionally head out as a family of adults for weekend drives and road trips.

The Dilemma: The CLA 200 EV is the newer, fresher release with proper prestige luxury- but is it worth waiting 3–4 months, compromising on tight rear seating for adult passengers, and paying ~$4,200 in servicing over 5 years? Or does the immediate availability of a discounted 2026-built MY27 Tesla—with proven software, practical cabin room, and negligible routine maintenance—make it the smarter 3–5 year lease?

Would love to hear your thoughts.

I am considering buying a Tesla Y or Zeekr 7X LR, however does it even make sense if I only drive 5000-8000km per year to be buying an EV car if you take into account higher depreciation of EV cars, financing cost (NL at 9-10% p.a. interest rate) higher wear on tyres, higher insurance and cost of installing an EV charger at home ($1-2k)? I currently own a 12 year old Lexus RX350 (avg 14l/100km), even at current petrol prices the overall cost of a new EV car far outweighs keeping my current car based on yearly mileage. Do people factor in depreciation as a cost rather than just the fuel cost saving?

Hey guys,

As the title states, what do y'all check when taking delivery of an EV.

M expecting to get a BYD Sealion 7 in a week or so.

Do you get a battery test done before accepting delivery?

Anything else to check /look out for ?

All responses appreciated 😊👍

I'm looking at getting an EV and want to keep it around or under 30k onroad. I was originally taken by the allure of the 20k atto1 (I drive 80km per day and occasional highway driving up to 200km a day), but the more I read the more I suspect it's not a great choice for qld summers especially with how the air con works. I've just seen the geely ex2 and it looks like a better fit. Anyone in similar climate/driving conditions with some practical experience they can share? Is there another car I should be looking at? Many thanks for your help!