Cheapest electric cars in Australia 2026: every new EV under $35,000, ranked

Not long ago, a new electric car under $40,000 counted as a bargain. When the federal government announced its EV tax changes in May, it noted there were about ten EVs under $40,000 and, for the first time, one under $30,000. Five months later, the EV Select database counts twelve new EV variants that start below $35,000. Several now sit under $30,000 once a current deal is applied.

The catch is that the prices aren't quoted the same way. Some brands advertise a list price that excludes stamp duty, registration, CTP and dealer delivery. Others advertise a drive-away price, and many of the sharpest numbers are offers that end in a few weeks. So below we kept the two kinds of price in separate columns, and every figure comes from the maker's own Australian website or press release.

The 2026 price list

n/p = not published by the maker. ¹ BYD drive-away campaign for orders 15 Sep to 15 Dec 2026, delivered by 31 Dec. Retail buyers only, and metallic paint costs extra. ² Leapmotor price for Acorn Brown cars bought and delivered 1 Oct to 31 Dec 2026, excluding fleet and government buyers. The car arrives in November. ³ MG drive-away price including a $2,000 cash-back offer ending 31 October. ⁴ The headline figure on BYD's Atto 2 page. ⁵ GWM quotes its range on the Chinese WLTC cycle, which usually reads higher than WLTP, so this figure isn't directly comparable with the others.

List price vs drive-away: mind the gap

BYD's own online configurator shows how big the gap can be. An Atto 1 Premium lists at $27,990, but delivered in NSW with private registration it comes to $31,113.39 drive-away, about $3,100 more. Stamp duty, registration and CTP all vary by state, so a list price only tells you part of the story. When comparing a list-priced car with a drive-away one, add roughly that much to the list price before deciding which is cheaper.

Running the same configurator on a Dolphin Essential shows the opposite effect. BYD's $28,888 drive-away campaign price works out below the car's $29,990 list price, because the offer absorbs the on-road costs.

Which gives the most range per dollar?

To compare like with like, we took only the cars with a drive-away price published by the maker and divided that price by the WLTP range. Lower is better.

The Aion UT stands out. It costs about $12,000 more than the Atto 1 Essential but nearly doubles the rated range. The MG4 Urban 54 is close behind while its October cash-back runs. The Atto 1 Essential is the cheapest way into an EV, but at 220 km WLTP it really suits city driving with home charging. If you regularly drive between towns, stepping up to the Atto 1 Premium (310 km, $27,990 plus on-roads) or a 400 km-plus car is money well spent.

Our picks

Cheapest, full stop: BYD Atto 1 Essential at $19,990 drive-away, if you order by 15 December. After that it reverts to $23,990 plus on-roads.

Cheapest electric SUV: Leapmotor B03X Style, $26,990 list or $29,990 drive-away in Acorn Brown. Deliveries start in November. Read our B03X breakdown.

Best range for the money: GAC Aion UT Premium, 430 km WLTP from $31,990 drive-away for Q4 orders.

Best value from a long-established brand in Australia: MG4 EV Urban Essence 54, 405 km for $32,990 drive-away until 31 October.

Thinking of a novated lease?

Every car on this list is far below the $75,000 cut-off in the federal government's proposed FBT changes. That means they would keep the full fringe benefits tax exemption until April 2029 under the draft rules. Here's how the EV FBT changes work.

Want to filter by range, charging speed or body style? Use the EV Select database. Planning a road trip in a small-battery car? Check the fast-charger map first. And to see how running costs compare with petrol, read our fuel-price breakdown.

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