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73% of Australians Agree Moving to Electric Vehicles is Important to Curb Climate Change

Survey of 1001 Australians learns attitudes towards electric vehicle ownership
Electric Car uptake survey of Australians in 2022

73% of Australians Agree Moving to Electric Vehicles is Important to Curb Climate Change

Survey of 1001 Australians learns attitudes towards electric vehicle ownership
  Written by 
Bill Tsouvalas
Bill Tsouvalas is the managing director and a key company spokesperson at Savvy. As a personal finance expert, he often shares his insights on a range of topics, being featured on leading news outlets including News Corp publications such as the Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun, Fairfax Media publications such as the Australian Financial Review, the Seven Network and more. Bill has over 15 years of experience working in the finance industry and founded Savvy in 2010 with a vision to provide affordable and accessible finance options to all Australians. He has built Savvy from a small asset finance brokerage into a financial comparison website which now attracts close to 2 million Aussies per year and was included in the BRW’s Fast 100 in 2015 as one of the fastest-growing companies in the country. He’s passionate about helping Australians make financially savvy decisions and reviews content across the brand to ensure its accuracy. You can follow Bill on LinkedIn.
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Last updated
March 7th, 2025


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A survey of 1,001 Australians by Savvy has revealed that 73% agree that moving to Electric Vehicles (EV) is an important move to reduce CO2 emissions and keep global temperature rises to 1.5°C.

  • 40% may purchase EVs in the future – 7% already signalling intent in next 12 months
  • Younger Australians skew favourably to buying EVs
  • 79% say that affordability needs to improve before buying
  • 59% says that Australia should be “all in” on EVs

79% of 18–24-year-olds, 78% of 25-34 year-olds, and 82% of 35-44 year-olds agreed with the statement.

As for putting their money towards the cause, 40% stated that they may purchase EVs in the future, with 7% of respondents saying they intend to buy one within the next 12 months. 2% said they already own an EV; however, 30% say they can’t afford one.

37% of women say that they can’t afford an EV; and older Australians (33% for 55-64s and 36% for 65+) also say they are unable to afford one. 19% of 65+s say they’d rather buy a petrol-driven car.

Australians attituded to electric vehicle owner ship survey

The price gap

The biggest obstacle to going electric is price, according to the survey. 79% say that affordability would need to improve before considering an EV as their next vehicle.

Improved government subsidies (41%), improved infrastructure (51%) and improved driving range (39%) would also influence their decisions, when asked their top three barriers to buying EVs.

The biggest concern about buying is price – 43% say the price is too high above all; while 17% are most concerned about charging station availability and 16% worry about limited travel range.

As for brands, 24% said they’d most rather a Hyundai, followed by Tesla (20%) and Mazda (12%). With 37% of respondents saying they’d spend $25,000-$40,000 on their next car, most models would be well out of their price range. 53% said they’d buy an EV over a petrol car to reduce emissions, even if they cost more than a petrol equivalent. 74% of 18-24s said they would – compared with 35% of over 65s.

There is a taste for EVs in Australia, but I wouldn’t say that it’s what everyone is clamouring for just yet,” says Savvy Managing Director Bill Tsouvalas. “We need an economy of scale and infrastructure before we hit anything nearing critical mass. But there are shoots rising out of the ground, and that’s a good start.”

Does EV policy go far enough?

Is Australia doing enough to encourage EV uptake? 59% of those surveyed said they felt strongly that Australia should go “all in” on electric uptake – that means aggressively pursuing subsidies, stronger emissions standards, and buyer incentives.

However, only 8% said that the Federal Government’s $250 million Future Fuels and Vehicles Strategy, which is targeted at increasing EV home charging stations to 50,000 around the country, will “get the job done.”

“53 percent say that it should make some improvement and 38% say it doesn’t do enough,” Tsouvalas says. “There needs to be a push from industry and government to really make the case that EV is the future in terms of the environment and the hip-pocket. For those seeking car finance to fund their upgrade, every dollar counts.”

For media enquiries, please contact Adrian Edlington on or [email protected]

Savvy - 2021 EV Ownership Sentiments Survey (n = 1001)

Nationally representative survey of 1001 adult Australians, aged 18 and over. Conducted by Octopus Group, on behalf of Savvy.

Completion date: 12/11/2021

Age groups:18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65+

Gender breakdown: male n=503, female n=496, non-binary /prefer not to say n=2

Representative of state and territory populations:

NSW n=328 (32.3%), Vic n=256 (25.1%), Qld n=188 (20.2%), SA n=70 (7.2%), WA n=109 (10.6%) NT n=10 (0.7%), Tas n=22 (2.2%), ACT n=18 (1.7%)

 

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