A self-described automotive fanatic with a long-held ardour for combustion engines, Matt Hurlston by no means wished an electric automobile.
Until per week in the past.
“My son was getting his diesel [car] serviced, and he was complaining about the price of fuel, so I went home, opened up my phone, put my credit card in, got the finance done and bought an EV,” says Hurlston, who lives in Melbourne’s south-east.
“Petrol was already expensive when I was considering a purchase, and then as fuel prices kept going higher, it was an easy decision.”
Sales of electric automobiles have been rocketing in Australia ever because the US-Israel battle on Iran unleashed a worldwide vitality shock that has despatched oil prices soaring and raised the prospect that fuel could be rationed.
Car yards are reporting a sharp increase in sales of EVs and hybrids, whereas brokerage companies are seeing a spike in mortgage functions for electric automobiles, and used EVs are attracting sturdy bids at public sale homes.
Hurlston, who ordered a Tesla final week and is awaiting its supply, says he didn’t like his first expertise driving the EV, however purchased one anyway.
“I drove the Tesla and said to myself it’s definitely not for me. It was a bit of a novelty, a bit like being in a computer game,” says Hurlston.
“I had to change my way of thinking and accept it’s a different experience; teaching an old dog new tricks. It is cheaper to run, more convenient to run, with the added bonus of no vehicle emissions.”
There have been more than 454,000 battery electric and plug-in hybrid electric automobiles (PHEVs) in Australia on the finish of 2025, in response to the Electric Vehicle Council, with the EV market share climbing to about 13% of recent purchases.
Eligible EVs are additionally exempt from fringe-benefits tax, which has helped drive gross sales in recent times.
Given a typical petrol automotive travelling 15,000km a 12 months might consume about 1,150 litres of fuel, the present EV fleet might be saving the nation more than 500m litres of petrol a 12 months; though the fuel consumption of PHEVs does range extensively relying on the automobile kind and the way they’re used.
Auction home Pickles is on monitor to report one among its greatest ever months for EV gross sales, with a rise of about 20% on final month.
Those aged between 31 and 40 are probably the most lively EV consumers, in response to Pickles, a development that seemingly exhibits younger, busy households try to chop fuel prices from their common commutes.
Brendon Green, normal supervisor of automotive options at Pickles, says consumers are getting more assured shopping for secondhand EVs.
“Rising petrol prices are likely part of that equation, as they tend to sharpen consumer focus on running costs and make EVs a more compelling option,” says Green.
Regular unleaded petrol has now pushed to about $2.50 a litre throughout giant components of the nation, whereas diesel prices are approaching $3 a litre.
While oil prices rose after the preliminary strikes towards Iran, the will increase have been capped by the idea the battle could be short-lived.
Oil prices then escalated towards ranges not seen since 2022 over considerations the US does not have a clear exit technique that may assure a secure resumption of the oil commerce, and different freight, by way of the essential strait of Hormuz.
James Voortman, chief government of the Australian Automotive Dealer Association, says the earlier bounce in oil prices sparked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine had ready motorists to purchase an EV as quickly as they noticed petrol prices spike once more.
“This oil shock shouldn’t be looked at in isolation,” Voortman says. “People were ready to buy EVs.”
Loan Market asset finance specialist, Will Hamer, says petrol prices are prompting clients to rethink long-held buy habits.
“It’s forcing a deeper conversation and people are pivoting on what they have been used to buying,” says Hamer. “We are seeing the average sort of professional move from the medium or small SUV to a full electric option.
“It makes no sense to buy a petrol or diesel car at the moment. If you are in that cycle of buying a vehicle, which could be once every five to seven years, it would be crazy not to explore electric options.”
Hurlston says whereas the EV might be his “workhorse”, he hasn’t given up on petrol automobiles.
“I’ve got a classic Holden sitting in my garage, so I will still have the opportunity to go pay a lot for petrol,” the 49-year-old says.
