Queenslanders to get thousands off electric vehicle purchase under expanded scheme

Queenslanders can soon get thousands of dollars back in cash for buying electric vehicles like the Tesla 3 under an expanded government scheme designed to help ‘working families’.

Queenslanders can soon get thousands of dollars back in cash for buying electric vehicles like the Tesla 3 under an expanded government scheme designed to get “working families” into greener cars.

The state government on Friday confirmed its $3000 electric vehicle rebate — first launched in July 2022 – would be doubled to $6000 from mid-year for households with a combined yearly income of $180,000.

Families making more than that can still claim the $3000 rebate.

People who have already received the $3000 grant and fall under the income threshold for the doubled grant can get their application reassessed in order to access more cash.

And more cars will become eligible, with the state government to exclude delivery fees from the calculation — so the price ceiling for a car moves from $58,000 to $68,000.

This means more electric vehicles, like the Tesla 3, will be eligible for the rebate.

Research by the RACQ showed the expanded rebate would have a positive impact on electric vehicle prices, making some electric models the same cost or even cheaper than their petrol comparisons.

It’s hoped the expansion will increase the uptake of the grant, which has so far ambled along in popularity.

The state government originally set aside $45m over three years to entice people to buy electric vehicles, meaning there was room for 15,000 grants.

So far 1135 rebates have been approved by the government, equating to $3.4m.

Energy Minister Mick de Brenni said the changes would support “another 10,000 households” in affording an electric vehicle.

“This is about making EVs more affordable and more accessible to all Queenslanders to slash emissions and act on climate change with cleaner technology,” he said.

The Australian Automobile Association this week revealed electric vehicle sales in Queensland had shot up 79.6 per cent in the first three months of the year compared to the last quarter of 2022.

Electric vehicles made up 6.9 per cent of car sales in the state in the first quarter of the year.

Mr de Brenni said government modelling expects there to be 40,000 electric vehicles on Queensland roads by the end of the year.

“Right now there’s about 1000 being purchased each and every week. But we want to make sure that working families are part of that movement, that real switch to electric vehicles,” he said.

RACQ advocacy general manager Joshua Cooney said a quick increase in the number of clean vehicles on the new-car market would mean more electric vehicles would become available for those interested in purchasing second hand.

LIST OF CARS:

Hyundai Kona $54,500

Mazda MX-30 $65,490

Polestar 2 $63,900

Nissan Leaf $50,990

Tesla Model 3 $60,900

Mini Cooper SE $59,900

GWM Ora $43,990

Hyundai Ioniq $54,010

Kia E-Niro $65,300

Renault Kangoo (commercial vehicle) $46,990

BYD Atto 3 $48,011

MG ZS EV $43,990

More models flagged for this year:

Fiat 500e TBA

Peugeot e-Partner (commercial vehicle) $59,990

Cupra Born $59,990

Ford e-Transit TBA

MG4 TBA

Peugeot e-2008 TBA

Renault Megane e-tech TBA