EVs gaining popularity in Australia: Best electric cars of 2022 | Review
The sales of electric vehicles in Australia have more than tripled since 2020 but which ones are worth buying? Our motoring expert took some EVs for a test drive and here’s his verdict.
Electric vehicles are becoming more popular around the world — and Australia is no different.
By the end of September, 21,771 EVs were sold in 2022 across the nation, eclipsing the 20,665 sales in 2021, and the 6900 sold in the previous year of 2020.
“While the overall market share of battery electric vehicles remains low, at 2.7 per cent, there is a clear market trend towards zero-emission technology,” Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Tony Weber told The Australian in October.
While Tesla is admittedly the most well-known and popular selling brand, a raft of new EVs has hit the market from the United States, Europe and Asia.
From Audi and BMW, to Kia, Mercedes and Nissan, there are more EVs available for sale in Australia ranging from $50,000 to as high as $170,000.
The Weekend Australian’s motoring writer Stephen Corby spent the year test driving some of the best.
Here’s his verdict on some of the EV options available to Australian motorists.
Tesla Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive
ENGINE: Single electric motor (190kW/375Nm). 13.2 kWh per 100km, range 448km TRANSMISSION: 1-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
PRICE: $63,900
“While it would be easy to accuse Tesla adopters of being the same kind of credulists who bought Macs before Apple was cool, there’s no denying the Model 3 is fantastic to drive, and it completely outpointed the other, newer EVs we put it up against,” Stephen Corby writes.
“The Tesla has better, more involving steering, it rides more sweetly over rough roads and on smooth highways and, most impressive of all, even though this was not the Performance version, it really does accelerate in a thrilling, thrusting fashion, and one that must quite regularly shock people who’ve bought one without ever taking a test drive.”
The elective vehicle company, founded by billionaire Elon Musk, has Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y on the market.
Hyundai Kona EV Highlander
ENGINE: Single electric motor (150kW/395Nm); 15.3kWh per 100km
TRANSMISSION: 1-speed automatic, front-wheel drive
PRICE: $66,000
“It is here that we run into the problem with all EVs: the price. Our Kona EV was the high-spec Highlander, with heated seats and heated steering wheel, but many of the plastics in the interior felt distinctly cheaper than you’d find in anything else with a $66,000 price tag. Worse still, due to the general dearth of cars on the market, second-hand values have soared, so even with some kilometres on the clock we were quoted $57,000 to buy our Kona in used condition.”
Mini Hatch Cooper SE Classic
ENGINE: Permanent magnet synchronous motor (135kW/270Nm)
ECONOMY: 16.8 kWh per 100km; range 222km
TRANSMISSION: 1-speed automatic, front-wheel drive
PRICE: $55,650
“Clearly, the Mini Hatch Cooper SE is for childless people – who I’ve noticed have enough money to pay $55,650 for something this small and toy-like – and for those who don’t often need to drive very far.
“In fact, with its laughably small range, I’d argue that it is pretty much a second-car proposition only for most households. It almost, but not quite, goes without saying that you could get much bigger EVs, with double the range between charges, for very close to the same money.”
BMW iX xDrive40
ENGINE: Twin dual current excited synchronous motors (240kW/630Nm)
ECONOMY: 22.5kWh/100km
TRANSMISSION: 1-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
PRICE: $135,900
“On the plus side, it does make for a stiff, sporty chassis; the iX is firm but fabulous to drive, and surprisingly involving for a family sized SUV. And the steering, through that weird wheel, is properly beefy BMW spec.”
BMW i4 M50
ENGINE: Dual current excited synchronous motors (400kW/795Nm). Average 25.6 kWh per 100km
TRANSMISSION: 1-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
PRICE: $124,900
“BMW’s i4 could well be the first car to give the long-held hegemony of Tesla’s Model 3 a good shake by producing a properly Germanic, attractive and sporty four-door EV sedan that’s involving and exciting to drive.
“It really is a shame the i4 is so expensive, because it’s a genuinely fantastic EV to drive. BMW has done a good job of adapting an existing car in its range – the excellent 4 Series – and electrifying it, and it certainly bodes well for what it will be able to do with a performance electric car designed from a clean sheet of paper.”
BMW iX3
ENGINE: Single electric motor (210kW/400Nm). Average 18.9kWh per 100km
TRANSMISSION: 1-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
PRICE: $114,900
“The steering is excellent, just like a normal BMW, the ride comfort is premium and the body roll around bends minimal, no doubt helped by the centre of gravity being lowered due to all the batteries under the floor. It is also impressively quiet, as you would expect from an EV, except when it’s not.”
Audi E-Tron S
ENGINE: Three electric motors (370kW/973Nm); 95kWh battery
TRANSMISSION: One-speed automatic
ECONOMY: 26kWh/100km
PRICE: $168,400
“The strange thing is that while the E-Tron S is definitely fun, it doesn’t feel quite as crazy-fast as I thought it would. It just doesn’t have the hilarious, back-cracking acceleration of a Porsche Taycan, but it does offer a kind of effortless, elastic speed that’s impressive in its own way.”
Kia EV6 RWD Air
ENGINE: Single electric motor (168kW/350Nm). Average 16.5 kWh per 100km
TRANSMISSION: One-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
PRICE: $67,990
“I must admit, I loved the Kia at first, but the more I lived with it, the more I noticed strange little features, which must be a lot like living with me. While the EV6 trumps its Hyundai cousin in terms of exterior design, the Ioniq 5 looks and feels more special inside – lighter and roomier, with lots of Star Wars-spec white screens.”
Genesis GV70 Electrified
ENGINE: Dual motor (180kW/350Nm)
TRANSMISSION: All-wheel drive
PRICE: $127,800
“Aside from styling, the GV70 Electrified’s other big win is its ride and handling, which are plush and excellent. The low centre of gravity offered by having the batteries under the floor and no big, heavy engine in the nose helps with the way it corners, but it’s the way it rides over bumps in properly Euro-spec luxury that is most impressive.”
Porsche Taycan
ENGINE: Dual motor
PRICE: From $156,300
“Porsche’s first fully electric car, the terrifyingly fast Taycan, has been such a roaring yet silent success that it now outsells the brand’s most famous vehicle, the 911, as well as its Boxster and Cayman.”
MOTORCYCLES
BMW CE 04
ENGINE: Permanent magnet liquid-cooled synchronous electric motor (31kW/62Nm). TRANSMISSION: Single-speed, belt driven, rear-wheel drive
PRICE: $21,950
“A more modern and worldly wise me, however, recognises that electric scooters are not only a great and practical idea – no one ever uses them for “riding” as such, they are purely tools for commuting, and thus even a claimed range of just 130km is plenty – but a force for good in the world.”
Harley-Davidson LiveWire
ENGINE: Three-phase electric motor (78kW/116Nm)
TRANSMISSION: Single-speed, belt driven, rear-wheel drive
PRICE: $49,995
“Electric cars require very large batteries to go any kind of distance; they can be hidden away under the vehicle’s floor, but in the Harley’s case there’s no room, so you only get a claimed range of 235km (more like 180km in the real world), which is obviously not enough to go for that long weekend ride. You probably wouldn’t take it, in any case, because you’d be too afraid of seeing another Harley owner who would mock you with a Marcel Marceau routine.”
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