EV consideration skyrockets in Australia

Fresh data collected by carsales has revealed Australians are searching for electric vehicles at almost triple the rate they were last month, with the ongoing fuel crisis pushing more Aussies toward electrified vehicles than ever.

As the ongoing war in Iran continues to impact global fuel supply, there’s been a huge uptick in both interest and consideration in electrified vehicles Down Under.

Searches for EVs have almost tripled this month compared to February when they were broadly stable, moving only a few percentage points week-on-week before the fuel crisis began.

According to carsales’ data services director Ross Booth, EV searches on carsales increased by 76.7 per cent during the week commencing March 2 compared to the previous week, with the most popular searches including BYD, Tesla, Polestar, Zeekr and Geely respectively.

Meanwhile, EV consideration – non-EV owners saying they’d consider buying an EV – increased by 19 per cent (to 55%) compared to previous survey results collected by carsales in November 2025.

Booth said it’s too soon to know if average used EV prices have shifted, but noted there tends to be a lag when sudden shocks like fuel price spikes occur.

“Consumer sentiment can shift quickly, but transaction data and advertised prices usually take longer to adjust,” he said.

“Over time, however, the laws of supply and demand still apply; if higher fuel costs persist, we would expect increased interest in more fuel efficient and electric vehicles to gradually flow through to used pricing.

“We’ll be watching the data closely over the coming months to see whether the best dynamic becomes more evident.”

But while EV consideration is up, purchase prices has overtaken resale value as the number one barrier holding Aussies back.

Those struggling to pay for fuel are unlikely to dig even deeper into their pockets and pay tens of thousands for an EV.

That said, concerns around pricing have dropped to 44 per cent (from 48% last November), according to our data.

Related: Hybrid, plug-in or electric: What EV suits me best?

Related: What do I need to know before buying an EV?

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