Top 10 new EVs coming in 2022

If you’re not a fan of the circa-20 electric vehicles currently on sale in Australia, fear not – at least 30 EVs are expected to be available here by the end of 2022.

As was the case in 2021, a host of new battery-electric models are due to surge onto Aussie roads this year, bringing even more options for volt-heads to sink their plugs into.

Better still, it isn’t just the established players in the game that are planning to launch new EVs. Brand-new Chinese and Spanish brands will join the mix too, promising to offer quirkier and more affordable (potentially sub-$40K, before subsidies) alternatives for open-minded Aussie buyers.

Here are 10 of the most important EVs arriving Down Under in 2022.

Formerly known as the BYD Yuan Plus, the Atto 3 will spearhead the huge Chinese car-maker’s official Australian launch in Sydney tonight.

The BYD Atto 3 is a small electric SUV with modern styling, a 400km-plus range and an expected price of around $45,000.

It will be followed by a host of promised sub-$35K EVs, which will enter Oz with a direct-to-public online sales model.

Fledgling Spanish brand Cupra is on track to launch Down Under with three models including PHEVs around mid-2022, and the all-electric Cupra Born hatch is expected to follow as its first EV.

That means the Volkswagen Group-owned brand will beat its own VW sister brand in offering electrified vehicles in Australia, where a local testing program has already begun for the Born.

Based on the Volkswagen ID.3 hatch that’s still yet to go on sale Down Under, the Born will bring a driving range of at least 420km.

We just hope it looks as good in the metal as it does on the screen and that it’s priced under $50K.

Following the tyre-tracks of the game-changing IONIQ 5 mid-size fastback-SUV, which lobbed in Oz late last year and was crowned carsales Car of the Year for 2021, the IONIQ 6 is expected to hit our shores later this year.

The second model to launch from Hyundai’s new electric sub-brand IONIQ, the high-tech four-door is yet to be fully unveiled, although initial details – including the fact it’ll ride on the same E-GMP architecture as the IONIQ 5 – are promising.

Set to bring performance credentials to rival the class-leading Tesla Model 3, the slick electric sedan will be offered in both single-motor rear- and dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain options.

Hyundai’s sister brand Kia will launch its second electric vehicle in Australia this month, joining the soon-to-be-replaced Kia Niro EV, which is currently sold here alongside regular hybrid (HEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain options.

Sharing the same E-GMP underpinnings as the IONIQ 5 and 6, the all-new Kia EV6 will herald a new era for the South Korean car-maker’s electrification future, bringing performance to match its siblings, as well as rivals from Tesla and Polestar.

Due to land in Aussie showrooms just about any day now, the EV6 – as with all Kia models – will enter with a locally-tuned chassis to match its go-fast bits, along with an aggressively adventurous design.

Pricing will start at $67,990 and cheaper versions will follow. You might have trouble getting your hands on one though, as supply is strictly limited to 500 examples for 2022.

The Ford E-Transit will be the Blue Oval brand’s first EV in Australia, as well as one of the first electrified delivery vans available here.

Confirmed for release mid-year, the large battery-powered commercial van promises a 1616kg payload and 317km of range.

Pricing is yet to be confirmed, as are the identities of the other four EVs Ford Australia has promised by 2024.

Joining the Korean luxury brand’s existing GV70 and GV80 SUVs (both of which are currently petrol- and diesel-powered only, but will be electrified in the future), the all-new – and smaller – Genesis GV60 crossover-coupe will be offered solely with battery-electric power when it lands in showrooms in the first half of 2022.

Previewed with a striking lime exterior, the yet-to-be-priced Genesis GV60 is slated to blend affordable luxury with performance and zero-emissions motoring.

Australia’s cheapest EV – the MG ZS EV small SUV – hails from China and is in line for a significant update in 2022, bringing improved styling, technology and battery range.

Currently priced from about $45,000 drive-away (before state subsidies), the facelifted MG ZS EV might go up in price and may not retain its ‘cheapest’ title for much longer…

Fledgling Chinese car-maker Ora also has plans to launch a cut-price electric hatchback Down Under in 2022.

Like its name and specs, the Good Cat name is yet to be officially confirmed by the Great Wall Motors-owned brand. All we know so far is that it’ll offer an electric driving range of between 350km and 400km.

With a predicted starting price of less than $40,000, the Ora-badged EV should undercut the MG ZS EV’s price tag, which would make it Australia’s most affordable EV.

The order book opened last year for this strangely named fastback crossover EV, first deliveries of which commence in March.

Priced from a Tesla Model 3-matching $59,900 plus on-road costs, the Polestar 2 comes with a five-year warranty and roadside assist, plus free scheduled servicing and a seven-day money-back satisfaction guarantee.

Tesla’s first mid-size SUV is closely based on Australia’s most popular EV, the Tesla Model 3, but is yet to be confirmed for Australia.

In fact, with Model 3 delivery times expanding and no confirmation of local ETAs for the MY22 Model Y, S or X, we may have to wait until 2023 – at which point the medium electric SUV could become Australia’s favourite EV.

When it lands, expect a three-variant line-up with single-motor rear-drive and dual-motor AWD options, a 400km-plus range and prices starting above the Model 3’s $60K entry price.

Australia’s – and the world’s – top-selling auto brand is late to the EV party but will aim to make up for lost ground when the all-new Toyota bZ4X arrives here in late 2022, which as with the Model Y could become 2023.

Similar in size to the Toyota RAV4, the bZ4X will bring single-motor two-wheel drive and dual-motor AWD configurations and a range of about 500km, but Toyota has already warned it won’t come cheapo.

Yes, the Volkswagen ID.4 swells this list to 11, but that’s because it’s no longer likely to arrive here before 2023 – or later.

The German giant’s all-new mid-size electric SUV could well undercut the Polestar 2, Model Y and bZ4X on price, but along with other VW EVs has been delayed due to the lack of federal support for EVs and CO2 emissions regulations.

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