Sky-high petrol prices have put an end – at least temporarily – to Australia’s apathy toward electric cars. Industry reports show record interest in electric vehicles ahead of the release of industry sales data later this week.
Auction house Pickles has reported a huge increase in enquiries for EVs since the end of February, when petrol and diesel fuel costs started to rise dramatically.
Until now, EVs have been a small part of the Australian new car market, accounting for less than 10 per cent of sales.
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According to Pickles’ research, search activity for EVs more than doubled between February 24 and March 21, with a 111 per cent spike in the three week period.
Tellingly, purchase consideration also leapt forward, up 98 per cent as those who have previously not seriously considered an EV start to put them on their short list for their next car.
The data also highlights a 64 per cent increase in new users to Pickles website, which the company suggests indicates a broader pool of buyers are considering an EV for the first time to try and beat the pain at the pump.
A report by Carsales also found EV searches “almost tripled” between February and March, with customers recording interest in BYD, Tesla, Polestar, Zeekr and Geely cars.
Cox Automotive analyst Mike Costello agreed “the EV market is going crazy right now”, with car makers recording a significant increase in interest and orders.
Customer data published by Primara Research in March said the fuel price shocks represent a “tipping point” for drivers.
Primara Research director Peter Drennan said that “lower EV prices combined with higher fuel costs and geopolitical instability create the economic trigger that changes purchasing behaviour almost overnight.”
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While pure electric vehicles remain a relatively small part of the Australian market, there has been a trend towards hybrid and plug-in hybrid models over the past few years. In 2025 plug-in hybrids, which typically use an electric motor to drive the wheels but with a petrol engine to act as a back-up charger, were up more than 130 per cent.
In the first two months of 2026, sales of EVs rose more than 107 per cent, which is before the conflict in the Middle East drove the dramatic cost of fuel increase. Sales data for March is due later this week, so the early impact of fuel prices on the new car market is expected to be clearer then.
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But most leading car companies in Australia are expanding their portfolios of electric and plug-in hybrids anyway, to meet the Federal Government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standards, but the timing may be ideal as buyers are seemingly finally ready to make the switch to electric power.
Lucie Kuhn, Skoda Australia Director, said at the recent launch of two new, more affordable, electric models, that it is too early to tell if this sudden interest in electric cars is a long-term shift, but the signs have been there for some time that Australians are growing tired of rising petrol and diesel costs.
“Maybe short term, if you’re speaking about the conflict in the Middle East, of course it triggers the customers if they shouldn’t start considering an electric vehicle as their future car,” Kuhn said. “If increased interest will last to such an extent I think it depends how long the crisis will take.
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“But already before it has happened, we observed that out of this, in the market 65-70 per cent of customers are still driving combustion [vehicles]. I think already 70 per cent out of them consider, for the next purchase, to start thinking about the electric vehicle.
“It doesn’t mean that they will necessarily buy an electric vehicle, but they give it a serious thought and we observe that. Many customers maybe in the end go for a combustion engine or maybe for the PHEV as an interim step, they at least consider having and purchasing an EV.”
