There’s no denying electric vehicles are starting to become a permanent addition to Australian roads, with 47,230 battery-powered models finding new homes in the first half of 2025.
Though EV sales are technically down 6.7 per cent in comparison to July 2024 (51,008), a new survey from finance comparison website Money.com.au found that over half (52 per cent) of respondents would consider purchasing an electric car within the next five years.
According to Money.com.au’s survey – which polled more than 1000 Australian drivers – Gen X (drivers born between 1965 and 1980) were the most likely age group to own an EV (23 per cent) in the next five years.
Millennials (1981–1996) were the second-most open to EV adoption, with 20 per cent of motorists in this age bracket stating they would choose an electric car in the next couple of years.
Gen Z (1997–2012) ranked third at 16 per cent, with Baby Boomers (1946–1964) the least open to welcoming an EV to their driveways (11 per cent). However, when the respondents were asked if they were open to choosing a hybrid car, the results show a slightly different story.
According to the finance comparison organisation’s survey, Gen Z leads the charge when it comes to hybrid vehicles, with 42 per cent of drivers in this age bracket stating they would choose a petrol-electric model within the next five years.
Millennials ranked second in the hybrid race (36 per cent), with Gen X and Baby Boomers both tied in third at 33 per cent each, respectively. Interestingly, traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) cars were the overwhelming favourite among survey participants.
Over half of the Baby Boomer participants (53 per cent) said they would choose a traditional petrol/diesel car in the next five years, with Gen X motorists not too far behind at 42 per cent.
Millennials were the third-most likely age group (40 per cent) to purchase a petrol or diesel model within the next five years, while Gen Z ranked last at 38 per cent.
When asked what their biggest concerns are in regard to EV ownership, respondents cited “a lack of trust in EV battery performance or longevity” and high upfront costs were the most significant barriers at 21 per cent each, respectively. The lack of public charging infrastructure was also a key concern among respondents at 18 per cent.
But the influx of new electric vehicles in Australia has led some organisations to ease consumer concerns, particularly around the life of an EV battery.
Australian online auction site Pickles launched its EV Battery Assurance Program in 2023, with the auctioneer testing the battery health of over 650 electric cars that varied in age and odometer readings.
According to its latest Quarterly Automotive Report, EVs less than two years old generally retain 97 per cent of their battery capacity.
This figure slightly declines to 95 per cent for battery-powered cars that are two to four years old, and surprisingly, electric models older than four years still retain approximately 94 per cent of their battery capacity.
In July 2025, Pickles announced its new Battery State of Health (SoH) assessment, a program aimed at eroding the concerns surrounding second-hand EV batteries.
As previously reported by Drive, each EV tested will come with two SoH certificates, one supplied by the auction site and another by a third-party battery research firm called Aviloo.
The online auctioneer also shared the average battery capacity retention of EVs that have travelled over a set distance, with the data listed below.
| EV odometer reading | Average battery health by percentage |
| 0 to 20,000km | 98.1 |
| 20,000 to 40,000km | 96.8 |
| 40,000 to 80,000km | 94.4 |
| 80,000 to 120,000km | 91.1 |
| 120,000km and above | 83 |
We'd like to hear from you. What age bracket do you identify with? And would you consider purchasing an electric car in the next five years? Vote down below, and let us know in the comments why you would or wouldn't add an EV to your garage.
Ethan Cardinal graduated with a Journalism degree in 2020 from La Trobe University and has been working in the fashion industry as a freelance writer prior to joining Drive in 2023. Ethan greatly enjoys investigating and reporting on the cross sections between automotive, lifestyle and culture. Ethan relishes the opportunity to explore how deep cars are intertwined within different industries and how they could affect both casual readers and car enthusiasts.
