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Australia’s most affordable hybrid and electric cars

The list of electric car and hybrid car options in Australia expands with every passing year, but their often prohibitive cost – particularly in the case of EVs – remains a major barrier to their uptake.


Hybrid drivetrains are complex, while batteries for hybrid or electric cars are expensive to manufacture, which bumps up the price of hybrid and electric cars across the board. Some brands are blessed with scale and long-serving tech that has already paid for itself, but not all can say the same.

And, unlike the United Kingdom or Norway, the Australian government currently offers no major nation-wide incentives or deductions for those purchasing a hybrid or electric vehicle (although the ACT offers a stamp-duty exemption on new electric cars) and charging infrastructure isn't as widely available, which in turn limits uptake and demand.

But with news hybrid sales in Australia surged by 64 per cent in April 2020 compared with the same month last year, the evidence is there that a growing number of Australians are committing to more economical powertrain options.

Currently, Australians have the choice of the following vehicle types: an all-electric car (EV), which doesn’t use petrol and must be recharged via a cable; a plug-in hybrid car (PHEV), which uses a combination of petrol engine and battery power and may also be plugged in to recharge; or the more conventional, now well-known hybrid (HEV) option, which uses the petrol engine and regenerative braking to charge the battery and doesn’t need to be plugged in.

 

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There are also 'mild hybrid' systems, which typically use a small 48-volt motor to provide assistance to the engine in order to enhance performance and efficiency, but they’re less common in Australia and tend to be found in cars from more expensive marques.

And while the concept of ‘affordable hybrid and electric cars’ may be and something of an oxymoron, it is possible to purchase a new fully or semi-electrified model for under $50,000.

Of course, few would call $50,000 a bargain, but when you consider the petrol a hybrid or EV could save you over a period of several years, perhaps that price point becomes justified. Plus, if your budget is $40,000 or below, that rules out all-electric cars entirely – hence why we increased the threshold to include a few more options.

Below, we’ve rounded up every fully or semi-electrified car in Australia under $50,000 – in order from least to most expensive – and will continue to update this list as more affordable models become available.

 

Toyota Prius C hybrid

Note: The Toyota Prius C was recently discontinued, but we've included it as there may be remaining dealer stock available.

Starting price: $24,040 plus on-road costs

How does it work? Self-charging hybrid, petrol required, but no plug-in required

Claimed combined fuel consumption: 3.9L/100km

 

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Toyota Corolla hybrid

Starting price: $26,335 plus on-road costs 

How does it work? Self-charging hybrid, petrol required, but no plug-in required

Claimed combined fuel consumption: 4.2L/100km

 

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Toyota Camry hybrid

Starting price: $30,590 plus on-road costs

How does it work? Self-charging hybrid, petrol required, but no plug-in required

Claimed combined fuel consumption: 4.2L/100km

 

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Hyundai Ioniq hybrid

Starting price: $35,140 plus on-road costs

How does it work? Self-charging hybrid, petrol required, but no plug-in required

Claimed combined fuel consumption: 3.4L/100km

(Plug-in hybrid and full-electric options also available, see below)

 

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Toyota RAV4 hybrid

Starting price: $35,490 plus on-road costs

How does it work? Self-charging hybrid, petrol required, but no plug-in required

Claimed combined fuel consumption: 4.7L/100km

 

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Subaru XV hybrid

Starting price: $35,580 plus on-road costs

How does it work? Self-charging hybrid, petrol required, but no plug-in required

Claimed combined fuel consumption: 6.5L/100km

 

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Toyota C-HR hybrid

Starting price: $36,440 plus on-road costs

How does it work? Self-charging hybrid, petrol required, but no plug-in required

Claimed combined fuel consumption: 4.3L/100km

 

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Toyota Prius hybrid

Starting price: $36,590 plus on-road costs

How does it work? Self-charging hybrid, petrol required, but no plug-in required

Claimed combined fuel consumption: 3.4L/100km

 

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Toyota Prius V hybrid

Starting price: $37,590 plus on-road costs

How does it work? Self-charging hybrid, petrol required, but no plug-in required

Claimed combined fuel consumption: 4.4L/100km

 

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Subaru Forester hybrid

Starting price: $39,990 plus on-road costs

How does it work? Self-charging hybrid, petrol required, but no plug-in required

Claimed combined fuel consumption: 6.7L/100km

 

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Hyundai Ioniq plug-in hybrid

Starting price: $42,410 plus on-road costs

How does it work? Plug-in hybrid, requires both charging and petrol

Claimed combined fuel consumption: 1.1L/100km

Claimed electric-only range: 60km on a full charge

 

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Mitsubishi Outlander hybrid

Starting price: $47,390 plus on-road costs

How does it work? Plug-in hybrid, requires both charging and petrol

Claimed combined fuel consumption: 1.9L/100km

Claimed electric-only range:  54km on a full charge

 

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Hyundai Ioniq electric

Starting price: $48,970 plus on-road costs

How does it work? Fully electric, must be externally charged, no petrol required

Claimed electric-only range: 311km on a full charge

 

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Renault Zoe electric

Starting price: $47,490 plus on-road costs

How does it work? Fully electric, must be externally charged, no petrol required

Claimed electric-only range: Up to 300km on a full charge

 

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Nissan Leaf electric

Starting price: $49,990 plus on-road costs

How does it work? Fullyelectric, must be externally charged, no petrol required

Claimed electric-only range: 270km on a full charge

 

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Coming soon: MG ZS EV

Starting price: While official pricing is yet to be confirmed ahead of the MG ZS EV's launch later in 2020, pre-sale pricing is $46,990 drive-away for the first 100 cars sold in presale and MG tells CarAdvice there is still an allocation of pre-sale models available. Interested buyers should contact their local MG dealer.

How does it work? Fully electric, must be externally charged, no petrol required

Claimed electric-only range: Up to 371km on a full charge

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Susannah Guthrie

Susannah Guthrie has been a journalist for over a decade, covering everything from world news to fashion, entertainment, health and now cars. Having previously worked across titles like The New Daily, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, People Magazine and Cosmopolitan, Susannah now relishes testing family cars with the help of her husband and two-year-old son.

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