ROAD CHARGES | CHECKED 24 OCTOBER 2026

EV road-user charges in Australia

NSW's published future-charge reference of 3.095c/km would equal $464.25 for 15,000 km. It is a proposed future scenario with constitutional uncertainty. We do not add it to current charging costs.

The NSW page gives a proposed start of 1 July 2027 or when EVs reach 30% of new vehicle sales, whichever arrives first. It also says the implications of the High Court decision remain under assessment. Its 2026-27 rate is a published reference, with future indexation still capable of changing the amount.

State and territory positions

The Queensland and Northern Territory rows record the limits of the official material reviewed. They do not assert a legislated zero rate. Registration, insurance and other vehicle charges remain separate from a distance-based EV road charge.

Victoria's former charge

VicRoads says drivers have not been required to pay ZLEV invoices or provide related odometer readings since the High Court's 18 October 2023 decision. The former scheme's refund process closed on 30 June 2024. An old Victorian cents-per-kilometre table should therefore not be added to a current running-cost estimate.

Several other jurisdictions changed their plans after that decision. The WA Budget abandoned its planned 2027 scheme, South Australia repealed its scheme before commencement, and Tasmania paused work. The ACT supports a national approach. Follow each linked official position rather than assuming every earlier announcement became an operating charge.

Federal work is still a policy input

The 2026-27 Federal Budget says the Commonwealth is continuing work with states and territories on an EV road-user charge. The inspected passage supplies no passenger-EV rate or commencement date. Development work is relevant when considering future ownership costs, but it cannot supply a current payable amount.

A future scheme could change the total running-cost comparison. Model that as a separate assumption so you can see its effect without changing the current electricity calculation. Keep the assumed rate, kilometres and policy date beside the result. Do not mix a heavy-vehicle fuel charge with a passenger EV kilometre charge.

What the fuel-excise reference means

The gazetted excise notice sets the petrol rate at 53.7c/litre from 3 August 2026. At an assumed 7.5 L/100 km and 15,000 km a year, petrol use is 1,125 litres. Multiplying by 53.7c gives $604.13 of excise before GST effects.

That amount explains one component of petrol taxation. It is already contained in a retail pump-price comparison. Adding it again to the petrol cost would count the same tax twice. Likewise, the excise calculation does not set a future EV charge or establish that two tax systems cover the same costs.

Keep your comparison dated

Start with your current electricity and petrol prices, annual distance and consumption. Keep proposed road charges in a separate scenario. Recheck the official sources when legislation, commencement dates or indexed rates change. A purchase decision made now can involve several years of policy changes, so retain the assumptions used in your budget.

Compare current EV and petrol energy | Check state incentives | Compare purchase prices