OUTER Australian city suburbs now dominate the top locations for battery-electric vehicles purchased with the assistance of the electric car discount scheme.

Data released by the National Automotive Leasing and Salary Packaging Association (NALSPA), the peak body for novated leasing, shows that in 2025, take-up for the electric car discount has been booming in the outer suburbs of eastern Australia.

The data reveal comes amid a federal government review of the EV discount, global fuel supply chain disruptions and rapidly escalating fuel prices.

The 10 top postcodes for BEV sales in eastern Australia include Marsden Park, Riverstone in NSW, Springfield in Springfield Lakes, Queensland, and Werribee in Victoria.

NALSPA chief executive Rohan Martin said the discount was proving “incredibly successful and efficient in driving new and used EV uptake”.

Rohan Martin

He said that working Australians were telling NALSPA members that they wouldn’t have purchased their EV without the FBT discount.

“This means working Australians are benefiting from fewer emissions, reduced running costs, and quieter safer roads,” he said.

“Since its inception, the EV FBT exemption has been most popular among working families living in the outer suburbs – a pattern that continued strongly in 2025. 

“Last year, the top adopters of the EV FBT exemption include residents of Werribee, Hoppers Crossing, and Craigieburn (Victoria); Marsden Park, Kellyville, Baulkham Hills, and Queanbeyan (NSW); and Springfield (Queensland).

“Australians living in the outer suburbs often face longer commutes and are more likely to have access to rooftop solar and off-street parking so switching to EVs with the help of the FBT exemption is a smart cost-of-living and green choice for them, especially during the ongoing cost-of-living crunch.”

The popularity of BEVs in outer suburbs also shows that ‘range anxiety’ is less of an issue compared with earlier years of EV use.

Mr Martin said as fuel prices rose amid global conflict, helping more Australians switch to EVs was making increasing sense for both household budgets and the nation’s energy security. 

“Drivers who buy EVs through a novated lease with the discount can save thousands of dollars on fuel alone each year and those savings are rising given that we could be facing price hikes of $0.25 to $1.00 per litre of fuel for a while yet,” he said. 

“The EV discount works to help address ongoing barriers to EV uptake including their upfront price impost. 

“Together with the pronounced running savings accentuated by the current fuel price shock, the discount is making EVs a truly viable option for typical everyday working Australians who otherwise may not have considered them.” 

He said that Australia could not increase EV uptake further – especially during the early adoption phase – without continued targeted demand-side incentives.

“That’s the stark reality. The EV discount is more than proving its worth but there is still much heavy lifting to be done,” he said.

“With the transport sector set to become Australia’s largest source of emissions by 2030, increasing EV uptake is absolutely crucial.”