14 hours ago
8
It’s safe to say electric cars have become a common fixture on Australian roads in the past few years.
Australia's EV adoption accelerated in 2026, particularly during the Middle Eastern conflict, when petrol prices skyrocketed and highlighted the benefits of owning battery-powered cars.
As reported by Drive in May 2026, electric car sales were up 157 per cent year-on-year in April this year, with battery electric cars accounting for 16.4 per cent of new cars – equating to 15,459 examples – SUVs, utes and vans that were reported as sold in April 2026.
And while EV adoption is steadily rising across the country, new data has revealed that some capital cities are falling behind in supporting the influx of EVs populating metropolitan roads.
ROLLiN' Insurance – an insurance subsidiary under IAG alongside NRMA – measured Australia’s capital cities on four pillars: the number of charging plugs per 100,000 people, the average price of public chargers, the number of EVs registered in the city, and the share growth of electric cars between 2021 and 2025.
Based on the insurer's report, Darwin was the least EV-friendly capital city in Australia, with only 33 charging plugs available per 100,000 people.
Additionally, the Northern Territory's capital recorded the highest average price for its public charging infrastructure at approximately $0.77/kWh. EVs also account for less than 1 per cent (0.63) of the total number of cars registered in the city.
But on 12 May 2026, Darwin authorities are seeking long-term charging partners to bolster its public charging infrastructure and support the growing number of residents switching to fully electric cars.
“Electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular, and it’s important that Darwin keeps providing accessible, reliable charging infrastructure for our community,” Darwin Lord Mayer Peter Styles said in a May 2026 media statement.
Hobart is also falling behind in its EV transition, with only 45 charging plugs available per 100,000 residents, and public EV chargers costing an average of $0.67/kWh. Of the cars registered in Hobart, approximately 1.32 per cent are electric cars.
Of the most populous cities, Melbourne ranked as the worst – and third-worst overall – with an average of 32 charging plugs per 100,000 people. On average, using a public EV charger in Melbourne costs $0.51/kWh, with only 1.55 per cent of the city’s total registered vehicles battery-powered.
Conversely, Canberra was cited as the friendliest EV capital city in Australia, which achieved an index score of 84.37/100. Canberra has approximately 83 EV charging plugs per 100,000 people, with an average charging fee of $0.57/kWh.
Among the cities analysed, the nation’s capital also recorded the highest percentage of EVs registered in the state, with battery electric cars accounting for 3.06 per cent of registered passenger and light cars in the territory.
Perth ranked second on ROLLiN' Insurance’s report, with approximately 63 charging connectors available per 100,000 people. On average, EV owners pay approximately $0.50/kWh to use a public EV charger in the city.
Electric cars account for an estimated 1.33 per cent of registered vehicles in Perth, with WA’s capital city achieving a 62.57 index score.
Sydney was ranked third EV-friendliest capital city, with ROLLiN' Insurance's data revealing an estimated 46 public EV charging plugs per 100,000 population.
On average, Sydney EV owners pay $0.53/kWh to charge their cars at public charging stations. Of the vehicles registered in the city, approximately 1.76 per cent are battery-powered cars.
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.
