What are the best electric cars for families? We ask Aussie parents

When Brisbane mum Liz heard the news about petrol prices surging above $2 a litre in Australian capital cities, she felt a mixture of satisfaction and guilt.

“I feel extremely smug! My family is sick of hearing me talk about it,” she tells Drive.

“I feel bad for people driving long distances in a petrol or diesel car, while I just have to remember to plug my car in.”

Liz is one of an increasing number of Australians making the switch to an electric car. Her family of three swapped out of a Honda HR-V and into a Tesla Model 3 via a novated lease in February 2025. 

Electric cars are increasingly front-of-mind for new-car buyers in Australia, amid growing uncertainty around the cost of living and fuel prices.

In particular, the conflict between the United States and Iran has sparked mass anxiety among Australian drivers, who have been panic-buying fuel in anticipation of global supply shortages.

A survey of 1000 Australians conducted by market research agency Nature found 97 per cent of respondents were concerned about fuel supplies, while 40 per cent reported increased interest in purchasing an electric car. 

Meanwhile, used car auction site Pickles has seen a 30 per cent surge in searches for electric cars.

"Search behaviour is often one of the earliest signals of changing buyer sentiment, and what we’re seeing is more people starting to research EV options and compare the running costs with traditional petrol vehicles," said Brendon Green, General Manager of Automotive Solutions at Pickles.

“I just loathed having to fill up with petrol,” Queensland mum Liz tells Drive of her decision to buy the Tesla Model 3. One year into her ownership journey, Liz has no regrets. 

Her seven-year-old daughter fits comfortably in a booster seat in the back, her “very tall” husband has plenty of head room, and the boot accommodates their weekend trips.

"When we go away, we can fit all of our bags in there, a scooter, a bike might even fit. It was bigger than I thought. There’s also the frunk at the front, but I haven’t put anything in there yet," she says.

“If we had two kids, I’d probably get the [larger] Model Y, but I think we could comfortably get two booster seats in the back of the Model 3.

“I wouldn’t say there were many adjustments to make to accommodate an electric car in our family life. We had to get our power outlet upgraded in our carport to help the car charge a little quicker, but that was straightforward. 

“The Tesla itself has no keys – just an app – plus the air-con controls being on the screen and the indicators being on the steering wheel was a bit wild to get your head around.”

In addition to skipping the visits to the petrol station, Liz says the Model 3’s ownership costs have been incredibly low – partly because she charges "99 per cent of the time" at home using solar power.

“Our power bill is only about $150 a month for the whole house, so the Tesla is only about $50 of that for charging,” Liz says.

“Servicing has also been so affordable. I’ve had it a year, and the only thing you need to do at 10,000km is to have tyres rotated, and that was only $89.” 

Adam, a father of one from Melbourne, had never driven an electric car before when he put an order in for a BYD Atto 3 small SUV in October 2023.

"I test drove it and put down a deposit for it that day. It was comfortable and a beautiful drive," he tells Drive.

His family of three was switching out of a Mazda CX-7, and Adam says the biggest adjustment was the change in size.

"Obviously, the Atto is a bit smaller, so I've gone to get a roof pod to get more room, so that’s been the only downfall," he explained. "But in the back of the car, where my six-year-old daughter sits, it's completely roomy."

"We were able to put a charger at home, so it just made sense. We put solar in, moved to an EV saver power plan, and we charge predominantly at home," he explains.

Adam has seen a notable reduction in costs – particularly on his family's annual road trip to the north coast of New South Wales.

"It cost us $167 in public charging to do the trip in the EV, but there were quite a few stops along the way, so my wife didn't want to do it again. So we did the exact same trip the next year in a petrol car, and it cost us $640! So then this year we went back to the EV," he laughs.

While Adam says the positives outweigh the negatives, there are some downsides to consider.

"Insurance is definitely a little bit more expensive, but you’re talking about a $200 difference. BYD's customer service is getting better, but I will admit that the first two years it was hard to get answers. I had to get a refund on a deposit, and it took a few months because I was getting passed around from department to department.

"When I first bought it, I had to drive an hour to get to a service centre, but now I have one within 20 minutes of me."

When Adam was reversed into by another driver, he found the repair process surprisingly seamless, despite hearing rumours of parts delays for electric cars. "We went through insurance and had no issues. It only took a couple of days for that to get fixed," he says.

When her employer gave her the opportunity to purchase a car via novated lease, Ruth, a mother of two from Sydney, seized the opportunity to buy a Kia EV5.

"I would buy an EV again if I were faced with a choice," she tells Drive, but admits it's not been without its challenges for her young family.

"The most annoying thing is needing to be more thoughtful about a road trip. Knowing exactly where we needed to stop required a lot more thought and didn't always align with nap times or meal times," she admits.

Still, she concurs with other owners that the benefits of EVs far outweigh the downsides.

"The best thing is that the fuel burden for a long drive to the beach on the weekend is not there. Once we set up our charger at home, we never find ourselves in a bind. We just plug it in overnight, and it's ready to go for a full week," she says.

"We didn't install a typical charging point due to the layout of our property and ended up opting for a three-phase install, a long Zuup cable and an extension cable to the car. It was super easy. We changed our electricity plan to accommodate cheaper overnight rates for charging, too."

Ruth says the charging process is really only a challenge on long road trips, like her family's semi-regular journey from Sydney to Melbourne.

"It was annoying that we had to work out where to run a full charge the night before an early departure, and we ended up in a shopping centre carpark with the two kids charging while they (thankfully) slept," she recalls.

"Stuff like that is annoying, but also it's a once, maybe twice, a year inconvenience. Worth it for the rest of the year!"

Jacob, a father of one from Melbourne’s inner north-east, bought a Tesla Model Y in August 2023 to capitalise on the fringe benefits tax exemption for EVs.

“We had a Volkswagen Tiguan, which was fine and doing the job, but once we heard about the novated lease benefit, we decided it was pretty much cost-neutral to make the switch,” he tells Drive.

“I’m not a massive car person, but we made the shift for sustainability and financial reasons. We didn’t have the off-street parking, and we were a little bit nervous about parking, so we got the Long Range Model Y, which had around 580km," he says.

“We probably would buy something different now – we think Polestar [cars] look nicer – but at the time, there weren’t as many options because BYD hadn’t really launched, and there was only one Polestar option, which was a sedan."

Jacob admits he went into the experience more open-minded than the average car buyer, given that he works for renewable energy company Flow Power.

“We’ve got a charger at work, so I knew I’d drive to work and charge it there, and it would cover me," he explained. Still, he had his fair share of anxiety around charging and range.

“One of the guys at work was like ‘Don’t worry about getting the Long Range’, and I was like ‘I have to', but now I tell people that as well. I didn’t take some of the advice I probably should have.”

While the charging experience has been seamless, Jacob said Tesla’s “weird” interface takes “some adjustment”. 

“Teslas are funny because the software upgrades mean things always change. When we first got it, you couldn’t access the windscreen wipers without clicking the screen, but then they did an update and fixed that. It’s a little hard to get used to.” 

As a family car, however, Jacob said the Model Y is close to perfect. “We have an eight-month-old baby, and the car seat and pram fit fine. The big benefit of the Tesla is that it has heaps of storage – you lift up the floor, and there’s even more boot space,” he said.

“Car insurance is a bit more expensive than it was on my old car, but I’m maybe spending $30 on public charging every couple of months, and we’ve only had one service since we bought it. It was the easiest and cheapest process – with our old car, it used to be $500 a service but with the Tesla, it was about $80.” 

Finally, Jacob said it feels good to sidestep the stresses of fuel costs. “It’s one of those things you don’t even notice,” he says of rising petrol prices. “You hear on the radio about people paying $200 for a tank of petrol [but it just doesn’t apply to us].”

In 2026, there truly is an electric car for every family. Whether you need a big boot, a long range, an affordable price tag or seven seats, you'll find your needs covered. Here are the Drive team's picks for the best electric cars in Australia for family buyers.

Please note that for this list, we have excluded compact cars and smaller passenger cars.

There are plenty of cheap family-friendly electric cars under the all-important $50,000 mark, including the BYD Atto 2, which won Best Electric Vehicle Under $40K at the 2026 Drive Car of the Year awards. All five cars on this list are on the smaller side and are classed as small SUVs, aside from the GAC Aion V, which is technically a medium SUV. They also have a smaller range than some more expensive rivals, but all of them are well above 300km, which is ample range for city driving.

Range is a tricky thing to quantify, and it can vary greatly depending on your driving style, charging method, battery health and even the air temperature where you live.

Regardless, keep in mind that you're unlikely to get the exact number printed on your car's brochure. Most electric car models will offer an entry-level standard range option, or a longer range option with a larger battery, but at a price premium.

The models listed below are family-friendly in terms of cabin space and functionality, and all offer a comfortable amount of range from their batteries. Special mention goes to the Polestar 4, which won Best Electric Vehicle under $90K at the 2026 Drive Car of the Year awards, and the Tesla Model Y L, which is the long-wheelbase version of our overall 2026 Drive Car of the Year winner.

Given their lack of a conventional powertrain, electric cars typically allow for more innovative storage solutions and creative packaging. Plenty of EVs have what's called a 'frunk' – a storage space under the bonnet where you'd normally find the engine.

Additionally, the lack of a transmission tunnel often means cabin space is maximised and boot space is ample. Opting for a seven-seater model will give you plenty of boot space if you're happy to fold the third row, but the following cars boast the roomiest cargo areas with all rows of seating in place.

Historically, electric powertrains have been reserved for compact cars or sleek sedans, but slowly the market is expanding to include people movers and seven-seaters.

Cars like the Volkswagen ID. Buzz, which won the inaugural Best Electric Family Vehicle under $100K at last year's Drive Car of the Year awards. Honourable mention must go to the long-wheelbase Tesla Model Y, the Model Y L, which not only has a massive 681km of range, but also offers six seats across three rows. It is also the most affordable electric car in Australia with more than five seats.

Sometimes you need a family car that can fit in the driveway. Compact SUVs offer an elevated driving position, a roomy back seat and an adequate boot. The Kona EV is a long-running electric model in the Australian market, having first landed in early 2019, while the Volvo siblings offer two different entry-level electric options from the Swedish-born carmaker, with the EX40 clocking in slightly larger than the EX30 small SUV. The newly launched Skoda Elroq is also an appealing option as the cheapest European electric family SUV on sale in Australia. 

As one of the most popular segments in Australia, the medium SUV class is a popular place for electric expansion. Previously, the top seller in this space has been the dominant Tesla Model Y, but the BYD Sealion 7 is hot on its heels as the second-best-selling electric car in Australia, while the Zeekr 7X is gaining market share each month despite being new to the market.

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 three-year-old son.

Read more about Susannah Guthrie