Zero emissions vehicle registrations in Canberra have doubled in 2022

Canberra continues to lead the nation to drive down transport emissions and increase the number of zero emissions vehicles (ZEVs) on our roads.

Popularity for ZEVs continues to rise in the ACT with registrations doubling in 2022, increasing from 1,417 by the end of 2021 to 2,871 in November 2022. About 5% of these registered ZEVs are electric motorcycles and a mixture of heavy vehicles, rideshares and trial vehicles make up 3%.

The ACT already has the highest rate of electric vehicle ownership per capita in Australia, with many people choosing to purchase a zero emissions vehicle over petrol and diesel cars. The Electric Vehicle Council’s 2022 State of EVs Report (PDF 4.6MB) showed that Canberra also leads the nation on new vehicle sales, with 9.5% of all new sales being ZEVs. Other states and territories follow at about 3-3.5%.

2022 data shows that ZEVs will also soon make up about 1% of total vehicles registered in the ACT. This is an important milestone, but also shows that we still have a long way to go in making the switch to a more sustainable transport system.

With Canberra’s 100% renewable electricity supply, electric cars do not use any fossil fuels to operate. It is estimated that the current ZEV uptake has prevented 8 kilotonnes of emissions in the past year. That’s equivalent to preventing up to 1,600 hot air balloons worth of carbon dioxide from entering our atmosphere!

One of the main reasons Canberrans are making the switch is because a ZEVs are better for the environment and they are more affordable to run over the long term, providing savings on petrol and maintenance. The ACT Government also offers some generous financial incentives for the purchase of new and second-hand ZEVs, including:

• zero-interest loans
• free registration for 2 years, and
• zero stamp duty.

In July 2022, the ACT Government released the ACT’s Zero Emissions Vehicles Strategy 2022-30 (PDF 1.5 MB) , which sets out a range of actions that will make owning a zero emissions vehicle a more affordable and accessible option for all Canberrans in the years to come.

With more electric vehicles coming onto the market in 2023 and increase support for improving the affordability of ZEVs from Federal, state and territory governments, Canberrans can expect to see more EVs on Canberra roads over the coming years.

You can see current data ZEV uptake in the ACT and how this is changing over time by visiting our cars and vehicles page.