Study shows Aussie petrol, diesel owners increasingly reluctant to switch to EVs

A new study has found less than a quarter of drivers of combustion-powered vehicles in Australia plan to switch to an electric vehicle (EV) or hybrid for their next vehicle.

In its 2025 Mobility Index, mycar found 23 per cent of drivers of internal combustion-engine (ICE) vehicle planned to switch to an EV or a hybrid, which it says is a 12 percentage point drop compared to its inaugural study in 2024.

For its latest report, the vehicle servicing company – using research firm Lonergan Research – surveyed a total of 2020 vehicle owners across both capital city and non-capital city areas in Australia, 48 per cent of which don’t share their vehicle with anybody else.

The study found 25 per cent of respondents were concerned about the battery longevity and overall ownership cost of EVs compared to hybrids.

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Drivers of combustion vehicles are even more distrustful of used EVs, with just five per cent contemplating a pre-owned EV and 32 per cent expressing concern about hidden issues with them.

But mycar put a hopeful spin on EV uptake, arguing one finding – that one in four ICE drivers would prefer a brand-new hybrid or EV to get the latest tech and the longest warranty – is proof that “confidence, not curiosity, is the missing link in broader EV adoption”.

“This year’s Mobility Index shows a noticeable shift in sentiment. While interest in EVs appears to be growing, many Australians are holding back,” said mycar chief customer officer Adele Coswello, before following this up with a plug for mycar’s own EV servicing business.

A total of 47,245 of the 624,130 new vehicles delivered in Australia during the first six months of 2025 were EVs – or 7.6 per cent overall.

In contrast, during the first half of 2024, Australians took delivery of 633,098 new vehicles, with a total of 50,905 of these being EVs – an 8.0 per cent share.

Affecting overall EV sales and market share was a significant 38.8 per cent drop in deliveries for EV market leader Tesla.

While mycar’s study notes some reluctance from ICE vehicle owners towards hybrid vehicles, hybrid sales in the first half of 2025 were up 14.9 per cent on the same period last year, to 93,746 vehicles.

According to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data, the average household in Australia owns 1.8 cars and a total of 52.5 per cent of the national workforce commutes to work by car.