5 best luxury eco-friendly cars in Australia (2020)

Archived post. This was written in February 2020 and is kept for reference only. The Australian hybrid and electric market has changed substantially since — pricing, range figures and model availability below are all out of date.

When this was written, luxury buyers looking to reduce running costs and emissions had a genuinely narrow set of choices in Australia. Plug-in hybrids dominated the premium end, full electrics were expensive and thin on the ground, and public charging infrastructure was concentrated in capital cities.

The models generally recommended at the time spanned the premium German plug-in hybrid sedans and SUVs, the established Japanese luxury hybrid range, and the small number of premium full-electric models then available. Buyers weighed real-world electric-only range, whether home charging was practical, and resale uncertainty in a market where nobody yet knew how these cars would hold value.

What actually happened

Several things that looked uncertain in 2020 resolved quickly. Model choice expanded enormously, prices came down at the volume end, charging networks grew, and battery longevity turned out better than the pessimistic forecasts.

If you're researching a hybrid or electric purchase now, this post won't help you — look for something written this year.

What we can help with

We buy hybrid and electric vehicles the same as any other, including ones with degraded or failed traction batteries. If you have an early hybrid that's no longer economic to keep on the road, call us for a quote. High-voltage systems need proper handling at end of life, and we're set up for it.