NSW EV road user charge and charging cost
By Sithum Imarsha Last reviewed
With these settings, a Tesla Model Y 2025 AWD 600 km costs about $5.26 per 100 km and $663 a year to charge. That is $2,659 a year less than an average petrol car. From 1 July 2027, or sooner if EVs reach 30% of new sales, the NSW road user charge takes about $390 a year off that saving.
Your result
Yearly saving vs petrol
$2,659a year
$3,321.68 petrol − $663.13 EV, at 12,600 km
At these numbers the EV costs — a year more than petrol.
- EV per 100 km
- $5.26
- Petrol per 100 km
- $26.36
- EV a year
- $663
- Petrol a year
- $3,322
- Blended electricity rate
- 33.1c/kWh · 15.9 kWh/100 km
NSW road user charge. NSW will charge EVs 3.095c per km (the 2026-27 rate, indexed yearly) from 1 July 2027, or sooner if EVs reach 30% of new vehicle sales. At your km that is about $390 a year. Saving after it: $2,269.
Free midday power. The Solar Sharer Offer (from 1 July 2026) gives 3 free hours a day, 11am to 2pm, up to 24 kWh a day. You need a smart meter and a retailer plan that offers it.
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How we calculated this
- The energy the car uses over a set distance comes from its Green Vehicle Guide figure.
- Each share of charging is priced at its own rate: home, an EV night plan, public fast chargers and your own solar.
- The petrol car is priced from its fuel use and the price per litre. The yearly saving is the gap between the two.
Full method, tables and sources: EV charging cost vs petrol calculator
| Way of charging | Rate | Per 100 km |
|---|---|---|
| Home, normal rate | 33.1c/kWh | $5.26 |
| Home, EV night plan | 7c/kWh | $1.11 |
| Public DC fast (no loss added) | 70c/kWh | $11.13 |
| Solar (feed-in given up) | 5c/kWh | $0.80 |
| Petrol car, per litre | $2.375 | $26.36 |
Find the energy per 100 km
15.9 kWh per 100 km, 15.9 kWh from the wall on AC
Blend the electricity rates
33.1c/kWh
EV cost per 100 km
15.9 kWh × 33.1c/kWh = $5.26
Petrol cost per 100 km
11.1 L × $2.375 = $26.36
A year of driving
$3,321.68 − $663.13 = $2,658.55
This version starts with the average NSW electricity rate and shows the NSW road user charge on top. The charge does not apply yet, so the main saving is before it.
New South Wales: what to know
Official source
- A road user charge will apply to eligible EVs from 1 July 2027, or when EVs make up 30% of all new vehicle sales, whichever comes first. The 2026-27 rate is 3.095c per km for battery EVs and 2.476c per km for plug-in hybrids.
- The rate is set for each financial year, so the charge in 2027-28 may be different.
- The Solar Sharer Offer (from 1 July 2026) gives 3 free hours a day, 11am to 2pm, up to 24 kWh a day. You need a smart meter and a retailer plan that offers it.
| Car | Per 100 km | A year | Saved a year | After the charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model Y 2025 AWD 600 km | $5.26 | $663 | $2,659 | $2,269 |
| Tesla Model Y 2025 AWD 551 km | $5.23 | $659 | $2,663 | $2,273 |
| Tesla Model Y 2025 Performance | $5.36 | $676 | $2,646 | $2,256 |
| Tesla Model 3 2025 | $5.46 | $688 | $2,634 | $2,244 |
| BYD Seal 2023 Dynamic | $4.57 | $576 | $2,746 | $2,356 |
| BYD Seal 2023 Premium | $4.83 | $609 | $2,713 | $2,323 |
| BYD Dolphin 2023 Dynamic | $4.17 | $525 | $2,796 | $2,406 |
| BYD Dolphin 2023 Premium | $4.70 | $592 | $2,729 | $2,339 |
| MG4 EV 2026 Urban Essence 54 | $5.33 | $671 | $2,650 | $2,260 |
| MG4 EV 2026 Urban Essence 43 | $5.46 | $688 | $2,634 | $2,244 |
| Kia EV6 2022 Air RWD | $5.46 | $688 | $2,634 | $2,244 |
| Kia EV6 2022 GT-Line RWD | $5.69 | $717 | $2,604 | $2,214 |
| Hyundai Ioniq 5 2021 | $5.92 | $747 | $2,575 | $2,185 |
- At 3.095c a km, the charge comes to 52% to 74% of what the electricity itself costs at home: 74% for the BYD Dolphin 2023 Dynamic ($4.17 per 100 km) and 52% for the Hyundai Ioniq 5 2021 ($5.92).
- After the charge, each of the 13 cars still costs less to run than the petrol car: from $2,185 a year less for the Hyundai Ioniq 5 2021 to $2,406 for the BYD Dolphin 2023 Dynamic.
- Per km, the charge is what 27.9c a litre more would cost a petrol car that uses 11.1 L per 100 km.
Each row is the calculator on this page with all charging at home, 12,600 km a year (Official source). Home charging is at our default New South Wales rate of 33.1c/kWh (Dated third-party source). Energy use is each car's Green Vehicle Guide figure, measured at the wall (Official source). The petrol car uses 11.1 L per 100 km (Official source) at 237.5c a litre (Official source). The road user charge is 3.095c a km, the 2026-27 rate (Official source): $390 a year at that distance. It starts on 1 July 2027, or sooner (see the notes above).
The NSW rate and the free midday hours
Our New South Wales rate
Our default New South Wales electricity rate is 33.1c/kWh.
Source: Canstar market average, 4 Sep 2026 (our mean of its Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy rows) (Dated third-party source). Checked 1 October 2026.
That is 1.1c above our plain average of the state rates (32c/kWh). For the Tesla Model Y 2025 AWD 600 km a year of home charging costs $663 at this rate against $641 at the average: $22 more.
Free midday hours in New South Wales
The Solar Sharer on Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy has free power from 11am to 2pm, on up to 24 kWh a day.
Source: AER DMO 2026–27 determination (made 26 May 2026), read on the Federal Register of Legislation, F2026L00643: s.10 free usage period (all times are local clock time); AER DMO 2026–27 determination (made 26 May 2026), read on the Federal Register of Legislation, F2026L00643: s.11 reasonable use tariff cap; 24 kWh cap, Regulations s.11A(2) (Compilation No. 5, 8 August 2026) (Official source). Checked 1 October 2026.
A year of 12,600 km in the Tesla Model Y 2025 AWD 600 km needs about 5.5 kWh a day from the wall, which is no more than the free 24 kWh. A 7 kW wall charger delivers that in about 45 min of the 3 free hours, if the car is home then. What the free hours are worth for the whole home: the Solar Sharer and Midday Power Saver calculator.
Why we never add charging loss to an official figure, and how solar and free midday hours are priced: read the guide on the main EV charging cost calculator.
Questions
When does the NSW EV road user charge start?
On 1 July 2027, or sooner if EVs make up 30% of all new vehicle sales, whichever comes first. It applies to eligible battery EVs and plug-in hybrids.
How much is the NSW road user charge a year?
At the 2026-27 rate of 3.095c per km, a battery EV doing 12,600 km a year pays about $390. The rate is set each financial year, so it may change. Type your own km to see yours.