Electric car wait times in Australia

Sales of electric vehicles in Australia more than tripled last year, with over 17,000 EVs finding new homes in Australians’ driveways – though they still account for less than two per cent of all new vehicles sold.

However, that doesn’t make electric cars exempt from the stock shortages plaguing the rest of the new car market – and in many cases face longer wait times, due to limited supply for Australia as production is prioritised for other markets with stricter emissions targets.

With some EVs facing waiting lists as long as three years, Drive has compiled a list of how long you should expect to be waiting for a new electric car in Australia – correct at the time of publishing.

Note: While the dates below are correct at the time of publishing, semiconductor supply, shipping and other factors change on a regular (sometimes daily) basis. Contact a dealer for each car brand to obtain the latest information.

Drive has contacted Audi Australia for more details, and will update this story with its response.

Now the brand with the broadest range of electric cars in Australia, wait times for new BMW i EVs stretch between six and 12 months, depending on model.

“We are working with our colleagues in Munich and local dealer partners to deliver vehicles to customers as soon as possible,” a BMW Australia spokesperson said in a statement.

“At present, local delivery timing from order placement on a new BMW iX3 is approximately six months, while delivery timing for new BMW iX and i4 models is between six to 12 months depending on the variant.”

The website of BYD’s Australian importer EVDirect lists an estimated delivery date of August 2022 for new orders placed today.

However, customers that placed their name and money down in the first batch of cars are believed to be on track for delivery in July.

Strong demand and limited supply have seen Hyundai Australia split Ioniq 5 allocations available in release blocks, which have taken place every one to two months, and contained up to around 100 cars.

If you’re lucky enough to snag one of the (few) cars available in each batch, expect to wait approximately three to six months between order and delivery.

Like the Ioniq Electric, there is stock of the Kona Electric in Hyundai Australia showrooms.

Drive has contacted Jaguar Australia to confirm stock levels and wait times for the I-Pace, and will update this story with its response.

The current Kia Niro Electric (EV) is in run-out, with new customer orders now ceased, and production for Australia set to end this month. A Kia spokesperson told Drive “there is limited stock available within the dealer network”.

A new-generation Kia Niro is due in local showrooms around mid-2022, or early in the second half of the year (suggesting first arrivals around July).

Kia Australia has taken 1500 orders for its new EV6 electric SUV – but with only 500 cars currently bound for Australia each year, a new customer order placed today may not be delivered until 2025, unless the car maker can secure increased supply.

The car maker’s local division remains “in constant dialogue” with its global headquarters about increasing supply, however.

Drive has contacted Mazda Australia for the latest delivery estimates, and will update this story with its response.

An initial batch of 100 MX-30 Electrics was earmarked for Australia, 63 of which were delivered to customers in 2021. It’s not clear if the remaining cars have sold, and if more will be made available.

Stock of the outgoing, pre-facelift 2021 ZS EV has dried up, and while the facelifted 2022 model is available for pre-order now via MG Australia’s website, deliveries aren’t set to commence until July.

Drive has contacted Mini Australia for the latest delivery estimates, and will update this story with its response.

In a statement, a Nissan Australia spokesperson said: “Nissan Dealers across the country do have reasonable stock levels of LEAF today.

“Wait times will depend on a number of factors including variant and location and we would encourage all customers to speak with their nearest dealer for an estimate.”

A Polestar Australia spokesperson told Drive just shy of 150 pre-built and “pre-configured” Polestar 2 sedans are available for order and delivery locally, with a further 200 en route to local shores later this month. Click here for more details.

Place a custom factory order today and it’s expected you’ll be waiting until August for delivery (four to five months from now).

While exact wait times depend on the body style, variant and options chosen – and vary from week to week – a Porsche Australia spokesperson told Drive delivery times for new orders at present range from September or October 2022, to the first half of 2023.

Buyers are advise to contact their local Porsche Centre for the latest and most specific information, which may have a suitable Taycan example in stock.

Renault’s Australian importer Ateco has ordered a final batch of 50 Kangoo ZE electric vans, in the final run of production – 34 of which have been pre-sold to customers. 12 vehicles sit in the dealer network, four of which have sold.

Tesla Australia’s website currently lists wait times of six to nine months for a new Model 3, up from five to eight months a few weeks ago, and as little as a couple of weeks late last year.