UPDATE! Sometimes we get it wrong, and yesterday this article was one of those examples. Thank you to the readers who spotted that we missed some key long-range variants, omitted the Polestar 2, and misreported  the Kona EV pricing. Read on for our updated “best bang for buck” models.
Both the price and driving range of an electric car are high on the list of considerations when deciding to go electric.
And while the deciding factor may ultimately be how big your wallet is, for others, it is how much bang do you get for your buck.
It’s for this reason that The Driven has put together a handy comparison of which electric car will give you the most driving range for your dollar.
Interestingly, it is not necessarily the EVs with the shortest range or smallest batteries that top the list. Based on a straight list price divided by WLTP driving range, a driver can pay as little as $112 per kilometre of driving range. But at the top end of the scale for cars priced under $80,000, you could be paying as much as $327.
The caveat is that WLTP – the range rating officially recognized in Europe – is at best very optimistic, and conducted in lab conditions is only maybe achievable under the most conservative driving conditions.
First on the list is the BYD Atto 3, which is available from $44,381 before on-road costs. But, while the Atto 3 Standard Range is actually Australia’s cheapest EV currently, it is the $47,381 Extended Range that is the best bang for buck in terms of dollars per kilometre.
Priced from $47,381 before on-road costs, the BYD Atto 3 Extended has a 63.8kWh battery that delivers an estimated 420km driving range. This means that for every $113 spent, there is a kilometre worth of potential driving range.
The next three EVs are separated but just cents in terms of bang for buck driving range.
Skidding in at number two is the Hyundai Kona Electric. Priced from $60,900, it offers 484km driving range and – importantly – anecdotally often achieves over this, we hear from readers. Based on its WLTP range, our calculations show that the 64kWh Kona Electric costs $125.83 for every kilometre of WLTP range.
At number three is the Tesla Model 3 Long Range, which according to our calculations gets you a kilometre of driving range for $126.58.
Having spent considerable time and revenue focussed on reducing the manufacturing costs of its electric mainstay, Tesla has also ensured that its minimalist approach also makes for thrifty energy consumption. In its RWD format, it remains the most efficient EV on the market.
Priced currently from $76,200 before on-roads, the Model 3 Long Range has an 82kWh battery and 124Wh/km energy consumption. (Notably, some tests report the Model 3 can even achieve as low as 119Wh/km energy efficiency under very conservative driving conditions like stop-start traffic.)
At number four is the Polestar Long Range, which with its 78kWh battery delivers 540km driving range (WLTP). Now priced from $68,400 before on-roads, this gets drivers a kilometre driving range for $126.67.
We’ve added the list below so you can refer to it yourself. While there may be other EVs due in Australia soon with comparable “bang for buck”, we’ve only included models with known pricing under $80,000.
| Model | Energy consumption (Wh/km) |
Battery Size (total capacity, kWh) |
Range (WLTP, km) |
Price ($AU) |
Score ($/km) |
| BYD Atto 3 ER | 144 | 63.8 | 420 | $47,381.00 | 112.81 |
| Hyundai Kona Electric LR | 130 | 64 | 484 | $60,900.00 | 125.83 |
| Tesla Model 3 LR | 124 | 82 | 602 | $76,200.00 | 126.58 |
| Polestar LR | 146 | 78 | 540 | $68,400.00 | 126.67 |
| Tesla Model 3 RWD | 122 | 62.3 | 491 | $63,900.00 | 130.14 |
| Polestar SR | 142 | 67 | 470 | $63,900.00 | 135.96 |
| Kia e-Niro | 138 | 64 | 455 | $62,590.00 | 137.56 |
| BYD Atto 3 SR | 157 | 52.5 | 320 | $44,381.00 | 138.69 |
| MG ZS EV | 161 | 51 | 320 | $46,900.00 | 146.56 |
| Hyundai Ioniq EV | 123 | 40.4 | 311 | $49,970.00 | 160.68 |
| Kia EV6 | 194 | 82.5 | 400 | $67,800.00 | 169.50 |
| Hyundai Ioniq 5 | 169 | 72.6 | 430 | $75,900.00 | 176.51 |
| Hyundai Kona Electric SR | 129 | 39.2 | 305 | $54,500.00 | 178.69 |
| Mercedes EQA | 156 | 66.5 | 426 | $76,800.00 | 180.28 |
| Volvo XC40 Recharge | 158 | 69 | 423 | $76,990.00 | 182.01 |
| Nissan Leaf | 137 | 36 | 270 | $51,990.00 | 192.56 |
| BMW i3s | 134 | 37.9 | 284 | $70,900.00 | 249.65 |
| Mini Cooper SE | 142 | 28.9 | 203 | $55,650.00 | 274.14 |
| Mazda MX-30 | 127 | 30 | 200 | $65,490.00 | 327.45 |
Note: Energy efficiency calculations are based on usable battery capacity, not total capacity.
This article was updated to include missed EV model variants and to correct the pricing for the Hyundai Kona Electric long range. The MG ZS EV battery size and driving range have also been updated.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.