Most motorists want more efficient vehicles to be sold in Australia and support the introduction of rules to limit car emissions, a new poll has revealed.
In a surprising turn, the government’s proposed changes received the greatest support from those in outer suburbs, according to the findings released by the Electric Vehicle Council on Monday.
But the data showed more than one in 10 Australians were still opposed to the introduction of a fuel-efficiency standard, and most said cost-of-living concerns remained their top priority.
The findings comes as the federal government considers the final make-up of its New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, due to be introduced in January 2025, amid heated debate over its potential impact on the vehicle industry.
The new research, conducted earlier this month by independent consultancy Redbridge Group, surveyed more than 1500 adults about new vehicle rules.
It found more than half of all Australians supported vehicle efficiency standards (55 per cent), with two in 10 expressing “strong” support for new rules.
Respondents in outer metropolitan suburbs were most supportive of the proposed rules (60 per cent), followed by residents of inner and middle city suburbs (57 per cent), while those living in rural areas showed the lowest level of support at 51 per cent.
Electric Vehicle Council chief executive Behyad Jafari said the polling proved the government should “hold strong” on its commitment to introduce a fuel-efficiency standard despite lobbing against it.
“These results show Australians are overwhelmingly in favour of (a) strong new vehicle efficiency standard despite a months-long scare campaign by the car lobby,” he said.
“Only 16 per cent of Australians say they oppose fuel-efficiency standards despite loud and ridiculous predictions that car prices will increase by tens of thousands of dollars.”
Eight per cent of those surveyed said they were strongly opposed to a vehicle standard, while 29 per cent took no stand on it.
The Redbridge polling also found the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard was not a high priority for most respondents, with only three per cent saying it was among the nation’s top three concerns.
Cost of living, the economy and housing affordability ranked as the biggest concerns in the poll, followed by climate change and healthcare.
A fuel-efficiency standard – used in countries such as the United States, United Kingdon, Japan and China – would set an emissions limit on vehicle fleets to encourage automakers to balance sales of new high-polluting vehicles with low-emission and efficient cars.
Brands that failed to meet the emissions targets could buy credits from other firms or pay penalties.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen said modelling showed the proposed standard could save Australian motorists about $1000 a year in fuel costs for each vehicle they owned.
But the proposal has been criticised by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries and Coalition politicians, who argued it could raise the purchase price of some new utes and large SUVs by thousands of dollars
