Canberra has been declared as Australia’s most electric vehicle (EV) friendly capital city – on the basis of both its high uptake and its charging infrastructure – but there are some surprises among the other capital city ratings.
Rollin’ Insurance has published a report analysing which capital cities across Australia are the most EV friendly, scoring each city on four key factors – charging infrastructure availability, charging costs, current EV ownership rates, and how quickly adoption has grown since 2021.
“Electric vehicles have quickly shifted from a niche choice to a practical one, and where you live can play a big role in how appealing that transition is,” said Brendan Griffiths, executive manager at Rollin’.
“EV friendly areas are those that support everyday driving with accessible charging, manageable costs and growing local adoption.”
By far and away the most EV friendly capital city according to Rollin’ was Canberra, which scored 84.37 out of 100 thanks to leading both EV uptake and charging infrastructure categories.
According to the analysis by Rollin’ Insurance, Canberra boasts 83.78 EV charge connectors per 100,000 population and an EV share of registered vehicles of 3.06 per cent – both of which are streets away from the rest.
The weighted mean price of charging sits at $0.57 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), while the growth of EV market share between 2021 and 2025 in Canberra sits at 96.3 per cent, both figures sitting firmly in the middle of the pack.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is in Adelaide, which is the country’s most advanced renewable state with an average share of 75 per cent wind and solar and a world-leading target of reaching 100 per cent net renewables by the end of 2027.
But its uptake of EVs is the lowest in the country, apart from Darwin, and despite the fact that as well as having the greenest grid, it also has the cheapest grid in terms of the average price of charing.
Greater Perth and Sydney came in second and third in the rankings, ahead of Adelaide (thanks to its cheaper power) and is followed by Brisbane, Melbourne, Hobart and Darwin.
However, when sub-city areas are analysed, the ACT only comes in sixth with the same statistics as above but an index score of 68.35, while Inner Perth tops the list with 139.7 charge connectors per 100,000 population, a weighted mean price of charging at $0.49/kWh, a 2.54 per cent EV share, and an impressive growth of EV share between 2021 and 2025 of 86.9 per cent.
The area study found that Sydney city and inner south had the highest penetration of EVs, at just over four per cent, closely followed by North Sydney and Hornsby, and then the ACT and Ryde, both with more than 3 per cent.
The report also looked at the top areas across the whole country for EV infrastructure, a top 10 which was dominated by South Australia, New South Wales, and Western Australia.
As is demonstrated in the EV infrastructure list above, many of Australia’s regional areas are starting to contend with their inner city relatives.
“While inner‑city areas still lead when it comes to EV uptake, the data shows regional Australia is making strong progress,” said Griffiths.
“Some regional centres now offer higher charger density than major cities, highlighting how EV ownership is becoming more practical across a broader range of locations.”
“As EV ownership continues to rise, Australians are showing growing interest in which areas are best set up to support the switch.”
The full study can be viewed here.
See The Driven’s detailed EV sales data here: Australian electric vehicle sales by month in 2026; by model and by brand.
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Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.