As mentioned in the recent article on the general second-hand BEV market in Australia, the number of possible models to select from has massively expanded in the last few years.
If you’re looking at a 4-year-old BEV, there are only 19 available to choose from (plus a couple of electric light-commercials). If you are looking for models around 2 years old, there are roughly 75 passenger BEVs, plus 12 light commercials.
So what can you get in the way of a cheaper second-hand, 4 year-old or newer BEV? Below are some of the options in the under $20,000 and under $30,000 brackets. For more info on them as second-hand vehicles, (for some models, this includes some potential issues to look out for) see: https://www.aeva.asn.au/bev-fact-sheets-secondhand-bevs/
BEVs under $20,000
For this price point, there are only a couple of models 4-years old or newer.
Starting a few grand under $20k, the 2022 Nissan Leaf is likely the cheapest – but only the standard range version. The Nissan Leaf e+ long-range still commands a price premium well above the $20k mark.
The last of the MG ZS EV starts just under $20k at dealers and privately, so a deal could be had at one of the major auction houses as many were leased by local governments and being turned over now.
The Hyundai Ioniq update (with the 38kWh battery) used to be the pick of the bunch in this price range – but it seems that the buying public has now realised this and only at auction will you get one of these for under $20k. Plenty went into fleets though, so they too could be a good pick-up at the auctions.
Interestingly, a few 2026 BYD Atto 1’s are popping up at just under that price point. It seems the short-range version isn’t as poplar as BYD thought it might be.
Mind-you, if a WLTP range of 220 km would suffice, they could make good buying as the bulk of their new car warranty will still apply.
Even the odd MG4 could sneak in at $20k or a little over – but you might struggle to get one under that price-point.
BEVs under $30,000
There’s lots more options in this category – even a few new ones, although they generally are ‘cheap-and-cheerful’ types with either low driving ranges or limited features (like the BYD Atto 1 standard range, Geely EX2 and, perhaps, a demonstrator GAC Aion UT).
The second-hand options offer some quality cars and long-range options.
Low mileage Hyundai Ioniq update models now sit in the low $20,000’s, as does the standard range Hyundai Kona (version 4, OS series). At the higher end of the bracket are the long-range Kona OS and the occasional Hyundai Inster demonstrator. Also here are the BYD Dolphin and BYD Atto 3, MG4, GWM Ora and Nissan Leaf e+.
The 2024 Chery Omoda 5 starts in this price bracket too, as do the 2023 Cupra Born and the Peugeot e-2008. The Mazda MX-30 would likely be in this bracket too, however not many were ever sold here due to its low driving range (200km WLTP) and initial high price, so it might be hard to find one.
You might even find the odd early/high mileage Polestar 2, Tesla Model 3 or Mini Cooper – although most are well over $30k.
Summing up:
From luxury to basic, large to small, with the ever-increasing percentage of new BEV versus ICE (internal combustion engine) models, many more new BEVs are hitting the roads in most segments. (With perhaps the exceptions of small hatches and utes – but even that is changing).
As these move into their second, third and beyond ownership journeys, the second-hand BEV market is maturing into an almost full suite of BEV version, segment and price offerings, just like its ICE predecessors. This means that if there isn’t a second-hand BEV to meet your needs and/or price point now, you may not have to wait long until one does.
And for a full rundown of all available EV models in Australia, please go to our Compare EVs page here.
You can find 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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