Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Rebate Scheme

The Zero Emission Vehicle Rebate Scheme (the scheme) provided a rebate to reduce the upfront costs of purchasing a new, full battery, light passenger, or light commercial Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV).

The scheme was an initiative within Queensland's Zero Emission Vehicle Strategy 2022-2032 and Action Plan 2022–2024.

The scheme opened in July 2022 and closed on 2 September 2024, when the $45 million in Queensland Government funding was exhausted. There are currently no plans to extend the scheme or provide a new round of funding.

• The scheme initially provided:
  • $3,000 rebate for Queensland households earning up to $180,000 annually
  • $3000 rebate for up to 5 vehicles per financial year to Queensland businesses.
• On 1 July 2023:
  • the rebate increased to a total of $6,000 for eligible households, with a $3,000 top-up for those households which had already received the initial $3,000 funding. Funding for businesses remained at $3,000
  • the eligibility threshold for purchase price (dutiable value) increased from $58,000 to $68,000 (including GST).

The scheme successfully benefitted 7,228 Queensland households and 2,224 Queensland business applicants.

Rebates for both household and businesses (the latter are eligible for up to 5 rebates per financial year) enabled the purchase of 9,633 Electric Vehicles (EVs) across Queensland by lowering the upfront purchase cost and alleviating financial pressures for households and businesses. Rebate applicants indicated that the primary reason for purchasing an EV was due to their lower operating cost compared to fuel-based vehicles.

During the 2 years of the scheme:

• EV uptake increased in Queensland. EV car registration rose by over 5 times, from 9,100 at the start of the scheme to 47,600 at the end of August 2024
• the Queensland car fleet accelerated its transition to EVs, with EVs now comprising 1% of the total car fleet compared to only 0.2% 2 years ago
• the EV supply market grew, with the number of EV car models available to Queenslanders nearly doubling
• the sales of new zero emission vehicles in Queensland increased. In the calendar year to August 2024, zero emission vehicles (including light commercial vehicles and SUVs) made up 8.2% of new passenger vehicle sales in Queensland, up from 1.7% in the calendar year to June 2022.

The Queensland Government continues to support EV drivers by providing low and discounted vehicle registration fees and duties and investing in public fast EV charging infrastructure.

• The Queensland Electric Super Highway will deliver a total of 54 fast public EV chargers when fully completed by mid-2025.
• The Queensland Government is investing $10 million in the EV Charging Infrastructure Co-Fund Scheme, to deliver an additional 46 fast public EV chargers across Queensland by the end of 2025.