Image: NRMA
Australia's public charging network is struggling to keep pace with electric vehicle sales, according to a new international index, with an average of 24 battery electric cars on the road for every public charger in the country.
A 24 to 1 ratio, and rising
The HERE-SBD EV Index, produced by mapping firm HERE Technologies and automotive researcher SBD Automotive, ranked EV adoption and charging infrastructure across the United States, United Kingdom, India, Europe and Australia. It combined public charger data with a survey of more than 4,000 motorists, and included Australia for the first time this year. It found Australia's electric vehicle to charger ratio reached 24 to 1 in 2025, considerably higher than typically expected for a maturing EV market.
Chargers are clustered in two states
- NSW and the ACT ranked highest overall for EV readiness
- Victoria and NSW host roughly 60 percent of all public chargers in Australia
- Western Australia and Tasmania ranked lowest, on charger power, spacing and lower EV uptake
The index landed days after industry figures showed battery electric vehicles outsold both petrol only and diesel only models in Australia for the first time in a single month. EVs made up 27,078 of the 108,760 new vehicles sold in August, or 24.9 percent of the market, and electrified vehicles overall, including hybrids, made up 51.8 percent.
For buyers the takeaway is simple: home charging is still the backbone of EV ownership here, and a home charger remains the single best way to sidestep a stretched public network. Compare home chargers and costs in the evibe directory before you rely on public charging.