If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to buy a used electric car in Australia, this is probably it. The used EV prices Australia 2026 story is simple: prices that looked stratospheric two years ago have collapsed by 30 to 50%, depending on the model. A 2022 Tesla Model 3 that cost $66,000 new is now changing hands for under $40,000. A 2022 BYD Atto 3 that listed at $51,500 is now $36,990. A 2023 MG ZS EV that cost $48,000 is now $34,000.
That’s a real-money discount on a still-modern car with most of its battery warranty intact. Here’s what’s actually happening in the market, what each major model is worth right now, and whether prices have further to fall.
Why the slide happened
Three forces hit the used EV market at the same time in 2024 and 2025:
- New EVs got dramatically cheaper. Chinese brands led the charge: BYD, MG, GWM, Zeekr and Geely all undercut the incumbents. The 2024 BYD Atto 3 dropped its drive-away price by $8,000 in one swing. Tesla cut Model 3 and Model Y prices multiple times across 2024 and 2025. When the new car gets cheaper, the used one has to follow or it sits on the lot.
- State EV rebates ended. NSW, SA, Queensland and WA all wound down their $3,000 to $6,000 EV purchase subsidies between 2023 and 2025. That removed an artificial price floor that had been propping up second-hand values.
- Used inventory built up. Early adopters who bought 2021 and 2022 Teslas and Atto 3s started cycling out just as the new-car prices dropped, so there’s now a glut. Dealers are sitting on more used EVs and clearing them hard.
The result, per CarsGuide’s analysis of carsales listing data: median used prices for the most popular models fell 25 to 35% in the 24 months from January 2023 to December 2024, and the slide continued through 2025.
What used EVs actually cost in 2026: the headline numbers
Live snapshot from carsales and CarsGuide listings as of April 2026. These are typical median asking prices for clean examples under 80,000 km. Expect to negotiate 3 to 8% off the asking price.
Tesla Model 3 (2019 to 2023)
- 2019 Standard Range Plus (early imports, ~80,000 km): $28,000 to $34,000
- 2021 Long Range AWD: $36,000 to $45,000
- 2022 RWD: ~$39,500
- 2022 Long Range AWD: $48,000 to $54,000
- 2023 Long Range AWD: $54,000 to $60,000
Tesla Model Y (2022 to 2023)
- 2022 RWD: ~$42,750 (about 48% below new price)
- 2022 Long Range AWD: $52,000 to $58,000
- 2023 RWD: $48,000 to $54,000
- 2023 Performance: $67,000 to $80,000
BYD Atto 3 (2022 to 2024)
- 2022 Standard Range: $30,000 to $35,000
- 2022 Extended Range: $33,000 to $38,000
- 2023 Extended Range: $36,000 to $41,000
- Headline drop: Atto 3 median fell from $51,500 to $36,990 over 24 months, and you still get the remainder of the 6-year/150,000 km vehicle warranty
MG ZS EV (2021 to 2024)
- 2021 (60 kWh facelift): $22,000 to $28,000
- 2022: $26,000 to $32,000
- 2023: $30,000 to $36,000
- 2024: $34,000 to $40,000
Hyundai Ioniq 5 (2022 to 2024)
- 2022 Dynamiq RWD: $48,000 to $56,000
- 2022 Techniq AWD: $56,000 to $64,000
- 2023 Techniq AWD: $60,000 to $68,000
- Holds value better than most, thanks to the dedicated E-GMP platform and strong warranty
Kia EV6 (2022 to 2024)
- 2022 Air RWD: $50,000 to $58,000
- 2022 GT-Line AWD: $60,000 to $70,000
- 2023 GT-Line AWD: $66,000 to $76,000
- The 7-year warranty often transfers to the second owner, which is a real plus
Polestar 2 (2022 to 2024)
- 2022 Long Range Single Motor: $42,000 to $50,000
- 2023 Long Range Dual Motor: $52,000 to $62,000
- One of the steepest depreciation curves in the segment: luxury Volvo/Polestar pricing crashed hardest
Nissan Leaf (Gen 1 + Gen 2)
- 2012 to 2015 Gen 1 Japanese imports (24 kWh, degraded): $10,000 to $16,000
- 2017 Gen 1 30 kWh: $15,000 to $20,000
- 2019 to 2020 Gen 2 ZE1 40 kWh: $20,000 to $28,000
- 2022 to 2023 Gen 2 e+ 62 kWh: $30,000 to $38,000
- Cheapest entry to EV ownership; CHAdeMO caveats apply
Which are the actual bargains?
“Cheap” and “good value” aren’t the same thing. Some of the steepest discounts are on cars with looming issues, and some of the modest discounts are on cars that’ll cost you the least over five years. Here’s our shortlist of the best used EV prices Australia 2026 deals, weighted for total cost of ownership:
- Best outright bargain: 2022 BYD Atto 3 Extended Range at $35,000. Genuinely modern, 480 km WLTP, full warranty remaining, no known structural issues. The biggest absolute price drop in the market relative to original new price.
- Best value Tesla: 2022 Model 3 RWD at $39,500. Supercharger access, 491 km WLTP, software still receiving updates, the easiest used EV to live with. Avoid the 2018 to 2020 imports unless you want a project.
- Best second-hand luxury: 2022 Polestar 2 Long Range at $44,000. Steeper depreciation than it deserves; build quality is excellent. Check that Google’s automotive services subscription has been retained.
- Best fast-charging: 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Dynamiq at $50,000 or 2022 Kia EV6 Air at $52,000. 800V architecture means 230+ kW DC charging, which is genuinely useful on a road trip. Both hold value better than the rest of the field.
- Best small-budget option: 2021 MG ZS EV facelift at $24,000. Don’t expect Tesla refinement, but for a city runabout it’s tough to beat at this price.
Avoid in 2026: pre-2020 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus imports unless you’re prepared for early-build quirks (HVAC issues, water ingress, software lag); 2015 and earlier Leafs (battery is usually toast); first-year MG ZS EV (45 kWh, slow charging, infotainment glitches that no firmware fix has solved).
Will prices keep falling? Our take
Probably yes, but more slowly. Three reasons the slide isn’t done:
- The 2026 MG4, Zeekr X and Kia EV3 all launched in Australia at $30,000 to $45,000. Their existence drags older comparable used cars down further.
- Battery warranty cliff: the first wave of 2018 to 2020 Teslas and 2021 Atto 3s will age out of their 8-year battery warranties between 2028 and 2030. As that date gets closer on an individual car, expect another 10 to 15% step-down in its price.
- Continued Chinese new-car price competition. Until the new EV market stabilises, used pricing keeps trailing it down.
Counterweights: EV depreciation curves typically flatten 4 to 5 years after launch, once the cheap-but-still-modern segment starts appealing to mainstream buyers rather than just early adopters. We expect 2022 and 2023 Model Ys, Ioniq 5s and EV6s to bottom out in late 2026 or early 2027 in the $40,000 to $55,000 band, then stabilise.
Waiting another year will not pay off
If you’ve been telling yourself “I’ll wait another year for prices to drop”, you’ve probably already missed half the gains. The biggest crash is behind us. What’s left is a slower drift downward over the next 12 to 18 months while the cheap-EV segment matures.
If you’ve found a clean 2022 or 2023 Atto 3, Model 3 or Ioniq 5 in your budget today with documented battery health and warranty intact, buy it. If you’re shopping the bottom end (Leaf, MG ZS EV facelift, early Ioniq Electric), wait three months; those still have downside. Either way, get a battery health check before money changes hands, and read our guide to EV battery degradation so you know what good and bad numbers look like.
Price is only half the ownership picture. Work out what the car costs to run against the petrol car it replaces, and get an insurance quote early, because EV premiums here are still running noticeably higher.
FAQ
What’s the cheapest used EV in Australia in 2026?
Pre-2017 Nissan Leaf Gen 1 imports are the cheapest at $10,000 to $16,000. They’re genuinely cheap to run but have small batteries (24 kWh), CHAdeMO-only fast charging, and most have meaningful battery degradation. For a less compromised option, a 2021 MG ZS EV facelift at $22,000 to $28,000 is the cheapest “modern” used EV.
Are used Teslas a good buy in 2026?
Yes. The price collapse has been steep enough that a 2022 Model 3 RWD or Model Y RWD now lands in the $40,000s. They still have full Supercharger access, ongoing software updates, and excellent service network coverage. Avoid the early imports (2018 to 2020) unless the price reflects the build-quality risks.
Why are used EV prices falling so fast?
Three things compounded: Tesla and the Chinese brands cut new-car prices hard and that flowed straight through to used values; state EV rebates ended, which removed a price floor; and used stock built up as early adopters cycled out. EVs didn’t get worse. The new EV market got much cheaper, and used values followed it down.
Should I sell my EV now or wait?
Sell now if you’re going to sell at all. The downside risk over the next 12 months is bigger than the upside. Carsales’ market data suggests the cheaper end of the market keeps softening through 2026 as new cheap EVs land.
