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Electric cars exemption

You don't need to pay fringe benefits tax (FBT) on eligible electric cars and associated car expenses.

Last updated 7 October 2024

Eligibility

You do not pay FBT if you provide private use of an electric car that meets all the following conditions:

Benefits provided under a salary packaging arrangement are included in the exemption.

The government will complete a review into this exemption by mid-2027 to consider electric car take-up. We will provide an update when this review begins.

Zero or low emissions vehicle

A vehicle is a zero or low emissions vehicle if it satisfies both of these conditions:

  1. It is a:    
    • battery electric vehicle
    • hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle, or
    • plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (this does not include hybrid vehicles, that are only fuelled by liquid petrol – see Cars and FBT).
  2. It is a car designed to carry a load of less than one tonne and fewer than 9 passengers (including the driver).

Motorcycles and scooters are not cars for FBT purposes and do not qualify for the exemption, even if they are electric.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles – 1 April 2025 onwards

From 1 April 2025, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle will not be considered a zero or low emissions vehicle under FBT law.

However, you can continue to apply the exemption in certain conditions.

'Held and used' the electric car

The practical effect of this requirement is that the electric car must be used for the first time on or after 1 July 2022 – even if it is held before this date.

An electric car is 'held' when it is:

  • owned (includes cars acquired under hire-purchase arrangements)
  • leased (or let on hire), or
  • otherwise made available by another entity.

An electric car is considered 'used' when it is used or available for use by any entity or person.

Example: exemption does not apply – car first used before 1 July 2022

Shelly purchases an electric car on 1 April 2022. She makes it available for the private use of her employee, Jack, from that date until 30 July 2022.

On 1 August 2022, Shelly sells the electric car to ABC Co. ABC Co makes the car available for the private use of its employees from 1 August 2022.

The first time the electric car was both held and used is before 1 July 2022. Therefore, any car fringe benefits are not exempt from FBT.

End of example

 

Example: exemption applies – car first used from 1 July 2022

John ordered an electric car on 1 February 2022. The car was not subject to LCT. The car was delivered on 15 June 2022, at which time legal ownership passed to John.

John first makes the car available for the private use of his employees on 5 July 2022.

On 1 September 2023, John sells the electric car to XYZ Co. The new owner makes the car available for the private use of its employees from 1 September 2023.

The electric car was:

  • first held on 15 June 2022 – when John started owning it
  • first used on 5 July 2022.

The first time the electric car was both held and used was after 1 July 2022. Therefore, any car fringe benefits are exempt from FBT.

End of example

Determining if the car was subject to LCT

To be eligible for the exemption, the value of the electric car must be below the LCT threshold for fuel efficient vehicles at the time it is first sold in a retail sale, and in any subsequent sale.

If you purchase an electric car second hand, you need to determine if it was subject to LCT at any time in the past.

Example: exemption does not apply – car was subject to LCT

GHI Co purchases a new electric car on 1 July 2022 with a GST inclusive value of $85,000 from a car dealership in Australia.

The car does not meet the company’s needs, so they sell it for $83,000 on 31 July 2022 to Kerry.

Kerry reviews all available ownership and sales documentation and checks the LCT threshold for fuel efficient vehicles on the ATO website.

She determines that LCT would have been payable by the dealership when GHI Co purchased the electric car, as the value of the car was above the fuel-efficient vehicle LCT threshold for 2022–23.

Any car fringe benefits arising from the private use of the car by Kerry’s employees will not be exempt from FBT, as the car was subject to LCT when first sold.

End of example

Associated car expenses

The following car expenses are exempt from FBT if they are provided for an eligible electric car:

You may be able to reduce the FBT on any items that aren’t exempt car expenses, if the expenditure would have been deductible to the employee had they incurred it themselves. This is called the otherwise deductible rule.

Home charging station

A home charging station is not a car expense associated with providing a car fringe benefit for electric cars. However, it may be a property fringe benefit or an expense payment fringe benefit.

Cost of electricity to charge electric cars

Although the private use of an eligible electric car and cost of fuel including electricity to charge it, is exempt from FBT, the benefit is reportable (see Reportable fringe benefits).

How you work out the cost of electricity depends on the type of electric car you provide:

Zero emission electric cars

It can be difficult to work out the cost of electricity when an employee charges the electric car at home.

This is because the electricity used to charge the electric car is combined with the total amount of electricity consumed by an employee's home and is unable to be separately identified and valued.

To make it easier for you to calculate the electricity costs you can choose to use the shortcut electric vehicle (EV) home charging rate if you're eligible.

The EV home charging rate is 4.20 cents per kilometre. See PCG 2024/2 Electric vehicle home charging rate-calculating electricity costs when a vehicle is charged at an employee's or individual's home.

If you choose to use the EV home charging rate, you can't include commercial charging station costs unless you can accurately determine the percentage of the vehicle's total charge based on the type of charging location.

Make sure you keep the necessary records to substantiate how you determined the cost of electricity used to charge the electric car.

Example: home charging percentage can be accurately determined

Bill's employer provides him with an eligible electric car for his private use.

During the 2022–23 FBT year:

  • the car generates a report detailing that Bill charged the electric car at home 75% of the time.
  • Bill travelled a total of 10,000 km.

Bill's home charging kilometres can be determined by applying the home charging percentage of 75% to the 10,000 total kilometres travelled and his employer decides to use the EV home charging rate of 4.20 cents:

  • 10,000 km x 75% = 7,500 km
  • 7,500 km x 4.20 cents = $315

The component of the electricity expense for FBT purposes would be $315.

Bill has also kept relevant records relating to commercial charging station costs so his employer can include these costs to calculate the remaining component of the electricity expense.

End of example

Plug-in hybrid electric cars

To work out the cost of the electricity used to charge an exempt plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), you need to calculate the actual electricity expenses. You can't use the EV home charging rate.

Make sure you keep the necessary records to substantiate how you determined the cost of fuel including electricity used to charge and run the PHEV.

Reportable fringe benefits

Unlike other exempt benefits, although the private use of an eligible electric car, including the associated expenses is exempt from FBT, it is a reportable fringe benefit.

This means, you will need to work out the notional taxable value of the benefits associated with the private use of the exempt electric car and whether you need to report.

For more information about reportable fringe benefits, including working out if you need to report, see Reportable fringe benefits.

Electric vehicles and fringe benefits tax fact sheet

For more information on the electric cars exemption, see Electric vehicles and fringe benefits tax fact sheet.

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