Electric trucks in Australia in 2026

Electric trucks now cover most jobs from vans up to prime movers, but sales are still small and the business case depends heavily on the work and what you pay for power. This guide pulls together the main findings of an independent industry report, with figures for trucks and vans of 3.5 t GVM and over.

Source: unless another link is given, the figures on this page come from MOV3MENT, Electric Truck Report, September 2026, prepared with funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). See mov3ment.com.au.

The market so far

Measure	First half of 2026
Electric trucks and vans sold (3.5 t GVM and over)	146, down from 176 in the same period of 2025
Light duty, 3.5 t to 8 t (vans and small rigids)	About 85% of sales
Medium duty, 8 t to 17 t	About 5% of sales
Heavy duty, over 17 t (rigids and prime movers)	About 10% of sales, down from about 25%
Truck-accessible public charging	About 20 sites built or planned

The report puts the dip down to fleets waiting on charging and on newer models, with older models leaving the market first. It still expects full-year 2026 sales to beat 2025. Woolworths' electric fleet was due to pass 280 trucks by September 2026, and a growing number of other fleets now run 10 or more electric trucks or vans.

Does an electric truck suit the work?

Electric trucks suit some jobs better than others. The report lists these signs of a good fit:

Routes within about 200 km of base - claimed range can be 300 to 600 km on some trucks, but real range is lower with payload, hills, power take-off and battery limits.
The same overnight parking - chargers are tied to a site, so a truck that sleeps somewhere different each night is harder to charge.
Predictable schedules - overnight charging needs downtime, and daytime top-ups need planned stops.
Room in the payload - batteries can add up to 30% to tare mass, mostly over the front axle. A diesel already at its limit may need a lighter body or a heavier class.
Stop-start driving - city work suits electric trucks because they recover energy when braking and use little at idle. Highway work, especially on hills, is less efficient.
A site that can take chargers - a short lease, little space or a weak grid connection can rule out depot charging.
Local service and parts - check breakdown cover, trained technicians nearby, and a loan truck if repairs take time.
Longer ownership - payback on the higher purchase price usually takes 5 years or more, so fleets that keep trucks longer do better. Second-hand electric trucks are scarce, and leasing can suit some operators.
Customers who want lower emissions - this rarely brings a price premium, but can help win longer contracts or charging at the customer's site.

In NSW, zero-emission heavy vehicles can carry extra axle mass to make up for battery weight. Transport for NSW made this permanent from 27 May 2026. See the NSW zero emission heavy vehicle page for the conditions.

Where the numbers work

The report compares the cost of owning electric and diesel trucks over the first seven years, by job type:

Job	Size	The report's read
Urban delivery	Light duty	At least one electric van and one electric truck are priced close to diesel. With a grant, much of this segment can come out ahead. Beyond about 50,000 km a year, most models need a faster daytime charge.
Supermarket home delivery	Light duty	An electric truck is priced close to diesel. Beyond about 35,000 km a year, most models need an extra daytime charge.
Regional furniture delivery	Medium duty	Harder to pay back, because regional driving recovers less energy. Most models can do about 130,000 km a year with depot charging and one charge on the way.
Regional parts transport	Medium duty	Beyond about 75,000 km a year, more than one daytime charge is likely, and charging time can limit the daily work.
Waste collection	Heavy duty	The cheapest electric models get close to diesel, but only when worked hard. A battery no bigger than the job needs keeps the price down.
Supermarket distribution	Heavy duty	Range is more than enough for city work. Lower-priced electric prime movers should make the numbers work.

The NSW kick-start grants improve the numbers in every one of these segments. See EV incentives for the amounts and closing date.

What you pay for power matters most

The report's example is a 4.5 t truck doing 40,000 km a year, against diesel at $1.60 to $2.00 a litre after fuel tax credits:

At 15c/kWh - the electric truck is cheaper to own than diesel. This is possible at large industrial sites, on daytime tariffs, or with your own solar and batteries.
At 30c/kWh - about what households and small businesses pay, the electric truck comes out close to diesel.
At 60c/kWh - about the price of public charging, the electric truck costs more than diesel, even with no charger to buy.

Diesel prices move the answer as much as power prices do. Site upgrades, fire engineering reports, insurance and certifications can add cost too. Put in your own diesel price, power price and kilometres in the fleet calculators.

How trucks charge

Where	Typical speed	Typical time	Used for
Depot or home, overnight	11 to 50 kW (AC or low-power DC)	2 to 8 hours	A full charge for most trucks that park at the same place each night
Customer or shared site, during the day	50 to 150 kW	45 minutes to 3 hours	Topping up during loading or idle time, often from about 30% to 60%
On the way, public	150 to 500 kW and more	20 to 60 minutes	Long-distance or heavily used trucks, often during driver breaks

As a rough guide:

Light duty (batteries under about 140 kWh) - mainly charge at the depot, with an occasional top-up.
Medium duty (about 140 to 360 kWh) - likely to need a daytime charge at a customer or shared site to cover the day.
Heavy duty (360 kWh and more) - may need public charging on the route.

Most trucks can't charge at the highest speeds, so check the truck's own maximum DC rate before you pay for a fast charger. Smaller trucks can fully charge overnight on an 11 kW or 22 kW AC charger.

Public chargers built for cars can work for some rigid trucks overnight, but trucks need drive-through bays, more power and a way to book. Check a site with its operator before you rely on it. See the truck-accessible charging sites found so far, and our guide to depot charging.

Planning a switch

Start with real data - use actual daily km and replacement dates. If daily needs are well under the claimed range, a smaller battery costs less and carries more, at about 5 kg less per kWh.
Check how much battery the day uses - if trucks often use more than about 70% of usable capacity, plan a daytime charge. A 150 kW DC rate adds about 70 kWh in 30 minutes.
Trial before you scale - one truck limits the risk, but bigger orders can bring discounts or qualify for grants.
Use the truck - low kilometres make range easy, but give less time to win back the higher purchase price.
Order early - light vans and trucks can arrive within weeks, but larger trucks are factory orders with lead times of up to 12 months.
Start the power work first - grid upgrades and new connections can take 12 to 24 months. Plan for three years of growth, not just the first truck.
Watch the tariff - evening peak rates can eat the savings. Charging off-peak, or from your own solar and batteries, keeps the cost per kWh down. See demand charges and solar and batteries.

See the light, medium and heavy trucks we have checked, or move your fleet from diesel to electric step by step.

This is general information, not financial advice.