Budget Electric Vehicles | Budget Car Rental

Spark something different on your next trip

Hit the road with Budget and ditch the ordinary! Cruise into your next adventure with a slick, new electric vehicle (EV) and get ready to experience Australia like never before.

Introducing Budget Electric Vehicles

Budget’s electric fleet is made up of exciting cars with the latest technology and fast charge capability. Fully charged, our EVs have a driving range of up to 450 kilometres. Don’t let range anxiety stop you from adding a spark of excitement to your next trip. Check out our guide to both paid and free charging stations across Australia.

Get to the Good Stuff in an EV

Make the drive just as exciting as the destination with an EV. Book online with Budget and spark something different on your next adventure.

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What it’s like to drive an EV

Looks like you’re open to sparking something different. Good stuff. An EV may feel a little different to drive at first, but we’ll get you in the road in no time.

 

Silence is golden, wave goodbye to engine noise!

Wave goodbye to engine noise! EVs are whisper quiet, making your drive as smooth as the Bondi sand. Because there is no internal combustion in the engine or exhaust being emitted, there’s hardly any noise created. 

Most EVs do offer a function to make noise so you can alert other people on the road. Check the vehicle manual for more information.

 

Fuel for the fun stuff!

Wave goodbye to petrol stations lines and ditch the worries around petrol prices. With EVs you can spend more of your holiday budget on getting out an exploring! Just remember to plan your trip with charging stations in mind. Download ChargeNet or PlugShare to find charging stations, or visit our EV charging providers page for more tips on staying charged.

 

It’s like you’ve only got one gear

Combustion engines need to move up and down gears as your speed changes. In an Electric Vehicle, you’re going to be far quicker off the mark, because the torque you get from a standing start leads to faster acceleration than you’re used to. Remember to be careful with the accelerator as you adjust, because the spark off the mark might surprise you on the first drive. Take it slow at traffic lights and intersections and remember to maintain a safe distance between other cars.

In an automatic car, gears move up and down as your speed changes. But in an EV, you’re far quicker off the mark. Because immediate torque means rapid acceleration.

Be careful with the accelerator though. The power might surprise you at first. Take it slow at traffic lights and intersections, and always maintain a safe distance between vehicles.

 

Frequently Asked Questions about EVs

We get it, if you’ve never driven an electric car, you might be wondering how different it is to driving a standard combustion engine. In most cases, the driving experience is very similar, but just like combustion engines, that changes from vehicle to vehicle. In general, the main changes are EVs accelerate faster, operate silently and can have some extra features to make things even easier. We recommend you familiarise yourself with our quick start guides before you pick up your EV.

Driving an EV requires no extra training, but we do offer quick start guides for each of our EV models. Select your vehicle to access the guide. We’ll also email these over when you book so you have them at the ready.

There is no one size fits all answer to this but the estimated driving range for our electric vehicles is 300kms on 80% charge.

As with an internal combustion engine, that can vary depending on a number of factors, the most common are: 

  • Quick acceleration and fast driving
  • The use of heating and air conditioning
  • External conditions (e.g. cold or warm weather)

Your EV display screen will show you specific information related to battery charge and driving range.

Constant recharging shortens the life span and driving range of the battery. There's no need to charge to full capacity consistently, unless you need to rely on the entire driving range of your vehicle.

Staying between 20% and 80% battery capacity will leave you with plenty of driving miles and be gentle on the battery.

Australia has a variety of free and paid charging locations, including a number of hotel, apartment and public parking complexes. To find your closest charging station and for more helpful charging tips we recommend you our guide to charging your EV.

The time it takes to charge your EV will depend on how many kW you want, and what type of connection. The following table can be used as a guide:

Charger Type Use Charging Time Power
Portable three-pin charging cable For private owners, used in the home or as a back-up while on the road Trickle AC charge: 12-14 hours AC 1.75kW
Wall charger

Fast charging in the home

Business fleet charging

 Fast AC charge: 4 hours AC: 7-22kW
Public charger For public use

Fast AC charge: 4 hours

Rapid DC Charge: 45 mins

AC: 7-22kW

DC: 50kW+

There a both free and paid charging stations available across Australia. Paid charging stations vary in their cost method which may be kHW usage, time spent charging or flat fee based on percentage of battery charged. For more information on EV charging, please refer to our charging your EV page.

We ask that our customers return the vehicle with at least 75% charge, fees apply for cars returned with less 75% battery upon return.

The time it takes to charge an electric vehicle from 80-100% can exceed the time to charge from 20-80%, therefore to improve charge efficiency we have set the max charge to 80%.

If you run out of charge while you're on the road, please call Roadside Assistance on 1800 656 550.

Please contact Roadside Assistance on 1800 656 550.