Have You Bought (or Put down a Deposit) on a New EV since The Gulf War Started (28 Feb 2026) ?

edisonAU on 24/04/2026 - 16:36
Last edited 24/04/2026 - 16:46 by 1 other user

We had 2 ICE cars: Mazda 3 SP25GT 2018, and Subaru Liberty 2.5i 2012. We were not going to buy another car for a few more years. But the whole Gulf War has changed our minds completely with the news of petrol/diesel shortages. We realised we want 1 ICE and 1 EV car going forward, for our family of 4.

We ended up test driving the following 4 cars a few weeks ago: Zeekr 7X performance AWD, Tesla Model Y LR AWD, BYD Sealion 7 AWD Performance, Geely EX5 FWD.

We were tossing between Tesla Model Y and Zeekr 7x. Both has its own advantages. At the end I put down a deposit on Zeekr 7x Performance AWD for $80K drive away.

I will probably sell my Liberty once I receive the Zeekr 7x.

Have you bought (or put down a deposit) on a new EV since the Gulf War started on 28 February 2026? If so, what make and model? Or you bought a Hybrid (including PHEV) instead, or even ICE cars?

Poll Options

  • 107
    Yes. I bought an EV.
  • 10
    No, I bought a Hybrid (including PHEV) instead.
  • 8
    No, I bought an ICE car, I love my petrol/diesel!
  • 227
    No, I already have an EV.
  • 62
    No. I already have a Hybrid (including PHEV).
  • 265
    No. I love my ICE car!
  • 39
    No. I don't own a car anyway. I prefer public transport, or I have no money etc
Automotive BYD Auto Car Geely SUV Tesla Inc Zeekr Electric Vehicle

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  • 30year old Camry on 24/04/2026 - 16:44
    +85

    I just inflated my tyres and took off my roof racks

    • brendanm on 24/04/2026 - 20:56
      +27

      I'm running my tyres at 80psi, it's a bit of a rough ride but I'm saving $1 a month.

      • JIMB0 on 24/04/2026 - 22:42
        +3

        Be careful parking in the sun or they might burst.

      • loropy9 on 27/04/2026 - 07:48
        +1

        This is a funny comment for people who understand tyre PSI. For the others, please DON'T inflate your tyres above the max pressure stated on your tyres.

        • mapax on 27/04/2026 - 08:10
          +1

          DON'T inflate your tyres above the max pressure stated on your tyres

          You should be inflating to max placard pressure, not the max pressure stated on the tyre.

          • MS Paint on 27/04/2026 - 09:11
            +3

            @mapax: I can imagine all the Camry's that are now running 80psi after reading this advise. FFS

            • Mad Max on 27/04/2026 - 10:10

              @MS Paint: Yeah, but just imagine how much fuel saved 🤣

              I'm saving $1 a month.

        • serpserpserp on 30/04/2026 - 08:10

          please DON'T inflate your tyres above the max pressure stated on your tyres.

          You need to put them at Max PSI for Max savings

      • whyisave on 28/04/2026 - 19:11

        80psi with air or nitrogen?

        • klaw81 on 28/04/2026 - 19:20
          +1

          Helium for extra weight savings

        • brendanm on 28/04/2026 - 19:30
          +1

          Oxy/acetylene mix.

          • AccuracyAdvocate on 29/04/2026 - 09:18

            @brendanm: I prefer Propane/Butane mix, a few advantages. Getting the ratio and amounts right is tricky. /s
            Any flammable mixtures allow for great special effects with a modified valve dust cap. Also /s

      • frewer on 29/04/2026 - 20:01

        I may try 69 to be safe, I haven't get any since my wife ded

    • Gdsamp on 24/04/2026 - 20:15
      +21

      Thanks for staying COVIDSafe..

      • mapax on 24/04/2026 - 20:21
        +2

        Albos automotive advise?

        • Gunnar on 25/04/2026 - 00:10
          +9

          I see you’re his chief advicer

    • Mad Max on 24/04/2026 - 21:12
      +12

      My car identifies as an EV.
      I said, if you are born with an ICE you are not an EV.

      • ssfps on 24/04/2026 - 22:37
        +6

        That sounds problematic of you.

        EVness is a spectrum anyway, from pre-EFI carby all the way through to driving a chinesium touchscreen with wheels. Some time in the shop and we can change anything to anything despite what VIN purists will tell you.

        • Mad Max on 24/04/2026 - 23:13
          +6

          Nah, poor car was a bit confused. Watching too much progressive TV.
          We spent some time together, I changed oil and filter, I put in shiny new spar plugs and a clean new air filter.
          All good now, back to guzzling petrol and leaving all the other cars behind…

      • pjbargain15 on 25/04/2026 - 22:25

        My car just came out as HEV

    • DashCam AKA Rolts on 24/04/2026 - 21:54
      +10

      Lighten the load by removing the tissue box from the parcel shelf.

      • jakka on 25/04/2026 - 07:30
        +7

        I just remove my pants before driving

      • JIMB0 on 24/04/2026 - 22:43
        +3

        And the lip gloss from the centre console.

      • serpserpserp on 30/04/2026 - 08:26
        +1

        I stopped eating my breakfast laksa on the way to work. Seems to have helped a bit with the fuel efficiency.

    • Cheapskate Paul on 24/04/2026 - 20:19
      +3

      Thank you for doing your bit. Every little bit helps.

    • Dr Phil on 25/04/2026 - 13:47

      Did all that and threw out the wife and baby too :)

    • EitherWayUp on 29/04/2026 - 12:10

      Albo approves

  • DingoBilly on 24/04/2026 - 17:36
    +39

    I don't make long term decisions based on short/medium term problems. Surprised how people panic and make big decisions based on short term info.

    So no change for me.

    • thrillhouse on 25/04/2026 - 09:21
      +28

      You’ll probably find a lot of these people had been on the fence about getting an EV for a while, and this was the catalyst. Most of those against EVs before likely aren’t buying into it now, either.

      • Euphemistic on 25/04/2026 - 13:44
        +9

        This. Been mulling it over and brought it forward a bit.

      • Viper8 on 25/04/2026 - 15:03
        +5

        Yes, but people like OP that weren't planning on buying a new car for another couple of years are buying to get the EV. Likely losing money in the long term given the cheapest option is almost always to keep your car as long as possible to average down the initial plummet in capital loss, unless you drive a lot of km's and have very high running costs.

        • Brianqpr on 28/04/2026 - 09:34
          +2

          Debateable. Our existing car (2 years old) is still worth a reasonable amount to offset the cost of an EV. Obviously that value will fall the longer we hold onto it.

          Then there's the FBT exemption for EV leases if the leasing option is available to you. That won't be around forever.

          In my personal situation the EV is costing considerably less over the lease term than it would cost to pay cash today. Car is $64k, actual cost (for the car, not including packaged rego, insurance) will be closer to $50k over the lease term. Current car worth around $30k.

          So its cheaper due to pre tax payments and FBT exemption, cash stays in the offset rather than going on the car and sale proceeds from existing car can be added to offset funds.

          Having done all the numbers including lease payments, value of existing car when sold, gain by having those funds in offset, no more petrol costs, insurance (can get your own quote, which in my case was half the cost of the pre packaged option with the SAME insurer) and rego paid pre tax (already paying for these costs post tax anyway), service costs minimal as its a Tesla so another saving there, and likely realistic value of car over the balloon payment at end of lease, I actually come out ahead. Effectively the car costs nothing, or almost nothing.

          • factor on 28/04/2026 - 10:52
            -1

            @Brianqpr: Your calculation doesn't show the car is free - it is still one of your more expensive outgoings. Your calculation only shows that the changeover cost from the 2 year old car to the new car isn't much.

            I am, as are most people, far better off financially with a 10 year old car, depreciating little each year.

            • Brianqpr on 29/04/2026 - 07:28
              +1

              @factor: I've done the numbers as I've said. It's a great deal and yes when I factor in everything it essentially costs nothing out of pocket. And I haven't even mentioned the tax saving.

              Both my kids have cars a little older than yours, it makes sense for them. However you're never too far away from an unexpected repair with no warranty coverage available.

          • Viper8 on 30/04/2026 - 00:14
            -1

            @Brianqpr: Sure, if you're a high income earner capitalising on the FBT exemption and you drive lower km's, you will save money if you keep the car for a long time.

            But if that is the case, why wait until a short to medium term fuel "crisis" to then pull the trigger?

            One is an objective decision based on long term fundamentals, the other a rushed/ panic decision based on short term pricing and media hysteria.

    • drprox on 25/04/2026 - 16:15
      +7

      It actually goes a ways towards explaining why cash rates need to go up. If people can afford to buy a car because fuel is more expensive for a month everyone still has too much money :)

      • Dogsrule on 26/04/2026 - 21:39
        +1

        It actually goes a ways towards explaining why cash rates need to go up.

        Which further increases the purchasing power of most people who are in a position to buy a new car - the system works!

        • drprox on 27/04/2026 - 14:14

          I get everyone wants to think people with money are old and it's all sitting in interest bearing cash accounts but that isn't largely true. More would remains in stocks and rates going up won't help those.

      • Brianqpr on 28/04/2026 - 09:41

        "everyone". You are probably referring to the 2/3 of people who aren't affected by interest rate increases, or actually benefit from them. The other 30% or so probably aren't splashing out on new cars so much, but the answer appears to be to hit them in the pocket again?

    • Brianqpr on 27/04/2026 - 09:05
      +2

      Its not panic, it's people bringing forward a decision they were already intending to make.

      The EV market is completely changing with lots of affordable options now available or arriving soon. That's a game changer.

    • Nebargains on 26/04/2026 - 14:27
      +1

      Agree. Sure if I suddenly had to replace a car and an EV was within my budget its a no brainer. But dropping like $30-60k on a new car just because petrol prices went up suddenly is ridiculous, as is spending that money just to "save" money. The only time it makes financial sense to switch is when you need to spend the money anyway otherwise if you just want a new tech/new toy/new car for quality of life reasons then go for it, but its hardly a sound financial decision. But if the "savings" help you justify it, good on you.

  • brendanm on 24/04/2026 - 19:22
    +32

    Makes sense. $30 extra a week is too much, but $80k is easy.

  • MS Paint on 24/04/2026 - 17:23
    +31

    I'm not into kneejerk reactions so just sticking with the cars we already own.

    Infact I'm heavily researching to buy a used V8 car while the prices are dropping/steady due poor demand.

    • DashCam AKA Rolts on 24/04/2026 - 22:02
      +9

      You know you cut the engine out…. literally…. since you dont need it you could saw it to managable liftable parts. theres a water or quarry cutting tool and convert it to an E.V. you could just buy the EV battery that fits motorbikes and use 1 or two. some say under $100 but others $300 ish online and 370miles or 600km range on some of the EV bikes. the motor parts maybe a few hundred

      • belongsinforums on 25/04/2026 - 08:35
        +6

        Btw everyone this is surely a reference to a recent forum post

        • brendanm on 25/04/2026 - 10:59
          +3

          Not much gets past you.

          • belongsinforums on 25/04/2026 - 12:18
            -4

            @brendanm: Don't understand the personal attack. Who hurt you?

            • brendanm on 25/04/2026 - 13:18
              +1

              @belongsinforums: What sort of mental gymnastics did you have to perform to take that as a personal attack? I was just in awe of your detective ability.

            • s1Lence on 26/04/2026 - 01:11
              -3

              @belongsinforums: according to AI "Nothing gets past you" means you are sharp, observant, and notice everything, often picking up on details others miss. The phrase indicates high intelligence or attention to detail, similar to being "quick as a whip" or "never missing a beat". It is used to praise awareness and accuracy, often when someone anticipates or notices hidden details" so it sounds like he was actually complimenting you!

        • moar bargains on 27/04/2026 - 09:24

          This one specifically I believe

    • Gunnar on 25/04/2026 - 00:12
      +4

      If you get a British Leyland v8 engined car fuel shortages won’t even be a problem for you

      • Clickbait on 27/04/2026 - 12:49

        Is that because you can fit a 44 gallon drum in the boot?

    • casho on 26/04/2026 - 17:10

      this is the way

  • coxjon on 24/04/2026 - 16:45
    +20

    Username is Edison, test drives a Tesla. Doesn't check out.

    • edisonAU on 24/04/2026 - 19:27
      +3

      Great competitor needs to know their competitions!

    • Aureus on 24/04/2026 - 22:14
      +3

      Was no doubt disgusted to see the AC motor under the hood.

      • eddyah on 25/04/2026 - 13:55
        +2

        DC fast charging though at 800v so Edison all the way!

    • quog on 26/04/2026 - 16:22
      +2

      agree, as Edison, he should have stolen it and said it was his

    • AaronRain on 25/04/2026 - 11:49

      Just like in real life.

    • Kiro on 26/04/2026 - 23:24

      Going to steal Tesla's designs the way no one would expect it.

  • Murkymerv on 24/04/2026 - 17:09
    +18

    No need to panic now , the Australian government hasn't set fire to the other refinery YET ⁉️

    • Stuj on 24/04/2026 - 17:43
      +4

      I think i heard someone say they saw Matt caravan and Angus Taylor running away from that refinery just before that blaze took off, well at least thats a better story than the old gold Chick with the crocodile infested river

    • Porker on 24/04/2026 - 17:17
      +2

      Oooh….. Burn….

  • SBOB on 24/04/2026 - 18:20
    +17

    At the end I put down a deposit on Zeekr 7x Performance AWD for $80K drive away.
    will probably sell my Liberty once I receive the Zeekr 7x.

    Feels like you just used it as an excuse to buy a new car.
    Dropping 80k on a new performance ev because fuel went up a bit a month ago is just the excuse to upgrade from your 14 year old car ;)

    If the fuel price was impacting ice ownership so much, your ice car also just deprecated more

    Driving your existing ice into the ground would have been the ozb option

    (But nice ev choice regardless)

    • edisonAU on 24/04/2026 - 19:25
      +3

      Partly, we were originally going to replace Liberty with the new Forester released last year. However the new Forester was disappointing, so we decided to just keep driving our old cars for a while. Then the war started …….

      • elgrande on 25/04/2026 - 07:53
        +1

        Mr Subaru likes it

    • supersabroso on 25/04/2026 - 15:57
      +1

      Wrong, we're not here to live a stingy life and be the richest 80 year old on our street lol. We're here because we want to live like millionaires without paying top dollar! I splurged on a BYD Sealion 7 because the $4k discount was too good to refuse, best decision ever as it's only going to cost me $500/month thanks to the FBT & GST exemptions. The quality of life for my family is so good now as it's way better than our Toyota RAV4. Spend it or lose it, that's how our tax system works as your income gets higher and higher.

      • ctg on 25/04/2026 - 22:04
        -1

        How is spending $26k a year a great idea? Your “quality of life now being so good” is pure copium.

        • bakemon0 on 26/04/2026 - 06:08
          +3

          where did you get 26k?

          • Ironic fear on 26/04/2026 - 22:01
            +1

            @bakemon0: He doesn't know the difference between a week and a month

        • keejoonc on 28/04/2026 - 08:49
          +1

          I think you need to come off the copium you are taking.

        • supersabroso on 30/04/2026 - 16:15

          I think you need to go back and revisit primary school maths, $500/month x 12 months = $6k/year not $26k/year lol. To be precise, I think the actual after tax car repayment is $473/month. On top of all this, all the running expenses are half price and electricity is better than free if you have solar as you get paid per km regardless of free charging.

    • belongsinforums on 25/04/2026 - 08:38

      Diesel doubled in price. Factor in the costs involved in fixing an ageing car, servicing, solar benefits, and you can come out on top by switching

      • depecid on 25/04/2026 - 19:28
        +7

        Doubling in price means i now spend $180 per month as opposed to $90. An extra grand a year is unfortunate, but hardly a reason to panic buy a depreciating asset. It may suit some, but I'll bet the majority would be better off running their car into the ground rather than trying to keep up with the joneses.

        • Tambani on 25/04/2026 - 21:36

          A lot of people have higher petrol costs than that. I was already spending $100/wk on petrol before the prices went up.

          My car was already getting into the age I was going to upgrade. On a novated lease (and because I have solar to feed the car) the weekly cost was mostly covered by the petrol and servicing savings.

        • belongsinforums on 25/04/2026 - 21:00
          -2

          Fair enough. Some of us drive further to work and go on road trips

  • samcro on 24/04/2026 - 22:12
    +14

    You're a little late, the Gulf War started in 1990!

    • cfuse on 26/04/2026 - 01:43
      +4

      <Mission Accomplished Intensifies>

    • casho on 26/04/2026 - 17:12

      Thank you! Came here to say that

  • AustriaBargain on 24/04/2026 - 18:08
    +7

    I've had people tell me their next car will be an EV since the strait closed, the kinds of people you would assume would be dead set against EVs. Things are changing fast, people are taking EV charging stations for granted. Won't be long until most car parts are EV charging stations imo, like within 15 years from now.

  • sharkyoz on 24/04/2026 - 20:42
    +7

    Just bought a new ebike, that should be an option too.

    • cfuse on 26/04/2026 - 01:41
      +1

      What did you get, and what was your logic?

      I'm old and fat, it's been a very long time since I was on a bike, and I'm generally a public transport person, but I can see the virtue of having a fuel apocalypse ready option.

  • Wiadro on 25/04/2026 - 01:01
    +7

    Wait you spent 80k because of a temporary fuel price increase?
    Ok hand in you ozbargain membership

  • Lunarboogie on 24/04/2026 - 19:01
    +6

    I bought an EV in early February. The timing was impeccable, though I can claim no credit for that.

    • Onemoredeal on 24/04/2026 - 19:09
      +2

      Yes you can, fuel savings credit

    • deeevan on 25/04/2026 - 08:49
      +2

      Bought in December. The timing was impeccable not just for fuel cost, but the used car market is a different landscape now.

  • Checkmate3023 on 24/04/2026 - 19:45
    +6

    I wouldnt say 'i love my ICE car' but i reckon dropping >50k on a new car is a bit of a waste of money when my car runs perfectly fine

    not 'really' sure what I should select from the POLL

    i find the entire - needless consumption culture the worst thing for the environment be it cloths/cars/phones etc - if your car is less then 10 years old and running fine your doing more to hurt the environment and you hip pocket by buying a new car all the time

    however with all that said my next car ideally will be a plug in hybrid - im not 'sold' on full EVs but PHEVs solve all the problems both EVs and ICE cars have

    We ended up test driving the following 4 cars a few weeks ago: Zeekr 7X performance AWD, Tesla Model Y LR AWD, BYD Sealion 7 AWD Performance, Geely EX5 FWD.

    fair enough - i dare say the Liberty would of been fine but it is almost 15 years old it probably 'felt' dated - i dare say you wanted a 'reason' to buy a new car opposed to the price of fuel pushing you to it.

    The only car on that list i have driver was the Tesla Model Y which i would say drives great and has a nice display and interior.

    im kind of Curious what the Zeekr 7x is like if you choose it over the Model Y because i was impressed with the model Y

    • edisonAU on 25/04/2026 - 07:14
      +3

      Model Y is simple and intuitive to drive, but requires you to adjust your driving style. Their software is easily the best in class. To me, a Model Y is for people who like no hassle driving.

      Zeekr 7x is a drivers car, better driving experience, with better and more luxurious features than Tesla. But their software is nowhere as good as Tesla.

  • Dollar General on 24/04/2026 - 19:17
    +4

    $80k for a car. Wow

    $40k on a car, $20k on a holiday & $20K in the IVV or SEMI etf would be a smarter decision

    • smartazz104 on 26/04/2026 - 18:11
      +2

      $20k on a holiday

      would be a smarter decision

      Eh…

    • edisonAU on 24/04/2026 - 19:34

      Another option we were looking at was an BYD Atto 2 Premium at just under $40K drive away. However, it was too small for us as we have teenager kids. Also, my missus wants an AWD because of her good experience in Liberty and Impreza even earlier.

      I liked Geely EX5 Inspire as it is $50K and is roomy for backseats, with good features. But she didn't like that it being a FWD.

      With AWD and roomier requirement at the back, there were not that many options available.

      • brendanm on 24/04/2026 - 20:57
        +3

        Do you do a lot of dirt/icy road work?

        • edisonAU on 29/04/2026 - 18:14
          -2

          No. But my missus likes to speed at corners so AWD provides far more grip than RWD/FWDs.

          • brendanm on 29/04/2026 - 18:37
            +1

            @edisonAU: No it doesn't. Awd provides more traction, not more grip. Grip is limited by the tyres. If your Mrs is finding the grip limits of tyres on suburban roads she needs to dial her driving back a bit.

      • DarkOz on 26/04/2026 - 10:19

        I am literally in the same situation as you were.

        Currently own a Mazda 3 SP25GT 2018 and deciding between a Zeekr 7X RWD/LR/Performance. I would love to get the performance for the AWD but the extra power worries me when the wife is driving it. Do you have the same worry for your wife or she is a better driver?

        • edisonAU on 26/04/2026 - 23:12

          She didn’t test drive any of the cars. For me it is more of press the accelerator more gently than anything else.

  • tenpercent on 24/04/2026 - 20:49
    +3

    I just paid $1.64/L for U91 today.

    Prices are back to where they were before the War in Iran.

    • Onemoredeal on 24/04/2026 - 21:43
      +3

      Don’t forget to add the excise and GST which we aren’t being charged , to work out if it’s normalised rather then being subsidised . 1.64 is giggity

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