Owner Verdicts

What owners really think

What owners say after months of living with a car, not a one-week test drive. Each verdict lists every source. Verdicts marked provisional are for newer models with fewer long-term reports.

Mid-size electric SUV · 10 sources

Tesla Model Y

7.7/10

Best charging network and software, very efficient. Older cars ride hard; service can be slow.

Mid-size premium electric SUV · 5 sources · provisional

Zeekr 7X

7.6/10

Plush, quiet, superb audio and 800V charging. Menu-heavy controls, small dealer network.

Mid-size electric sedan · 6 sources

Tesla Model 3

7.5/10

Cheap to run with the best charging network. Phantom braking, touchscreen-only controls and range below the claim.

Small electric SUV · 12 sources

BYD Atto 3

7.4/10

Cheap to run, comfy, 5-star safety. Watch the after-sales service and the 12V battery.

Mid-size electric SUV · 7 sources

Hyundai Ioniq 5

7.4/10

Superfast charging, roomy, comfy and great V2L. The ICCU / 12V fault on 2021–24 cars is the big worry.

Mid-size electric sedan · 6 sources

BYD Seal

7.3/10

Quick, quiet and luxurious for the money. Glitchy driver aids, 12V battery and driveshaft issues on early cars.

Mid-size electric SUV · 8 sources

BYD Sealion 7

7.2/10

Lush cabin, quick and great value. Highway range, driver-assist nags and service let it down.

Small premium electric SUV · 7 sources · provisional

BMW iX1

7.2/10

Lovely cabin, quick and practical. Real range about 360–390 km, and rapid charging is often slower than claimed.

Mid-size electric SUV · 6 sources · provisional

Mazda CX-6e

7.2/10

Undercuts the Model Y with lots of standard gear and a big back seat. Intrusive driver aids and a busy ride.

Small electric hatch · 4 sources

BYD Dolphin

7.1/10

Efficient, quiet and well finished. Poor factory tyres, naggy alerts and slow fixes for some owners.

Mid-size electric SUV · 7 sources · provisional

Geely EX5

7.0/10

Lots of equipment for the price and efficient. Nagging driver monitor; few long-term owner reports yet.

Small electric SUV · 6 sources · provisional

BYD Atto 2

6.9/10

Big inside, soft ride, cheap for a BYD. Highway range around 220 km, slow charging, naggy alerts.

Small electric hatch · 3 sources · provisional

BYD Atto 1

6.9/10

Cheap, stylish, well equipped and very efficient in town. Short highway range and patchy support.

Small electric SUV · 5 sources · provisional

Jaecoo J5 EV

6.8/10

$36,990 drive-away with an 8-year warranty. Jerky throttle, real range about 340–350 km, early fault reports.

Small electric hatch · 4 sources

MG4

6.7/10

Fun, efficient and cheap. Glitchy software, phantom braking and patchy dealer support are common owner gripes.

Mid-size electric SUV · 6 sources · provisional

Kia EV5

6.6/10

Roomy, V2L, 7-year warranty and strong dealer network. Lumpy ride, slow charging; a facelift fix is coming.

How Owner Verdicts work

Our method

Owner Verdicts summarise what owners and long-term testers report after living with a car, not a one-week test drive.

SourcesWe read owner reviews, owner forums and long-term tests, plus Australian recall records. Every source is listed on the verdict, and the source count is shown on each card.

ScoresEach topic (range, comfort, software, after-sales and so on) gets an editorial score out of 10 based on how consistently sources praise or criticise it. The overall score is an editorial judgement, not a statistical average.

ProvisionalNewer models with few long-term reports are labelled provisional and re-checked as more reports appear.

Range figuresReal-range bars come from cited owner and test results. Any 1300EV calculation is labelled as one.

IndependentAI-assisted research, checked by a human editor. Advertisers cannot buy, change or influence a score, ranking or verdict.

More verdicts are added every week. Want one for your car? Email info@1300ev.com.au.