Ethical, Safe, and Good-Looking: Why Buying a New EV is So Hard

We’re in need of a new car. Simple enough, right?

Except it turns out that buying an EV in 2026 – when you actually care about safety, ethics, aesthetics, privacy, and long-term support – is genuinely hard. Every option has a catch. At least, in Australia.

Here’s what we’re actually looking for:

• an EV
• more spacious than a small car
• safe (we have a toddler)
• reliable (it should work; I’ve been burnt by a brand new car failing before)
• well supported after purchase (responsive after-sales support, a nearby service centre, not likely to exit the Australian market soon)
• privacy friendly
• decent looking
• environmentally friendly
• preferably with physical buttons
• preferably no objectionable founders or companies (e.g. Elon Musk being…Elon Musk, or VW with Dieselgate)
• preferably able to seat 6 passengers (or more)
• under the Luxury Car Tax (LCT) threshold (AUD $120,000 for EVs)
• BMW if possible, to fulfil my dad’s lifelong dream of owning a new BMW in the family
• a wagon would be nice
• with AWD with some decent ground clearance (for torrential downpours we sometimes get in Australia)
• cheaper is better

Surely something fits the bill?

The Shortlist

Tesla Model Y (and Y L) seems to be a great choice on paper, but I find the design bloated and unsightly. And Elon Musk being Elon Musk adds an unwanted distaste. The all-screen UI doesn’t help either. I’d like dedicated, physical buttons please!

Lexus and Genesis offer some decent options, and their hassle-free servicing is genuinely attractive. But their driving range isn’t great, they’re pricey, and I don’t love how much data they capture.

Hyundai Ioniq 5 is appealing, but it has known ICCU issues and looks a tad ugly (the Ioniq 5N is the exception). Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis also capture more data than I’m comfortable with, so that rules out the whole family.

Hyundai Ioniq 6 is an option, but I’m not sold on the hindquarters. It’s a bit too droopy and cockroach-esque. See also: the data issue above.

Zeekr 7X and 7GT look like genuinely great options, but I’m nervous about after-sales support. Will they still be in Australia in a year? XPeng’s Australian distributor (TrueEV) just went into administration, leaving around 2000 owners in limbo. I’ve also been following some user groups on Facebook and seen reports of software and UX issues, including with proximity-based features.

BMW iX3 is a strong candidate – and ticks the ‘family dream’ box. I’m not in love with the front-end grille design, and it won’t be available for delivery until September 2026 (I’d enquired with a nearby dealer). On the plus side, BMW apparently sources its cobalt and lithium directly from mines in Australia and Morocco, which is reassuring on the ethics and traceability front.

VW ID.Buzz is compelling. The personality is there and the price has come down, but it’s not as polished as something like a Kia Carnival, and Dieselgate remains a black mark on the brand, regardless of how much VW has improved since then.

Polestar 5 is quite the looker but it has too many caveats: no rear window, well above the LCT threshold, and a greenwashing reputation that sits awkwardly with its sustainability branding. Geely’s majority ownership also raises the same data privacy and market-commitment questions I have about the Chinese brands.

Mazda CX-6e is an attractive option owing to its beautiful exterior styling and established brand presence in Australia, but it’s yet to be seen if it lives up to be a true Mazda, or just a reskinned Deepal S07 with immature software and interfaces.

So there it is: a shortlist that isn’t really a shortlist. Every car has a compromise. Maybe that’s just the state of the EV market in 2026, or maybe I’m the problem. Probably both.

The BMW iX3 is probably where we’ll land, September delivery notwithstanding. But this changes every other week.