Your budget puts you into some good EVs with decent range including the BYD Seal, Cupra Born, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Polestar 2 (just outside your budget), Tesla Model 3 and others.

Resale value is the big unknown at the moment with many used-car buyers wary of the potential costs of replacing the EV battery sometime in the future.

The future-proofing thing is debatable, too, and experts reckon EV technology is still in its infancy and has a long way to go. If that’s the case, then today’s EVs might seem like Model T Fords in the near future. It all remains to be seen and rests partly on the willingness of the Australian government to get serious about the EV infrastructure necessary for the tech to become viable for more people.

There are three different ways to charge your Polestar two – two at home and one in public. The first involves a regular 240V wall socket, using a standard charging cable provided by Polestar. This will take roughly 34 hours at home for the 69kWh battery or 41 hours for the long-range 82kWh battery. Charging costs range between 21 to 36 cents per kWh on average but can vary depending on demand and which state you live in. Alternatively, owners can purchase an AC wall unit which on average costs between $800 to $2000, with additional charges for installation. An 11kW unit will fully charge a Polestar 2 with a 69kWh battery in seven hours, while the 82kWh unit will take eight hours. If the unit is hooked up to solar power, the cost can be free. Polestar owners can also access public DC fast-charging stations with the maximum output of 200kW. It will take 40 minutes to charge the 69kWh battery at this rate and 32 minutes on the 82kWh unit. Once again, charges depending on demand and where you’re charging, but as a general rule you should never pay more than $40 per charge.