If you’ve spent any time driving on the roads over the past few months, you’ve probably noticed a few things. Firstly, the sharp increase in fuel prices, and secondly, the amount of electric vehicles (EVs) on the road. It’s not hard to see the connection between the two. But in Australia, the EV market has been growing for years now.

According to recent data from both the , EVs (both battery-electric and plug-in hybrid combined) accounted for 11.8% of all new car sales in Australia in February 2026, and those numbers are expected to grow substantially.

But regardless of this growth, Australia is still lagging behind Europe. In the UK, EV sales represented over 23% of new car sales in 2025. In Norway that number is a mind-boggling 95.9%. So, is it time to make the switch? And is now a good time to buy an EV?

Why are EVs not as popular in Australia?

According to a report published by the , cost was the biggest barrier to entry for Australians when it comes to purchasing EVs. Despite the fact that most of us understand that EVs have lower running costs than traditional petrol vehicles, for many consumers the initial outlay is still too much. 

But the second biggest concern for consumers is a lack of charging infrastructure – it’s no good having an electric car if you can’t take it on a road trip.

Australia is a big country, with a relatively small population density, so it makes sense we have fewer charging stations compared to folks in Europe and the US. Despite a huge surge in charging stations being installed over the past few years, . 

Regardless of these issues, more and more Australians are interested in buying EVs.

Are there enough charging stations here in Australia?

While we don’t have the infrastructure of some other jurisdictions, the situation is improving. 

in terms of sheer volume of chargers. But across Australia as a whole, the infrastructure is growing faster than the EV market itself, and it shows no signs of slowing. 

“There still aren’t enough  EV chargers in most areas, but that’s changing,” says ĚÇĐÄVlog EV expert Chris Barnes.

“As people see the chargers around and EV charging becomes an everyday sight, they’ll get more comfortable with the idea of owning an EV.

“Also, technology is developing so fast. In a few years’ time I expect there’ll be EVs that can charge in a few minutes, nearly as fast as a petrol top-up. And battery prices and capacity keep improving.”

Why are EVs so expensive in Australia?

In Australia, cars in general tend to be more expensive, especially compared to other bigger markets like the US and Europe, and they also .

Factors like inflation, the relative value of the Aussie dollar and the cost of shipping to a relatively remote country with a small population all undoubtedly play a part in the cost of cars here in Australia.

Compounding these issues is a supply and demand problem. While the number of electric vehicles sold in Australia has increased in the past year, we’re still a long way behind many European countries, where EVs substantially outsell the alternatives.

Our small population and lower demand means that cars can’t be shipped and sold at scale, which contributes to the increased price. 

That being said, prices are coming down. And the EVs being sold in Australia are cheaper than you might think.

“I think EVs are actually not always that much more expensive in Australia than in most other Western countries,” says Chris. “Probably they are a bit cheaper in some other countries like the USA. Certainly they are generally much cheaper in China, as you’d expect.

“But some EVs are now actually cheaper here than in the UK. As an example, the base model MG4 EV in the UK costs ÂŁ22,000 (about $42,100). Here, it costs about $32,000.”

What about EV running costs?

There’s definitely good news here. You absolutely will save money on running costs if you purchase an EV over a petrol car. You just need to check whether those savings are significant enough to justify the higher initial outlay.

According to , you can save up to 70% on fuel costs and 40% on maintenance costs. That amounts to a saving of $1000 on fuel costs per year for an average car driving 13,700 kilometres per year.

This, of course, all depends on where and when you charge your EV, if you use solar charging, and whether or not you take advantage of off-peak energy tariffs. 

Regardless, you will save money on running costs if you use an EV.

Are there incentives for buying EVs in Australia?

If you’re buying an EV as part of a fleet of company cars, or under salary sacrifice arrangements, you could be eligible for a that could potentially save you thousands of dollars. Eligibility is dependent on a number of factors, however, and only applies to a select group of EV models.  

There are additional benefits you may be able to access depending on which state you live in.. These incentives change frequently and there are a number of restrictions, so triple check what you’re eligible for before buying.

What about EV resale value?

Despite the fact that EVs have fewer moving parts and are easier to service over long periods of time, data shows that compared to equivalent petrol vehicles.

That’s partly due to the fact they’re more expensive to begin with, but also due to (often inaccurate) perceptions about EVs among folks perusing the second-hand market.

For example, some people might believe the battery will need replacing in a few years, but the truth is most modern EV batteries last very well.

But, on the flip side, this means it could be worth picking up a relatively cheap secondhand EV on the used car market.

Is now a good time to buy an EV?

With and a host of new models to choose from, 2026 could potentially be a pretty good year to jump on board the EV bandwagon, according to Chris.

“If you are thinking of buying a new car and considering an EV, I’d say there’ll be a lot of good options this year,” he says.

“We’ve got multiple Chinese brands launching soon, or already here. They see Australia as a fertile market, with no import tariffs to worry about, and they know there is a lot of interest here in cars that are well-priced.” 

But there are a few caveats. 

“Personally, my only real concern with these brands is not the quality of the cars, but the quality of the local service and dealerships. Many of those brands don’t have a presence here, so they are partnering with established car dealer networks, who might not know the cars that well, and who might not offer the best service.”

What about ethical concerns?

One of the key reasons people invest in EVs over petrol-fuelled cars is concern for the environment. Despite the fact that Australia is still mainly powered by fossil fuels (in 2024 it was reported that ), it’s still better to use grid-powered electricity to run an EV than driving a petrol car.

Even coal-fired power plants are , and EVs are more efficient than petrol cars. All these energy savings add up.

But there’s also the issue of the materials required to build EVs. A recent ĚÇĐÄVlog investigation looked into human rights concerns at nickel smelters in Indonesia where Tesla, Ford and Volkswagen source minerals to help build their EVs. It makes for grim reading. 

It shouldn’t necessarily dissuade you from buying an EV over a petrol car, but it’s an issue worth being aware of.

Which EV should you buy?

That’s a trickier question to answer and it depends on a number of factors, not least of which is how much you’re willing to spend, and what kind of range you’ll require for everyday use. 

We’ve reviewed a whole host of EVs currently available in Australia. You can head there for more info.

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The post Is now the best time to buy an electric vehicle in Australia? appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

Even before Australia’s latest petrol price panic, the cost of filling up our cars was driving a lot of financial stress.

In a Consumer Pulse survey of households we conducted last June, 76% said they were concerned about the cost of fuel.

Now, prices have jumped above normal levels as turmoil in the Middle East threatens supply and Aussie motorists rush to fill up.

Motoring groups have accused some fuel retailers of profiteering, saying their prices are much higher than they should be and have urged consumers to shop around, noting some outlets are still keeping prices competitive.

But filling up at a fair price is only part of the equation – you can put off your next servo stop a bit longer and save even more money by considering how you drive and caring for your car.

Here are five of our tips to save on fuel.

• 1. Think about how you drive
• 2. Care for your car
• 3. Compare prices via apps and websites
• 4. Get to know your city’s petrol price cycle
• 5. Consider a more efficient vehicle

1. Think about how you drive

Are you guilty of being a little heavy-footed on the accelerator? Easing back on the pedal is just one of a range of practices you can adopt to save on fuel.

“Changing your driving style is one of the most effective ways to improve your car’s fuel economy,” says Alex Forrest, vehicles and fuels manager at Western Australia’s Royal Automobile Club.

“Think of the accelerator as a tap – the more you press it down, the more fuel you’ll send to the engine to be burnt,” he adds.

“Relax a bit as you drive,” advises Dr Ian Jeffreys, principal economic and affordability specialist at the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ). 

“Smooth out the drive [and] drive steadily, avoiding any harsh acceleration or hard braking.”

It also pays to avoid driving at times when traffic is congested: cars tend to use more fuel when moving in a stop-start fashion, such as in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Once you’ve reached your destination, it’s a good idea to shut the engine off, even if you’re only stopping for a short time.

“Modern cars don’t need to be ‘warmed up’, it just wastes fuel,” says James Williams, head of policy at the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV).

“By having the engine switched off, even for a short period, you will save more fuel than is lost in restarting the engine and the increased wear and tear from this is negligible.”

There’s also a careful (but beneficial) balance you can strike between running the air conditioning and rolling down windows that could leave more in your wallet.

Running a car’s air con causes it to work harder and use more fuel, so if you want to cool off, it’s usually better to crack a window instead.

But when a car is travelling at 80km/h or more, the aerodynamic drag caused by an open window will cause more stress on the engine than running the air conditioning, leading to less juice in the tank.

Do manual cars use less fuel?

When we asked ĚÇĐÄVlog members for tips to save on fuel, some recommended driving a manual, suggesting automatic cars were less economical.

“This is true of older vehicles, such as those from the 1980s, ’90s and early 2000s, which had less advanced automatic transmissions that sapped more of the engine’s power,” says Alex Forrest.

“The availability [now] of more modern auto transmission designs, such as dual clutch and continuously variable transmissions, have helped automatic vehicles become much more efficient.”

Ian Jeffreys agrees manual cars don’t automatically take the title of the most economical vehicles, but argues it can be easier to drive more efficiently with your hand on the gear stick.

“In a manual car, it’s very clear which gear you’re in and you are in control,” he says. “You want to be getting into as high a gear as possible [to save fuel].”

2. Care for your car

On top of general maintenance, there are several specific tips that can pay dividends at the bowser.

One is to unload unnecessary items from your car. The NRMA found loading a vehicle to its maximum-rated weight will lead to it using 24% more fuel.

“If you’re a golfer or scuba diver, get your gear out of the boot, put it in the garage,” advises Peter Khoury, a spokesperson for the NSW-based motorist group.

The NRMA also found keeping your car’s tyres inflated at the right pressure will reduce rolling resistance and fuel consumption by around two percent.

You can usually find the recommended pressure for your tyres written on the driver’s door jamb or in your owner’s manual.

Ian Jeffreys says removing any car add-ons when you don’t need them will also reduce resistance.

“If you don’t need the roof racks, take them off,” he advises. “[These sorts] of things will increase drag and increase your fuel use.”

3. Compare prices via apps and websites

Browsing your local bowsers before filling up is a great way to avoid spending more than you have to, as prices can vary hugely even between outlets in the same town or suburb.

Using the NSW FuelCheck platform this week, ĚÇĐÄVlog found a difference of over 20 cents per litre in the cost of unleaded 91 petrol on the same day between two Sydney service stations, seven minutes’ drive apart.

Luckily, you too can shop around and find the cheapest deal thanks to the various apps and websites that let you compare prices at retailers near you.

What fuel comparison tools are available?

There are over 40 free fuel price apps and websites operating in Australia, with different platforms servicing different parts of the country.

So, wherever you are, there should be an app or website that will let you compare the going rates for different fuel types near you.

In most states and territories, these comparison services draw their prices from a government database that retailers are required to report to. We’ve previously found these services to be the most accurate.

Some states and territories with databases also have their own government-run apps or websites. Others have a list of third-party apps or websites that receive data from their respective fuel reporting schemes.

Some other non-government apps use crowd-sourced data, meaning you’re relying on other motorists to update the price information being displayed.

How to compare fuel prices in each state and territory

NSW: Has a government-run database and . Third-party services are also available.

ACT: Most service stations are included on NSW’s , but third-party services are also available.

Victoria: Has a government-run database and . Third-party services are also available.

Tasmania: Has a government-run database and . Third-party services are also available.

Western Australia: Has a government-run database and . Third-party services are also available.

Northern Territory: Has a government-run database and . Third-party services are also available.

South Australia: Has a government-run database and a .

Queensland: Has a government-run database. Data is provided to third-party apps and websites, including RACQ, PetrolSpy, MotorMouth and FuelRadar.

4. Get to know your city’s petrol price cycle

You should know that, outside of times of unusual price volatility, petrol prices go up and down in a relatively predictable pattern in Australia’s largest cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Similar sequences have also been observed in some neighbouring regional areas.

This is the “petrol price cycle” (diesel prices don’t move in this way) and it can make a big difference to how much you pay at the pump.

If you’re in one of the five largest capitals, you can observe your city’s cycle by checking the . 

The consumer regulator updates this resource three times a week, telling you where your city’s cycle is up to and providing buying advice.

“[The petrol price cycle] can either help you save money on fuel or leave you absolutely exposed if you fill up at the wrong point,” explains Peter Khoury from the NRMA.

If you live in a city with a petrol price cycle, you can save by filling up towards the end of the cheap (or lower) part of the cycle. Ian Jeffreys says this is the time to be comparing local prices.

“It’s in the cheap phase, moving into the price hike phase, where the best deals can be found,” he says. “You really want to be watching the cycle in your city and making sure that when you’re moving into the price hike phase, you’ve got a full tank of fuel.”

You can sign up for alerts to let you know when it’s a good time in your area to buy fuel via most price apps and websites.

Why do we have petrol price cycles?

When in operation, the petrol price cycle doesn’t mirror changes in wholesale costs, but is driven by retailer strategies in bigger cities.

Retailers seem to adopt these practices in districts where they’re competing against lots of other service stations and want to get a competitive edge.

In these areas, the price you pay at the bowser at the bottom of the cycle tends to be close to the wholesale price, and can even be below the average costs borne by the retailers to supply the petrol.

This means the price cycle can deliver good deals to consumers buying at the right time, especially compared to regional areas, where petrol prices are usually higher and more heavily influenced by international factors.

But it also means retailers’ margins get squeezed, so they’ll start to raise the price after a period of time. 

This increase happens more slowly in the areas with the most retailers, where businesses are cautious about raising prices too quickly and being undercut by the rest of the market.

Prices will rise to a certain point, until some retailers start cutting them again to gain an edge on the competition and attract more customers.

Desire to compete leads other retailers to follow suit, until the bowser prices fall back closer to the wholesale rate (back to the beginning of the cycle), where they will stay until retailers start looking for higher margins again.

While petrol price cycles in Perth and Adelaide are shorter (one and two weeks, respectively), it usually takes around five weeks for prices in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to go from their low point to a high and back again.

5. Consider a more efficient vehicle

Switching to a vehicle with better fuel economy is an obvious way to spend less on refills, but going all the way to an electric or hybrid car can cut down on these costs substantially, if not completely.

The RACV recommends this not just as a solution to fuel-induced hits to your hip pocket, but also other ongoing outlays, as EVs typically have lower maintenance costs than petrol or diesel vehicles.

For info on how to choose the best electric, hybrid or just more fuel-efficient vehicle, check out our eco-friendly car buying guide. 

It talks through the available options and explains whether purchasing an EV or hybrid car will actually save you money.

If you do decide an EV is for you, compare models with our electric vehicle review and see which are the quickest to charge, have the longest range and are the cheapest to run.

Once you’re running on battery power, you can employ the same tips for saving fuel from the beginning of this article, such as careful driving and removing unnecessary items from your car, to conserve your new vehicle’s battery.

The post 5 ways to save on petrol appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the federal government have responded with increased monitoring of prices, a beefing up of penalties for unlawful conduct, and promises to come down hard on any fuel companies caught taking advantage of the disruption to global oil supply chains. 

But will this work to prevent petrol retailers from trying to cash in? And how can consumers avoid the worst of the effects every time they fill up their cars? 

Price-gouging allegations 

Queensland’s peak motoring body, RACQ, has referred a number of major fuel retailers to the ACCC for allegedly taking advantage of drivers by hiking prices significantly in less than three days after the war broke out. 

“There is no good reason for fuel companies to be increasing their prices just days after conflict broke out in the region,” says Ian Jeffreys, RACQ’s principal economic and affordability specialist. 

“Yes, we’ve seen an increase in the global oil price, but that usually takes around two weeks to flow through to bowsers here in Australia, not two days,” he says.

“South East Queensland is already at the expensive phase of the price cycle. Before this additional hike, many fuel stations were already charging more than 50 cents per litre above the average wholesale price.” 

Meanwhile, NSW motoring group NRMA has called the level of price hikes “completely unjustifiable”.

“With prices in Australia’s three largest cities already at the top of the regular cycle, half of the stations in our three biggest cities are effectively inflating that margin to take advantage of the community,” says NRMA spokesperson Peter Khoury. 

“Australians are doing it tough with cost of living pressures, and now is not the time to be ripping the community off – we urge the ACCC to act.” 

What the government is doing

The federal government says it’s increasing scrutiny and surveillance of the fuel sector, shoring up fuel supply and increasing penalties for misconduct. 

“The conflict overseas shouldn’t be an excuse to profit off Australians,” says Andrew Leigh, Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury. 

“We’re putting petrol companies on notice. We won’t cop big corporates treating Australian consumers like mugs.” 

Companies will face penalties of up to $100 million per offence for misleading conduct and cartel behaviour. 

Professor David Byrne, an expert in energy and resource markets at the University of Melbourne, says research has shown that during the COVID pandemic, the government talking tough on petrol companies and putting them on notice did have a small positive price impact for consumers. 

“The ACCC has gotten very good at actively monitoring the situation. They have the resources, the data and the people in-house to monitor the wholesale price, what customers are paying and the split. In the past, we have seen fear of prosecution work to drive down prices,” he says. 

Missed opportunity

ĚÇĐÄVlog head of policy Morgan Campbell says when sudden prices rises happen, regulators are often limited in what they can do. The federal government last year giving the regulator new powers to tackle price gouging in the supermarket sector was welcome, he says, but also a “missed opportunity” to go further. 

“When the government was looking at price gouging last year, we made two recommendations: ban it wherever it happens, not just in supermarkets, and specifically outlaw unfair price rises during shortages,” Campbell says. 

“The government missed an opportunity, but as global disruptions cause prices to skyrocket again, it’s time to revisit this and give regulators the power to tackle potential price gouging across the economy.” 

Fuel apps

Meanwhile, state governments have been talking up the importance of price comparison apps to help customers shop around and find the best deal on fuel. Melbourne University’s Byrne says the more customers use price apps, the bigger impact it has on competition in the marketplace. 

“The more, in effect, that we’re able to pit the companies against each other to bid for your business, to keep the prices low for your demand, the more we are going to be able to keep the companies in check,” he says. 

“We can’t know how long this war will go on and we can’t stop global oil prices going above $100 per gallon, so some of that we are going to have to eat at the bowser. But there are some things we can do,” he adds. 

The post Can the government stop petrol price gouging in Australia? appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

Whatever your reasons for being interested, we’ve collated the information available in the market to help guide you through the world of electric vehicles.

On this page:

• How we choose what we test
• Our expert testers
• How we test electric cars

How we choose what we test

If you’ve been in the market for an EV lately, you’ll have noticed ordering one or getting a test drive isn’t as simple as just going down to your local car dealer. There is a plethora of roadblocks at the moment, primarily the fact that we simply don’t have enough EVs in stock to fulfil the consumer need in Australia.

We’ve collated the most recent data from all current models and partnered with some industry experts to bring you our electric cars review with real-world figures so that you’ll know what to expect when you manage to secure a test drive.

Our expert testers

We don’t currently test cars at ĚÇĐÄVlog. It’s our policy to buy the vast majority of what we test, and putting aside a few million dollars to buy all the electric cars on the market is out of our reach at the moment. However, we did partner with , an Australian-owned data aggregator of electric vehicles, to put together our review based on their feedback and EV expertise.

How we test electric cars

We looked at what factors are important to consumers right now, which includes some pretty basic elements such as real-world range, warranty, efficiency and running costs, as well as how quick EVs are to charge.

We looked at the data available from both real-world feedback and manufacturer claims to develop a weighting and give some guidance to people looking to buy an EV.

The ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating (our overall score) is made up of:

• range, based on real-world feedback (50%)
• fast charge time, based on manufacturer claims (20%)
• running costs, based on real-world feedback on efficiency and an EV travelling 14,000km a year, being charged at 40c/kWh for recharge (20%)
• battery warranty, based on the manufacturer’s claim (10%).

The post How we review electric vehicles appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

On this page:

• Types of electric bikes
• What is an electric trike (e-trike)?
• Buying an e-trike online (Progear E-Free E-trike)
• Buying an e-trike from a bike shop (Eunorau New Trike)
• Is an e-trike more stable than an e-bike?

Three wheels may deliver better balance to those who struggle to ride a regular bicycle at low speeds, but our tester and bike-fitting professional both say that an e-trike is actually more prone to tipping over unless you’re going dead straight, on flat terrain or at walking or jogging pace.

The e-trikes we tested were not very easy to handle and often exhibited too much imbalance on turns and uneven ground. While they may be easier to sit on and manoeuvre at low speeds, they’re not suitable for the elderly or the frail without a lot of guidance and practice.

Types of electric bikes

E-bikes come in many different sizes and shapes, from mountain e-bikes for cross country adventure riding to hybrid e-bikes for a bit of off-roading and commuting.

Cargo bikes also have some ardent fans and are a popular choice for those looking for a car-replacement option, with loads of storage in the front or rear storage box, trailer and/or pannier mounts. Some may even be able to carry a couple of small children in compatible child seats.

However, all these e-bikes require a certain level of balance and control and they may not be suitable for those who are either not confident or capable in guiding a two-wheeler through traffic or a bike path. ĚÇĐÄVlog experts have tested over 30 electric bikes in our labs and on the road to help you find the best performers that suit your budget. We consider factors such as ride comfort, handling, turning and low-speed performance and battery use (view full electric bike reviews).

What is an electric trike (e-trike)?

Promoted as a stable solution for people who aren’t able to ride a regular e-bike, an e-trike has three-wheels for added stability as well as the option for storage.

Pros:

• Three wheels allow the rider to sit comfortably on the bike when stationary without having to balance.
• Manoeuvrability at low speeds or turning when starting out is very easy with the ability to almost turn a full circle.
• Very good storage options with most e-trikes including a large rear cargo area which is ideal for grocery shopping.

Cons:

• The three-wheel setup isn’t as stable as an e-bike at speed or when dealing with bumps and rough terrain.
• Locking up the e-trike when travelling is difficult and most are not really compatible with public bike racks (they take up three bike spots).
• New users or those who have not ridden a bike for a long period may find it difficult to use an e-trike without some guidance.

Electric trikes are of course available to buy both instore and online. ĚÇĐÄVlog experts advise against purchasing one online if you don’t have a bike professional to help you assemble the bike at home. This is because assembling an e-trike can be much more complex than assembling an e-bike. 

We put a couple of e-trikes to the test and assessed their performance on the road, as well as looking into a couple of different purchasing options to investigate whether you should get some proper guidance before putting your pedal to the metal.

Buying an e-trike online (Progear E-Free E-trike)

The first e-trike we rode was a product from a brand called Progear, which was ordered through an online marketplace. However, the same model (Progear E-Free E-Trike) can be easily found and purchased on other marketplace stores, at Bunnings or the Progear online store.

This e-trike arrived in a few pieces and we had to put it together ourselves; this included attaching the frame (it was in two pieces), the handlebars, saddle, pedals, wheels, brakes, electrical components, mudguards, and front reflector. Putting it together took a lot of effort and required two people to reduce frustration and stress.

The Progear E-Trike is a relatively inexpensive product aimed at those looking for a bargain. However, the product proved to be too cheap to be good value, with very low-end components.

After our tester Elias assembled the e-trike according to the supplied instructions – as well as referring to supplemental instructions online – we had the trike assessed by a qualified bicycle mechanic, a luxury not available to most people ordering this product online.

Unfortunately, the verdict from the professional bike mechanic was that the Progear e-trike was not safe enough to ride. Due to a design flaw, only one rear wheel propels the e-trike when pedalling, so it always felt like it was pulling towards one direction, and it was the same when braking as it made the trike head offline when slowing down.

Buying an e-trike from a bike shop (Eunorau New Trike)

The most important benefit of buying any e-bike from a local store is that you can approach a real person if, or when, something goes wrong soon after purchase. There is also peace of mind in knowing you have someone to deal with over the life of your e-bike ownership.

We bought the Eunorau New Trike fully assembled from a bike shop (check out au.eunoroau-ebike.com for a local dealer), and this trike was a better product and more closely delivered what we expected from an electric trike. The e-trike felt more comfortable thanks to its thicker wheels and wider seat and back rest. The braking was better thanks to having two rear brakes and all disc brakes. Our on-site bike professional confirmed that it was an overall better quality in terms of its build as well as the general setup for brakes and wheels

However, as with the Progear bike, we experienced the same sensations of veering to one side along straight stretches of road, and tipping while taking corners. But in this case, the smaller, but fatter 20-inch wheels helped provide a more stable ride overall compared to the Progear e-trike, which has thinner 24-inch wheels.

The bottom line is, e-trikes are not something we can recommend for those who have mobility or balance issues without guidance from bike professionals and a caveat that they should only be used on flat terrain and at low speeds. We especially don’t recommend buying one online from a marketplace, which then has to be assembled by the user. If you are going to buy an e-trike, then you should buy from a reputable bike shop and make sure the staff properly explain how to get the best use out of it.

Is an e-trike more stable than an e-bike?

The adage ‘just like riding a bike’ generally holds true when it comes to  e-bikes. But for those who have never ridden a tricycle (battery assisted or otherwise), some guidance by an experienced trike rider on steering, how to deal with unstable terrain and braking suddenly would be recommended.

In general, e-trikes are more stable at low speeds, while e-bikes are more stable at high speeds or on uneven terrain. Here’s a breakdown on which is the most stable option in different riding situations.

• Sitting on the bike in a stationary position (waiting at a traffic light or simply having a rest on the bike) – e-trike
• Riding slowly (around 10–15km) on a straight or gently turning bike path – e-trike
• Riding at the higher speeds available with assistance (25km or faster) when going downhill or pedalling hard – e-bike
• Turning suddenly at any speed above a fast walk or on unstable terrain – e-bike
• Riding in a busy area or an area where there is limited width for traffic on the road or a bike path – e-bike

The post Considering an e-trike? We look at how they compare to electric bikes appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

It’s not just about the money though: cars can cramp your style in other ways. There’s the hassle of finding parking, sitting in traffic during peak hour and, for some people, concerns about the environmental impact of their car.

An electric bike can free you from these woes: you can sail straight past banked-up traffic, parking is a cinch, running costs are significantly cheaper, and your carbon footprint will be much smaller.

Whether you’re e-bike curious or already a dedicated e-cycler, you might be wondering if you could ditch your car completely and just stick to your electric treadly.

Can you replace your car with an electric bike?

From personal experience, yes.

I sold my car and bought a long-tail cargo e-bike back in 2018, and I can tell you that it is definitely possible – but it’s admittedly not for everyone. 

It works for my lifestyle: I work from home, the supermarket is close by, I’m a confident rider, and I hate the gym so it’s a great way to get some exercise. 

I’m lucky to live in an area with plenty of public transport and several GoGet cars within a block or two for those days I can’t ride, and my child is still small enough that I can easily make it up hills with her on the back.

But some things are changing, and lately I’ve been wondering whether I should buy a car again. 

My daughter now goes to school a few suburbs away so I have to hire a GoGet several times a week, which is adding up, and she’s nearly 10 and growing like a weed so it won’t be long until those hills start feeling like mountains. Plus, we’re planning some camping and road trips this year, so we’ll need a car for those.

Is continuing my car-free existence sustainable? Maybe, but there’s a lot to consider.

If you’re thinking of breaking up with your car and taking up with an e-bike, here are the positives and negatives that I’ve experienced over the years. Plus, some tips on the types of lifestyles that may be suited to a car-free existence – and which ones aren’t.

Pros of replacing your car with an e-bike:

• The savings: no more costs for petrol, parking or rego, and cheaper purchase, insurance, repayment and servicing costs.
• Even if you need to pay for a car share subscription or occasional car hire, it usually ends up being far cheaper than owning your own car.
• It can be faster to get where you’re going – you can avoid congestion by taking bike paths.
• You won’t have to worry about finding a parking spot, and you can generally ride right up to your destination instead of having to walk from where you’ve parked.
• Exercise and fresh air while you’re travelling.
• You’ll significantly reduce your carbon footprint.
• You don’t need a license to ride an e-bike.
• No more stressful, boring car commutes in peak hour.

Cons of replacing your car with an e-bike:

• You’re at the mercy of the weather.
• It can be unsafe riding on the road.
• It’s not always glamorous: think helmet hair and arriving sweaty and out of breath at your destination.
• Due to their high value and movability, e-bikes are often targeted by bike thieves – you’ll need somewhere safe and secure to store it and lock it up, and potentially take out insurance to cover it in the case of theft.
• If you have a physical disability, chronic pain or other health condition (or if you develop one after getting rid of your car), riding may be too difficult.
• If you have children you want to carry on your bike, you may need to invest in a cargo bike and other accessories such as a child seat.
• As your children get bigger, it can get harder to transport them on the bike.
• You generally can’t carry large, very heavy items on your bike.
• If you anticipate needing a vehicle here and there, you’ll probably need to pay for car-sharing membership or similar.
• Some cities don’t have great cycling infrastructure.
• You’ll need to hire or borrow a car for road trips.
• Flat tyres can be difficult to replace, depending on your bike.

Will replacing your car with an e-bike work for you?

For some people, an e-bike can easily replace their car for most things – and will probably save a lot of hassle and money. But for others, it’s not likely to be a realistic solution.

Here are the lifestyles for which a car-free existence could work – and the ones that definitely don’t.

Some factors that can make a car-free life feasible:

• You live in an urban area where public transport is easily accessible.
• You don’t have to travel far to work, or you work from home.
• The area you live in has good bike lanes and bike paths to travel on.
• You don’t have children to transport around, or if you do, they’re still small enough that you can carry them on your bike.
• You don’t go on road trips very often.
• There are easy-to-access car sharing options near you.
• You either don’t need to buy large quantities of groceries, or you can easily have them delivered.

Some reasons you might not be able to ditch your car for an e-bike:

• You have a long commute.
• There aren’t many public transport or carshare options in your area.
• You live in either a particularly cold and wet or very hot climate.
• You’re not a confident cyclist
• There aren’t many bike lanes or paths near you
• Physical limitations that can make riding difficult
• You’re buying groceries for a large household or you buy in bulk
• You regularly go on road trips or long drives in your city
• Your kids (or pets!) are too big for you to carry them on a bike

Try before you buy

When we’ve tested e-bikes in our labs, we’ve found that they can really vary in terms of how easy and comfortable they are to ride – they’re not like riding a regular bike.

There are so many different options for motors, configurations, accessories and, of course, price that you really want to make sure you’re choosing exactly the right set-up, especially if you’re planning for it to replace your car.

The best way to decide whether a particular e-bike is right for you is to visit a bike shop and take a few different bikes for a ride. 

The company I bought my bike from offered a very generous two-week trial, which gave me the opportunity to assess whether I could realistically get rid of my car and just live with the bike. (I didn’t use my car once during those two weeks, which was a pretty clear sign!)

And if you’re still not sure you’re ready to trade in your seatbelt for a helmet, you could try an e-bike subscription service such as Lug+Carrie. These subscriptions often cover bike rental, servicing, insurance and roadside assistance, so you can trial e-bike life before committing to it full-time.

Can you go car-free?

If your lifestyle and motivations align with a bike-only existence, then I say go for it! You’ll still need to use a car for some activities, but you might find the slight inconvenience of having to hire a car or book a share car is worth it for the savings and improved wellbeing.

It is a big adjustment, though, so it’s not a decision to be made lightly. There’s also no reason why you can’t purchase an e-bike, try it out for a few months while you still own a car, then ditch four wheels in favour of two permanently.  

The post Can an electric bike replace your car? appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

After waiting in a queue for around 45 minutes, her husband texted her to tell her there was industrial action by Uber drivers and they weren’t taking pick-ups from the airport. 

“I needed to be in the city for a meeting urgently so I asked the Uber employee (who monitors the queue) where the taxi rank was and he said there was no taxi rank, which is a lie,” she says. 

She eventually found the taxi rank hundreds of metres away. It had a short queue and she was in a taxi on the way to the city in minutes. 

“When you’ve just gotten off a plane you just care about convenience and getting out of there as easy as possible, usually that’s Uber, but it’s not always the case,” Kate says. 

Uber’s priority location at Melbourne Airport is exclusive to the company and other rideshare competitors like Didi have to use another pick-up zone further away. The taxi zone is also less conveniently located than the Uber zone. 

Neither Uber nor Melbourne Airport would tell us how much the rideshare company pays for its prime real estate arrangement, but Melbourne Airport says they average around 5000–6000 Uber pick-ups a day, or 1.8 million a year.  

“Melbourne Airport caters for around 100,000 passengers a day, but with limited space on our arrivals curb we need to make decisions on space allocation that reflect customer preference and demand,” a Melbourne Airport spokesperson says. 

‘Uber it’ 

Like Google or Band-aid, the word ‘Uber’ has basically become a verb in Australia, synonymous with the act of booking a rideshare from point A to B. 

And Australia is the most Uber-dense market in the world, with almost 20% of the overall population having taken a ride in a single quarter in 2023 – a greater proportion than any other country, according to the company. 

As competitors like Ola and GoCatch have folded in Australia, one analyst estimates that Uber now controls around 80% of the rideshare market, not including the taxi industry, which remains a major force.

Not always a smooth ride for Uber

Uber has also been mired in legal troubles for years.

In 2022, Uber was forced to pay $21 million in fines for misleading and deceptive conduct in a case brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC); and in 2024 a class-action by taxi drivers over Uber operating illegally when they first launched resulted in a $272 million settlement – one of the biggest class action wins in Australian history. 

Currently, Uber is facing lawsuits over alleged unlawful corporate espionage and anti-competitive behaviour against GoCatch, and a separate suit about allegations of disability discrimination against a blind customer with a guide dog. 

The company denies any wrongdoing in the GoCatch case and says individual drivers must comply with disability discrimination legislation relating to guide dogs or face being banned from the app. 

When rideshare players like Uber entered Australia in the early 2010s, ĚÇĐÄVlog hailed them as a win for competition and consumers looking for a ride. But has the pendulum swung too far? Is the technology giant’s market-dominant position in the best interest of customers, or is the monopoly position they hold stifling competition and increasing fares? 

Capturing the market

Uber first launched in Sydney in 2012 and since then has grown aggressively to be by far the biggest player in the rideshare gig economy industry. 

Uber Australia’s ridesharing revenue grew in 2023, reportedly to $646 million – well above its nearest rideshare rivals, Didi, at $14.3 million. The company’s global profits – the combined figure of revenue minus expenditure – have previously been much more modest, and most years it has run at a loss.

Taxis still hold a significant market share too, with A2B, Australia’s biggest taxi company and owner of 13Cabs and Silver Service, bringing in $147 million in revenue in 2023. 

Allan Fels, former ACCC chair, says Uber has substantial market power in Australia, even if competition from Didi, and taxis, prevents it from being labelled a pure monopoly.

Rod Barton is a former taxi driver and a former MP in the Parliament of Victoria. He says Uber’s market-dominant position puts consumers in the crosshairs when prices surge – a reference to when the app’s algorithm inflates the price of a ride in times of peak demand. 

“You’ve got this problem when it starts to rain, or when Collingwood is playing Essendon [in the AFL] and suddenly the price gets out of control,” he says, adding that it becomes a problem where taxis ask for a set price instead of turning on their meters (a practice that is illegal unless the trip is pre-booked) or refuse shorter trips.

“The government has really lost control of this space,” he says. 

Surging ahead

Asked whether he thought Uber used its market position to the detriment of consumers, Fels, who served on – but later abandoned – Uber’s Global Advisory Board, said that there is no law in Australia that prohibits high prices.

Dr Rohan Miller from the University of Sydney Business School says more competition in the rideshare market could benefit consumers at times when the Uber price is surging. 

“As a consumer, you should see them as interchangeable. Not enough people are playing this trade-off game between the prices of taxis versus the prices of Ubers, working out which benefits you,” Miller says. 

The benefits of having one big player

Independent transport and infrastructure expert Marion Terrill says there are network benefits for consumers of having one player, such as Uber, dominating so much of the market. 

“When I’m a rider, what I really value is my ride turning up quickly. So the more people choose Uber rather than some other service or taxis, then the more likely it is that I’ll get matched with a driver more quickly. It’s the nature of the service that density of users and providers is good for consumers,” she says. 

Terrill adds that even price surges, which can be annoying and financially detrimental for customers, serve to encourage more drivers to get on the road and work for the app, as they can earn more money at a quicker speed. 

“You don’t want a situation where every driver is working a set shift. The idea is that you can have a more responsive supply of drivers, I think that’s a good thing,” she says.

A driver’s experience 

Jay Young has been driving Uber in Newcastle, NSW for over two years and says he appreciates the flexible hours and his ability to fit trips around his chauffeuring clients. 

He says the surge pricing map shown to Uber drivers does influence where he goes and the hours he works. 

“I’m able to kind of make a decision, I’m gonna head over there and then I’m gonna try and get a trip with a reasonable amount of surge on it just to boost your earnings. Because without the surge, the earnings aren’t fantastic,” he says. 

“Obviously, you’re gonna do what you can in order to boost those earnings, and if that means working those unsociable hours to 3am or 4am in the morning and dealing with the drunks, that’s what I’m gonna do,” Young says.

Young, a member of the Transport Workers Union, which represents rideshare drivers, says Uber should be committing to minimum pay and conditions for drivers and also paying things like superannuation. But he says he keeps driving with the company regardless, because the earnings are better than with Didi or elsewhere.  

“If it’s a particularly slow period, then it can be really a struggle and you have to push yourself to work more and more hours to make ends meet,” Young says. 

Uber responds 

A spokesperson for Uber says the company operates in a competitive environment, but declined to provide figures on their share of the market compared to taxis, citing commercial sensitivity. 

“The advent of ridesharing has offered greater choice and improved experiences for consumers across the point-to-point transport industry, as well as new earnings opportunities for hundreds of thousands of Australian workers,” Uber says. 

“Aussies have many choices when it comes to how they get around town, and the local environment remains competitive for point-to-point transport players. Australians regularly use Uber as a safe and reliable choice to get from A to B, and governments across the country have recognised ridesharing as an important part of the transport mix,” the spokesperson adds.

Neil Sipe, professor of planning at the University of Queensland says Uber has succeeded in completely disrupting the rideshare economy in Australia as well as in many other countries in the world. Now it faces the challenge of turning its market position into a regular and consistent profit. 

“Amazon went over a decade without turning a profit based on venture capital investment. There was lots of revenue, but not much profit. Uber is operating off a similar model, but eventually the capital runs out and you have to be a company that turns a profit as well,” he says. 

The post Uber is dominating, is this good for Aussie consumers? appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

Twenty-one of those workers died that day or in the days following, and dozens of others were seriously injured. 

The workplace tragedy happened after a fire broke out at a nickel smelter owned by Chinese conglomerate Tsingshan Stainless Steel Indonesia. 

In the days following the fire, Indonesian authorities told Reuters there were strong indications that safety procedures had not been followed at the site. 

But despite the dangers to workers and locals, the nickel trade in Indonesia is booming. The country continues to increase its nickel output for many buyers, including several international car makers who need the coveted metal to make electric vehicle batteries.  

A year on, activists say working and safety conditions at sites across the region have seen little improvement. In addition, the environmental impacts on communities surrounding the mines and smelters continue to worsen.

Indonesian nickel 

Nickel is traditionally used in stainless steel manufacturing, which still consumes most of the world’s nickel supply. But production demands are shifting with the rapid rise of electric vehicles. 

There are many different uses for nickel, but EVs are driving demand for the critical metal. As the sale of EVs in countries like Australia grows, the mining and smelting industry in Indonesia is racing to keep up.

Between 2010 and 2023, global nickel production more than doubled. Indonesia currently makes up around 50% of all global nickel output and that’s expected to grow in the coming decades.

Mohan Yellishetty, an associate professor at Monash University’s department of civil engineering, says Indonesia is aiming to produce 75% of the world’s nickel by 2040. The country produces nickel at a much cheaper price than competitors like Australia, so is undercutting domestic production here.

To help grow the local economy and create more jobs, Jakarta has moved to ban the export of raw nickel ore exports. Since 2022, minerals have been required to be processed in-country before being exported. 

That has led to an investment boom, mainly from Chinese companies. While much of the processed nickel is exported to China and EV manufacturing companies, western car makers hungry for nickel are also major buyers. 

Krista Shennum from international environmental NGO Climate Rights International says Tesla, Ford and Volkswagen all have ties to the Indonesian nickel supply chain.  

“It is the responsibility of those companies to ensure that they are using their leverage as a purchaser to demand higher standards, [and] to demand that the companies they’re buying nickel from are not contributing to human rights abuses, they’re not taking land from people and polluting people’s water, and [that] they’re really upholding the rights of local communities and of workers.”

Environmental concerns 

Shennum and her colleagues travelled to Indonesia in 2023 to document the huge environmental costs of the nickel boom. Their report, , highlights the stories of dozens of villagers who had lost land to nickel mines or whose traditional fishing lifestyles had disappeared due to poisoned waterways. 

“Some companies, in coordination with Indonesian police and military personnel, have engaged in land-grabbing, coercion, and intimidation of Indigenous Peoples and other communities, who are experiencing serious and potentially existential threats to their traditional ways of life,” the report reads. 

“You have mass destruction of the natural environment … there are really beautiful forests that are just being absolutely destroyed. You have essentially [mine] tailings that aren’t properly being managed,” says Shennum. “We visited entire communities that no longer have access to clean drinking water.” 

A further concern is the massive amounts of coal used to power nickel smelting. At three of the biggest nickel industrial parks – Obi Island, Morowali and Weda Bay – the country has planned to double the nickel industry’s current power usage. The amount being invested in renewable energy projects to power the nickel industry is just a fraction of the investment in coal.

The fallacy of using coal to power the ‘green vehicle’ revolution is not lost on Shennum. 

“At Weda Bay Industrial Park, once it’s fully operational, there will be 12 new captive coal plants that didn’t exist five years ago,” she says. “That’s 3.8 gigawatts of coal capacity, or roughly what is burned in all of Spain every year, just at this one industrial park in Indonesia.”

Concerns for workers persist 

Zakki Amali is the research manager at Trend Asia, a Jakarta-based NGO that focuses on sustainable development in the region. 

He says the labour rights and safety of workers and nickel smelting plants around the country hasn’t improved significantly since the disaster in December last year. 

“The safety situation remains as usual, because at the nickel smelters there are accidents all the time, so safety is a big issue,” Zakki says.

According to local media reports, as of December 2024, almost a year on from the disaster, fewer than half of the 50 tenants of the Morowali Industrial Park had completed their mandatory occupational health and safety certification from the government.  

Many of the workers in these industrial parks come from other parts of Indonesia, and there are also many Chinese labourers. 

Zakki says he is concerned the situation for workers will only get worse. The government led by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who took power in October 2024, has set ambitious goals to grow the economy. 

Zakki believes Prabowo’s administration won’t focus on workers safety and the environment because of its focus on economic growth. “The government only cares about how to extract all commodities from Indonesia to grow the economy,” he says. 

Australian ties 

While Indonesian nickel companies may have displaced Australian nickel mines, which struggle to compete with the low-cost product coming from our northern neighbour, Australian companies are determined not to miss out on the action. 

Nickel Industries Limited is an ASX-listed company with growing investments in Indonesia. It owns a controlling stake in the Hengjaya Mine in Sulawesi and four smelting furnaces. Nickel Industries also has a strategic investment partnership with Chinese company Tsingshan, which holds other nickel investments in the area.

Nickel Industries has had no record of human rights abuses, and analysts like Yellishetty say Australian companies can have a positive impact on improving worker conditions in Indonesia. 

“Australia has a high standard when it comes to these things. Of course it may not be as high when operating in Indonesia [compared to in Australia], but it would still be relatively high in the global context,” he says.

Canberra has also sought to help facilitate the growth of investment in Indonesian nickel from Australian companies by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Indonesia on EVs and nickel in November 2023. 

“By collaborating on growing strong and diverse clean energy supply chains, both countries can further our shared economic interests as well as our trade and investment links,” Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic said at the time. 

“This mechanism also paves the way for harnessing joint scientific and research studies, including around critical minerals processing and battery development, and facilitating partnerships between businesses in both our countries.”

Role for EV buyers

Yellishetty says Australian buyers of electric vehicles have a role to play in pressuring car makers to be more open and transparent about their supply chains and encouraging companies to improve environmental and labour conditions.

“Most people on the receiving end don’t have an idea of how a product moves, [or] where particular components that go into manufacturing EVs are manufactured. But car companies can be more upfront about this,” he says.

Shennum agrees that consumers are likely in the dark about what has taken place in the manufacture of their vehicle.

“There really needs to be an understanding that what’s happening at the current level, in terms of burning fossil fuels to power nickel, stealing land from people and harming people and Indigenous peoples’ rights, is just not in line with a just energy transition we want to see.”

“The way that it’s currently being done is not a climate solution. You can’t build new coal plants to power electric vehicles in countries like Australia and call that a climate solution,” she says.

Update 14 Jan 2025: An earlier version of this story included BYD as one of the car manufacturers that use nickel from Indonesia, but the company has confirmed it no longer uses nickel in its electric vehicle batteries.

The post A dark side of the electric vehicle boom appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

On this page:

• Why do you need a headlight restoration kit?
• Turtlewax 2 in 1 Headlight Cleaner & Sealant
• Meguiar's Two Step Headlight Restoration Kit
• What we found
• DIY headlight restoration options
• The ĚÇĐÄVlog verdict

Dull, discoloured car headlights are a drag, but help is at hand thanks to kits that promise to leave your lenses luminous as new. 

Commercial car headlight restoration kits are designed to quickly and easily remove the oxidisation, haziness and discolouration that builds up on polycarbonate headlights over time, reducing light transmission and potentially becoming a defect.

Available at a range of price points, these kits all promise to restore your headlights to their former glory, but do they work?

Why do you need a headlight restoration kit?

Over time, the ravages of the Australian environment can wreak havoc on outdoor surfaces, and your car is no exception. Interiors can crack and fade in the sun, and your car’s paint and plastic headlights can oxidise and discolour.

Dull, cloudy paint might be the most obvious sign of weathering, but crazed, yellowed headlight lenses not only look unappealing, they can have substantially reduced light transmission, which has obvious implications for safety.

In NSW, the Road Transport (Vehicle Registration) Regulation 2017 light vehicle standards rules state that a low-beam headlight must be able to illuminate the road ahead for at least 25 metres and a high-beam headlight for at least 50 metres, and other states have similar regulations.

If your headlights are so cloudy and faded that they can no longer achieve this, your car might fail its pink slip inspection, or you could even receive a defect notice and accompanying fine from the police.

Unfortunately, there’s little you can do to prevent your headlights from weathering over time, but the good news is there’s a range of techniques and products out there that can restore them to their former glory.

The internet is awash with DIY techniques, including buffing with avocado, toothpaste, car polish or even fine grit sandpaper or wet and dry, with varying levels of effectiveness.

There are also commercial products specifically designed for headlight restoration that promise to power through the job with maximum efficiency. 

We picked two popular products at opposite ends of the price spectrum, rolled up our sleeves and got to work on restoring some badly faded lights to find out.

Turtlewax 2 in 1 Headlight Cleaner & Sealant

RRP: $22.99

A two-in-one formulation, Turtlewax Headlight Cleaner & Sealant combines a cleaning compound to remove light oxidisation and yellowing from polycarbonate automotive lights with a chemical sealant that claims to help prevent future degradation.

The two-in-one formulation is convenient, but you need to supply your own applicator cloth – not a big deal, but notable considering the Meguiar’s product comes with everything you need, including applicators. 

Interestingly, Turtlewax also produces a multi-step kit for more heavily damaged headlights – this kit contains a separate clarifying compound, abrasive ‘restoration pads’, and sealant applicators for twice the price.

The instructions are fairly simple – wash and dry your lights, then apply a small amount of cleaner/sealant to a cotton cloth and rub it on the lens using a firm pressure until the plastic becomes clear. Once done, buff the light with a clean cloth. Additional applications may be needed for best results, particularly for badly faded headlights.

Meguiar’s Two Step Headlight Restoration Kit

RRP: $98.99

Like the Turtlewax, Meguiar’s headlight restoration kit is designed to restore dull, yellowed and oxidised headlights, then seal them to help protect against re-oxidisation. 

Unlike the Turtlewax product though, this requires two steps – cleaning, then sealing. The kit also comes with cleaning pads, which can be used in conjunction with Meguiar’s ‘DA Power System’ – a rotary polisher drill attachment – for faster application.

Step one is to apply a small amount of cleaning solution to the supplied pads and thoroughly clean the entire headlight using a back and forth motion (or the aforementioned DA Power System) until there’s a uniform frosted appearance across the entire headlight, then wipe clean with a damp cloth and dry thoroughly. 

As with the Turtlewax, you may require multiple applications (we opted for five for our badly faded lights) for best results.

Step two is to apply two applications of the Headlight Restoration Coating, leaving 3–5 minutes between coats (the coating takes 24 hours to cure fully). Meguiar’s cites laboratory results to say the coating provides 12 months’ protection against re-oxidisation.

What we found

We rolled up our sleeves and got to work on a ĚÇĐÄVlog vehicle that was exhibiting some fairly major headlight degradation. Starting with the Meguiar’s kit, we gave one light five cycles of rubbing and buffing with the cleaning solution, followed by the requisite two applications of the headlight coating. 

Given how badly faded the headlight lens was before we started, the results were immediately obvious and pleasantly surprising.

Switching to the Turtlewax, we gave the other headlight five cycles of application and buffing. Being an all-in-one product, this was a simpler process, and while also effective, it clearly wasn’t doing as good a job as the Meguiar’s restoration kit, which is understandable given it’s promoted as a lighter duty product.

DIY headlight restoration options

We’re a little wary of taking advice from random strangers on the internet at the best of times, but especially when it comes to using abrasives or chemicals on our precious vehicles, so we’ll leave these methods up to you to experiment with if you dare.

Popular chemical cleaning suggestions include vinegar, avocado and, ahem, urine – the theory being that with vigorous rubbing, these are acidic enough to strip the oxidisation from your lights. On the abrasive side, bicarbonate of soda, car polish and even toothpaste are also widely spoken about on forums. 

Aside from leaving your headlights minty fresh or smelling like a salad, we’d be sceptical these methods would have much of an effect, and have the potential to make the situation worse.

Not to mention none of these options provide the protective coating a for-purpose commercial cleaner includes, so any gains may be short-lived.

The ĚÇĐÄVlog verdict

These headlight restoration kits both did a great job of removing oxidisation and yellowing from faded polycarbonate automotive lenses (headlights, tail lights, indicators etc). 

At 15–20 minutes per headlight and requiring no special skills or tools, restoring your lights’ faded looks and improving the performance of your headlights with one of these kits is a fast and inexpensive chore that virtually anyone can tackle in an afternoon.

For particularly badly oxidised lights, it may even save you from a defect notice, which means your kit has practically paid for itself, and it’s way cheaper than completely replacing your headlights (the cost of which can run into many hundreds of dollars).

The results from our testing were, ahem, clear – virtually all the haze and yellowness were removed, and our headlights look great. More importantly, the lights were noticeably brighter on our nighttime test drive.

While comparatively expensive and a little more involved to apply than the Turtlewax product, the Meguiar’s kit performed noticeably better and would be our choice for heavily oxidised lenses.

On the other hand, the Turtlewax two-in-one was effective, simpler to apply and only a quarter of the price. If we hadn’t seen it in comparison to the other Meguiar’s-treated light, we would have been happy with the result, and it would be our choice for treating mild haziness and discolouration.

The post Do headlight restoration kits work? appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

On this page:

• How we choose what we test
• How we test e-bikes
• Test criteria explained

There are a wide variety of models and types to consider, from commuter bikes and folding bikes through to off-road mountain bikes that can go virtually anywhere. Our testers not only put a range of e-bikes through testing for ease of use, charging the battery and portability when storing the bike, they also take the e-bikes out on the road to see how they perform under different bike riding scenarios.

How we choose what we test

Why do we choose one e-bike over another? There are a number of reasons, but our priority is to test what the average consumer (or ĚÇĐÄVlog member) is most likely to consider for commuting, exercise or recreation. That means sometimes we might not cover the one brand that has one model that’s only sold 100 samples in Australia, and instead focus on the big brand models that you’re most likely to see in shops.

How do we know what’s in shops? We ask manufacturers and check current market figures to see what’s selling well. We’ll also include models that you’ve requested – if a lot of members want it, we’re going to test it.

When we know what you want, our buyers go out and purchase e-bikes from a variety of retailers if possible, then bring them in as-is. This means we get what you’d get, so we can be sure the results are what you’ll find (and the e-bikes haven’t been ‘tweaked’ in any way for better performance).

How we test e-bikes

Pedal assistance: How well does the motor assist with speed when pedalling? The testers consider aspects such as how suddenly the motor kicks in when moving the pedal (providing a smooth transition or a sudden burst). 

They also look at how natural the motor assistance is when moving through the gears. Our testers will also note if an e-bike provides assistance over 25km/h, which is currently the legal limit in most of Australia.

Braking: How quickly does the e-bike respond to the cyclist’s braking action?

Turning and low speed performance: The testers assess how well the bike performs when riding uphill and slow riding where accuracy in turning and handlebar response is important.

Ride comfort: Our testers assess the comfort of the bike when riding over rough terrain such as off road and bumps.

Handling: The testers look at ease of mounting, dismounting, off-bike handling (walking the bike), safety and comfort.

Controls: All the menu controls are looked at for intuitiveness and ease of access.

Battery use (on-bike): The testers consider ease of charging aspects when the battery is left on the bike, including how easy it is to see the charging level and also ease of access for the charging cable.

Battery use (off-bike): This is an assessment of the battery when taken off the bike, for use when the bike may not be stored near a power point.

Display: Our testers look at the quality of the screen and menu items.

Test criteria explained

The ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating, our overall score that determines which products we recommend, is a combination of the comfort, ease of use and accuracy scores. Weightings are in brackets.

• Pedal assistance score (15%)
• Braking score (15%)
• Turning and low speed score (10%)
• Ride comfort score (10%)
• Handling score (10%)
• Controls score (10%)
• Battery use (on-bike) score (10%)
• Battery use (off-bike) score (10%)*
• Display score (10%)

* Some models (like the Orbea Vibe H30) have a non-removable battery, so do not receive a score for the battery use (off-bike) test. This does not affect the product’s ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating as the user will generally know about this before buying.

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