Upwey tradie Daniel Wurm recently bought a plug-in hybrid four-wheel-drive after becoming worried about the volatile price of fuel. His early predictions point towards annual savings of about $4,500 a year on petrol.
The decision comes as new Climate Council analysis reveals Australia paid an extra $9 billion in diesel import costs between March and August 2026 – the highest bill of any country – while higher fuel prices cost Australian drivers another $5 billion in that same period.
Weighing up the costs: A co-founder of building education provider Green Building Institute, Wurm travels about 18,000 kilometres across the state, towing his portable campus fashioned from an old horse trailer.
He estimates his new vehicle – a GWM Tank 300 hybrid – will save him about $4,500 in annual fuel costs, allowing him to recoup the $32,000 purchase price within seven years.
🗣️ “I would literally dread going to the petrol station," he said. “Driving into Melbourne's CBD would have cost me probably around about $50 in fuel normally, and this time it cost me nothing."
The national trends: Electric vehicle sales have more than doubled compared to September 2025, while petrol vehicle sales have fallen by 36.2 percent.
According to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries’ monthly sales report, nearly half of all new vehicles sold in September were hybrids, plug-in hybrids or electric vehicles.
Local demand: A BYD Ringwood salesperson said interest in the manufacturer's Shark all-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid ute was increasing among local tradespeople looking to reduce fuel expenses.
“They tend to switch from a diesel car to a hybrid ute because of the petrol price,” they told the Eastern Melburnian.
Pressure relief: Wurm said switching to electric and hybrid vehicles could also help tradies and business owners manage rising operating costs rather than passing them on to customers.
🗣️ “We need tens of thousands of new houses. Builders can't just keep raising the price because people aren't going to pay,” he said. “If you want to be independent, you can't ignore this technology.”
Paying peaks: The Australian Institute of Petroleum reported average retail diesel prices of 280.1 cents per litre and petrol prices of 237.4 cents per litre in the week ending November 1.
Paul Andronicou, the director of independent petrol retailer Fast Fuel – with locations in Wantirna, Mount Evelyn, Wandin and Beaconsfield – said local tradies were bearing the brunt of higher diesel prices while his business was also experiencing reduced profitability and fuel volumes compared with before the conflict in the Middle East.
🗣️ “We can only pass on the costs,” he told the Eastern Melburnian. “We’re suffering because what was once $90,000 for a tanker load is now about $128,000.”
What’s the problem? In late October, the Climate Council released its report into Australia’s fuel security since the beginning of the Iran War in February.
The analysis found electric and hybrid cars collectively saved their owners $1.7 billion in fuel costs since the conflict began and saw the demand for petrol and diesel fall by more than 17 million litres.
Other discoveries included that Australia spent about $1.6 billion more on petrol imports between March and August than before hostilities began and prices at the bowser across petrol and diesel increased by more than $5 billion.