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The DriveAgent NewsroomSaturday, 19 September 2026
EVs & hybrids

Regional NSW areas lead growth in The Driven’s EV analysis

The Driven’s 18 September 2026 analysis of New South Wales LGA registrations says regional areas were generating the strongest BEV growth within that state, led by Kempsey.

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Concept illustration accompanying: Regional NSW areas lead growth in The Driven’s EV analysis
Original DriveAgent concept illustration, not a photograph of the vehicle or event. DriveAgent · Editorial designSix months into the war, regional areas are leading ...

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The Driven published a 18 September 2026 analysis of battery-electric vehicle registrations in New South Wales LGAs, drawing on Transport for NSW Registration Snapshot data. The piece is a data analysis rather than a policy announcement or vehicle launch, and its core finding is confined to the NSW market covered by that dataset. 1

Within that analysis, Kempsey was identified as the strongest growth area, with BEV numbers up 110% from a low base. The article also said only two of the top 10 LGAs were in metro Sydney, with the remaining high-growth areas spread through regional NSW. 1

What the reported pattern shows

The same report highlighted Shellharbour, where BEV fleet share reportedly rose from 1% to 1.6% in six months, and named Maitland and Cessnock as other LGAs with growth of more than 60%. It also said the fastest-growing regions were north-eastern NSW, the Hunter and Upper Hunter, and the Illawarra and South Coast, while the Riverina and Murray showed pockets of high percentage growth but low raw volumes. 1

For Australian readers, the relevance is that the article adds another location-based layer to a broader EV uptake trend already visible in other reporting and historical state data. But the supplied material does not provide a current official national dataset that confirms the September 2026 rankings beyond the NSW analysis, and it does not establish a national metro-versus-regional comparison. 1112

Our take

In our view, the main significance lies in how the NSW numbers shift the conversation from a simple capital-city story to a more mixed map of EV adoption. One possible implication is that growth is becoming more geographically dispersed within the state, but the evidence here supports only that NSW-specific pattern, not a nationwide conclusion. 11112

In our view, the article is best read as a snapshot of where BEV registrations were growing fastest in NSW, not as proof of a settled market structure. That means local price, timing, availability and any practical impact on Australian buyers or dealers have not been confirmed in the material provided. 112

Sources

How we research and correct our articles

  1. Six months into the war, regional areas are leading ...thedriven.io · 18 Sept 2026 · accessed 19 Sept 2026
  2. Homethedriven.io · 25 Aug 2026 · accessed 19 Sept 2026
  3. Australia's EV sales surge 91% year-on-year, says EVCevinfrastructurenews.com · 2 Sept 2026 · accessed 19 Sept 2026
  4. Tesla posts another near record sales month in August, pointing to "structural shift" in Australia's EV marketthedriven.io · 2 Sept 2026 · accessed 19 Sept 2026
  5. Autonomous Vehicles Archivesthedriven.io · 18 Sept 2026 · accessed 19 Sept 2026
  6. Which are the most EV friendly capital cities in Australia ...thedriven.io · 25 May 2026 · accessed 19 Sept 2026
  7. Mar26 reply - Electricity Supply for Electric Vehiclesparliament.vic.gov.au · accessed 19 Sept 2026
  8. Australia August 2026: BEVs up 169.4% to outsell petrol at record ...bestsellingcarsblog.com · 9 Sept 2026 · accessed 19 Sept 2026
  9. Regional EV Sales Surge in Queensland to 48%zecar.com · 24 July 2026 · accessed 19 Sept 2026
  10. WA electric vehicle licensing datatransport.wa.gov.au · 19 Aug 2026 · accessed 19 Sept 2026
  11. 4. Datadtf.vic.gov.au · 11 Oct 2024 · accessed 19 Sept 2026
  12. New data shows where electric car uptake is the highest in Australia as Tesla, BYD and Zeekr surge in sales chartscarsguide.com.au · 4 Sept 2026 · accessed 19 Sept 2026
  13. Surge in electric car sales puts added strain on Australia's stretched EV charging networkthedriven.io · 10 Sept 2026 · accessed 19 Sept 2026
  14. Electric Vehicle Indexaaa.asn.au · 25 Aug 2026 · accessed 19 Sept 2026
  15. World EV Day: Australia hits half a million battery electric ...pv-magazine-australia.com · 10 Sept 2026 · accessed 19 Sept 2026