Where NSW's electric cars are registered, how many of those homes are apartments, and what that means for getting a charger installed. Data to September 2026.
Published 8 October 2026 · Registration data for September 2026 · Prepared by End Point Electrical
Summary
All ten northern Sydney council areas we cover rank in the top 15 of NSW's 128 for the share of cars that are electric. Across those ten areas, 6.1% of registered passenger vehicles were battery EVs in September 2026, 1.9 times the NSW figure of 3.2%, and their EV count rose 53% in 12 months. Yet 35% of homes in the same areas are apartments, against 22% statewide. In the five council areas where both figures run at least 1.5 times the state rate, 55% of homes are apartments, so for many EV drivers a home charger starts with an owners corporation decision.
Key findings at a glance
8.1%of passenger vehicles in Willoughby are battery EVs, the highest of any NSW council area outside the City of Sydney (NSW 3.2%).
10 of 15top NSW council areas for EV share are in northern Sydney, out of 128 ranked.
40,302battery EVs registered across our ten council areas, 27% of the NSW total from 14% of its cars.
+53%growth in EVs across those areas between September 2025 and September 2026 (13,881 more cars).
55%of homes are apartments in Willoughby, Lane Cove, Mosman, Ryde and North Sydney, which hold 33% of the area's EVs.
Which NSW council areas have the most electric cars?
The City of Sydney leads at 8.8%, then Willoughby at 8.1% and Ku-ring-gai at 7.7%. Every council area we cover sits in the top 15; the lowest of them, Northern Beaches, still runs at 4.7%, ahead of the NSW figure of 3.2%.
The City of Sydney figure is likely lifted by company and fleet cars, which TfNSW counts at the registered business address, so Willoughby is the leading area where most cars are likely to be household cars. EV uptake stories often track new-car sales, such as novated leases in growth suburbs. This table counts the whole registered fleet, so it shows where EVs are garaged today.
Council areas End Point Electrical coversOther council areasNSW 3.2%
City of Sydney8.8%
Willoughby8.1%
Ku-ring-gai7.7%
Lane Cove7.2%
Mosman6.5%
The Hills Shire6.5%
Waverley6.4%
Woollahra6.2%
Hunters Hill6.1%
Ryde5.9%
North Sydney5.8%
Hornsby5.3%
Inner West5.0%
Northern Beaches4.7%
Canada Bay4.6%
Battery EVs as a share of registered passenger vehicles, top 15 of 128 NSW council areas, September 2026. Source: Transport for NSW registration snapshots, End Point Electrical analysis. Bars are drawn to scale from 0; the dashed line is NSW.
How fast is EV ownership growing in northern Sydney?
The number of battery EVs registered across our ten council areas rose from 26,421 to 40,302 in the 12 months to September 2026, a rise of 53%. NSW grew 60% from a lower base, so the gap in share between northern Sydney and the state widened from 2.0 points to 2.9 points.
The Hills Shire grew fastest of our areas (66%). Month by month, the area's share went from 4.0% in September 2025 to 6.1% in September 2026.
Our 10 council areasNSW
Battery EV share of passenger vehicles, monthly, September 2025 to September 2026. Y axis starts at 0. Source: Transport for NSW, End Point Electrical analysis.
EV ownership in the council areas End Point Electrical covers, September 2025 and September 2026
NSW rank
Council area
EV share Sep 26
EV share Sep 25
Battery EVs
Added in 12 months
Growth
Plug-in hybrids
2
Willoughby
8.1%
5.6%
3,582
1,076
43%
1.0%
3
Ku-ring-gai
7.7%
5.3%
5,920
1,831
45%
1.0%
4
Lane Cove
7.2%
4.9%
1,632
492
43%
0.9%
5
Mosman
6.5%
4.8%
1,095
277
34%
1.1%
6
The Hills Shire
6.5%
4.0%
8,656
3,444
66%
1.0%
9
Hunters Hill
6.1%
4.5%
510
142
39%
1.1%
10
Ryde
5.9%
4.0%
4,469
1,440
48%
0.9%
11
North Sydney
5.8%
4.1%
2,360
774
49%
1.1%
12
Hornsby
5.3%
3.3%
4,758
1,800
61%
0.8%
14
Northern Beaches
4.7%
3.0%
7,320
2,603
55%
0.7%
All 10 areas
6.1%
4.0%
40,302
13,881
53%
NSW
3.2%
2.0%
151,680
57,162
60%
0.6%
Shares are of passenger vehicles registered to an address in each council area. Parramatta, which holds part of Epping and Carlingford, ranks 19 at 4.3% and is left out of the area totals because most of it sits outside our patch.
How many of northern Sydney's EV-heavy areas are apartment areas?
Five of them. In Willoughby, Lane Cove, Mosman, Ryde and North Sydney, the EV share and the apartment share both run at least 1.5 times the NSW figure. Together they hold 13,138 battery EVs and 74,147 apartments, and 55% of their homes are apartments (NSW 22%).
Ku-ring-gai and The Hills Shire also have high EV shares, but most homes there are separate houses (69% and 81%), where the owner can usually decide on a charger alone. Registration data does not say which EV owners live in apartments, so these figures describe the mix of homes in each area, not the homes of individual drivers.
EV share of passenger vehicles (September 2026) and apartment share of homes (Census 2021), with bars drawn to scale
Council area
EV share (bar scale 0 to 10%)
Apartments (bar scale 0 to 100%)
Separate houses
Both 1.5 times NSW or more
North Sydney
5.8%
76%
11%
Yes
Lane Cove
7.2%
57%
38%
Yes
Mosman
6.5%
52%
35%
Yes
Willoughby
8.1%
47%
45%
Yes
Ryde
5.9%
45%
41%
Yes
Northern Beaches
4.7%
33%
57%
No
Ku-ring-gai
7.7%
27%
69%
No
Hunters Hill
6.1%
22%
62%
No
Hornsby
5.3%
22%
70%
No
The Hills Shire
6.5%
10%
81%
No
NSW
3.2%
22%
66%
Apartments are ABS "flat or apartment" dwellings of any height, as a share of occupied private dwellings with a stated structure. Townhouses and semis are counted separately, though many are also strata titled. The lowest apartment share in the group is Ryde at 45%. Census figures are from 2021, so apartment shares today are likely higher where towers have been completed since.
What do NSW strata rules say about EV chargers?
A charger in a strata car park usually needs approval from the owners corporation, because the cabling runs through common property. Since 1 July 2025, a strata scheme can no longer block one with a by-law based on how it looks, unless the building is heritage listed or in a heritage conservation area.
Approval runs through the owners corporation
The NSW Government's EV guidance says owners must contact the owners corporation for approval to connect any EV charging equipment, and tenants must ask their landlord to make the request. It classes EV charging infrastructure as a sustainability infrastructure upgrade. That kind of resolution passes when fewer than 50% of votes are against it, and the scheme needs a 10-year capital works fund plan. NSW Climate and Energy Action: making your strata building EV ready.
Appearance by-laws are banned
From 1 July 2025, by-laws that stop sustainability infrastructure being installed because of its effect on the external appearance of common property or a lot are banned, except in heritage-listed buildings and heritage conservation areas. Owners corporations must also consider sustainability infrastructure when planning the capital works fund. NSW guide to strata law changes (updated 1 October 2026).
A right to charge on your own lot is proposed
The Strata Schemes Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous) Bill 2025, announced on 19 November 2025, includes "giving owners the right to install electric vehicle charging stations on their own lot without fear of unreasonable objection from their strata committee". When we checked on 8 October 2026, the NSW guide to strata law changes did not list this among the changes that have started, so confirm its status before relying on it. NSW Government media release.
The EV Ready Buildings grant is closed
The grant co-funded wiring for apartment buildings with 10 or more units and off-street parking: an assessment first, then 80% of the cost of making the car park EV ready, capped per building. It is not taking new applications. Between November 2024 and February 2026 it approved funding for 124 recipients. The government names recipient suburbs for most months; 31 of those 100 monthly suburb listings are in northern Sydney postcodes, including North Curl Curl, Gordon, Lane Cove, Waverton, Wollstonecraft and Manly. NSW Government grant page.
What this means if you want a charger
In a house, the decision is yours: the main questions are whether the switchboard has room for a new circuit and where the charger goes. In an apartment, start with the strata committee before booking an electrician, and bring a written scope of the work to the meeting.
Houses
In Ku-ring-gai 69% of homes are separate houses; in The Hills Shire it is 81%. A wall charger usually needs its own circuit from the switchboard, and older boards can need space or an upgrade first. We check the switchboard before anything else, then plan the cable run to where you park. EV charger installation · switchboard and power work.
Apartments and townhouses
Ask the strata manager or committee secretary how the building handles EV requests, and whether an energy assessment has been done. The committee will want to know how each charger is metered and who pays for the power. We can inspect the board and car park, then write that scope for the committee to vote on. Tenants need the owner to make the request.
Suburbs we cover, by apartment share
High EV areas with plenty of apartments: Lane Cove (54% apartments in postcode 2066), Chatswood (64%) and Mosman (52%). Ku-ring-gai's suburbs split two ways: Gordon is 48% apartments, while Pymble (18%) and St Ives (23%) are mostly houses.
Suburb pages: apartment share of homes by postcode (Census 2021) and EV share of the main council area (September 2026)
Postcode figures are ABS postal areas, which can cover more than one suburb (Kellyville and Rouse Hill share 2155). EV figures are for the whole council area because TfNSW does not publish registrations by suburb.
By share of registered passenger vehicles, the leading council areas outside the CBD in September 2026 were Willoughby (8.1%) and Ku-ring-gai (7.7%), followed by Lane Cove at 7.2%. The NSW figure was 3.2%. TfNSW publishes registrations by council area, not by suburb, so suburb figures are not available.
Do I need strata approval to install an EV charger in my apartment?
In most buildings, yes. The NSW Government's EV guidance says owners must contact the owners corporation for approval to connect any EV charging equipment, because the wiring usually runs through common property. Tenants go through their landlord. A Bill introduced in November 2025 proposes a right for owners to install a charger on their own lot without unreasonable objection; check NSW Fair Trading's list of strata changes for whether it has started.
Can my strata block an EV charger because of how it looks?
Not on looks alone. From 1 July 2025, NSW banned by-laws that stop sustainability infrastructure being installed because of its effect on external appearance, unless the building is heritage listed or in a heritage conservation area. NSW treats EV charging infrastructure as sustainability infrastructure.
Is the NSW EV Ready Buildings grant still open?
No. The grant page lists it as closed to new applications. Between November 2024 and February 2026 it approved funding for 124 recipients, which were apartment buildings of 10 or more units.
Do I need a switchboard upgrade for a home EV charger?
Not always. A wall charger usually runs on its own circuit from the switchboard, so the board needs room and capacity for it. Older boards in established northern Sydney homes sometimes need work first. We check this on site before quoting; see our switchboard and power services.
How often is this report updated?
TfNSW publishes a new registration snapshot each month. The figures here are for September 2026, compared with September 2025, and were checked on 8 October 2026. Housing figures are from the 2021 Census until the 2026 Census results are released.
Methodology and sources
How we counted EVs
We used the Transport for NSW Vehicle Registrations Snapshot for September 2026 and September 2025, which counts vehicles registered at the end of each month by the customer's council area and motive power. We kept TfNSW's three passenger vehicle types and dropped commercial and heavy vehicles. "EV" means battery electric; plug-in hybrids are shown separately, and conventional hybrids are left out of the EV figures. TfNSW renamed its motive power categories in early 2026 (for example "BATTERY ELECTRIC" became "EV"); we mapped both sets, and the monthly series shows no step at the change.
How we handled hidden counts
TfNSW hides any count of five or fewer as "<=5". In the detailed snapshot that applies to 91% of passenger rows, so the treatment matters. We took each council area's total passenger fleet from TfNSW's Registered Vehicles by Usage Snapshot, which has far fewer columns and only 11,361 hidden cells across NSW. Comparing the two tables shows a hidden cell holds about 1.5 vehicles on average, and we applied each area's own average to its hidden EV cells. If every hidden EV cell held only one car, the NSW share would be 2.9% rather than 3.2%, 10 of our 10 areas would still be in the top 15, and Mosman would rank 10 instead of 5.
How we counted apartments
Housing figures are from the ABS Census 2021 General Community Profile, table G36 (dwelling structure), for NSW council areas and postal areas. Apartment share is flats or apartments as a share of occupied private dwellings with a stated structure. The NSW figure is the sum of all NSW council area rows. Council areas were matched by name between the two sources; 2 TfNSW categories with no council area (Missing/Unknown, Unincorp. Other Territories) count towards NSW only, and Unincorporated NSW is left out of the ranking.
Limits
Registrations follow the owner's address, so company cars count where the business is registered. The data does not show whether an EV owner lives in a house or an apartment. The Census is five years old. TfNSW back-fills each snapshot for two months, so the latest month can still move slightly.
This analysis is ours, not the data owners'. TfNSW and ABS data are used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. The figures are rebuilt from the source files by a script, so each update follows the same method.
All 128 NSW council areas ranked by EV share, September 2026
Rank
Council area
EV share
Battery EVs
Passenger vehicles
EV share Sep 25
Apartments (2021)
1
City of Sydney
8.8%
8,819
100,483
7.1%
79%
2
Willoughby
8.1%
3,582
43,997
5.6%
47%
3
Ku-ring-gai
7.7%
5,920
76,645
5.3%
27%
4
Lane Cove
7.2%
1,632
22,497
4.9%
57%
5
Mosman
6.5%
1,095
16,920
4.8%
52%
6
The Hills Shire
6.5%
8,656
133,786
4.0%
10%
7
Waverley
6.4%
2,044
31,814
4.6%
64%
8
Woollahra
6.2%
1,809
28,983
4.6%
56%
9
Hunters Hill
6.1%
510
8,415
4.5%
22%
10
Ryde
5.9%
4,469
76,343
4.0%
45%
11
North Sydney
5.8%
2,360
40,488
4.1%
76%
12
Hornsby
5.3%
4,758
89,558
3.3%
22%
13
Inner West
5.0%
4,478
89,850
3.0%
43%
14
Northern Beaches
4.7%
7,320
156,524
3.0%
33%
15
Canada Bay
4.6%
2,371
51,854
3.2%
52%
16
Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional
4.6%
1,733
37,931
2.6%
12%
17
Burwood
4.5%
870
19,176
3.1%
49%
18
Randwick
4.4%
2,795
63,459
2.9%
56%
19
Parramatta
4.3%
6,262
145,194
2.7%
47%
20
Strathfield
4.2%
1,060
24,978
3.0%
60%
21
Yass Valley
4.1%
415
10,179
2.7%
1%
22
Blue Mountains
3.9%
1,875
48,234
2.3%
3%
23
Cabonne
3.8%
280
7,372
2.5%
1%
24
Byron
3.7%
872
23,357
2.5%
6%
25
Kiama
3.7%
534
14,444
2.1%
9%
26
Blacktown
3.5%
8,238
232,240
2.1%
7%
27
Georges River
3.3%
2,723
82,218
2.1%
36%
28
Sutherland Shire
3.3%
4,736
144,203
2.0%
25%
29
Bayside
3.2%
3,403
105,286
2.4%
52%
30
Camden
3.2%
2,623
82,161
1.8%
1%
31
Wingecarribee
3.2%
1,103
34,617
1.9%
2%
32
Wollongong
3.2%
4,056
128,010
1.8%
19%
33
Newcastle
2.8%
2,992
105,437
1.6%
14%
34
Ballina
2.6%
726
28,076
1.5%
5%
35
Central Coast
2.5%
5,386
212,869
1.4%
9%
36
Liverpool
2.4%
3,542
145,782
1.4%
16%
37
Campbelltown
2.4%
2,394
101,870
1.4%
6%
38
Lake Macquarie
2.3%
3,161
136,203
1.3%
4%
39
Shellharbour
2.3%
1,131
48,964
1.2%
5%
40
Bellingen
2.3%
178
7,883
1.2%
3%
41
Cumberland
2.2%
2,816
128,227
1.3%
32%
42
Tweed
2.2%
1,091
50,251
1.2%
13%
43
Penrith
2.2%
2,729
126,025
1.2%
9%
44
Canterbury-Bankstown
2.1%
4,337
205,678
1.3%
29%
45
Maitland
2.0%
1,174
58,808
1.0%
2%
46
Wollondilly
2.0%
710
36,054
1.1%
1%
47
Shoalhaven
1.9%
1,288
67,295
1.0%
2%
48
Snowy Monaro Regional
1.9%
217
11,625
1.1%
7%
49
Hawkesbury
1.8%
774
41,762
1.1%
3%
50
Eurobodalla
1.8%
469
25,480
0.9%
6%
51
Bega Valley
1.8%
397
21,678
1.2%
5%
52
Upper Lachlan Shire
1.8%
87
4,981
1.2%
0%
53
Port Macquarie-Hastings
1.7%
956
55,859
0.9%
10%
54
Port Stephens
1.7%
798
48,068
0.9%
4%
55
Dungog
1.7%
90
5,486
1.0%
0%
56
Orange
1.6%
427
26,173
1.0%
3%
57
Fairfield
1.6%
1,848
117,270
1.0%
15%
58
Coffs Harbour
1.6%
737
47,233
0.8%
10%
59
Goulburn Mulwaree
1.6%
304
19,500
0.9%
3%
60
Cessnock
1.5%
622
40,282
0.7%
1%
61
Blayney
1.5%
66
4,288
0.9%
1%
62
Lismore
1.5%
397
26,581
0.9%
5%
63
Albury
1.5%
467
31,817
0.8%
1%
64
Uralla
1.4%
46
3,253
0.9%
1%
65
Singleton
1.4%
191
13,665
0.7%
3%
66
Bathurst Regional
1.3%
343
26,508
0.8%
4%
67
Lithgow
1.3%
154
11,973
0.8%
2%
68
Oberon
1.3%
39
3,132
0.9%
1%
69
Greater Hume Shire
1.2%
77
6,226
0.8%
0%
70
Weddin
1.2%
24
2,017
0.8%
3%
71
Nambucca Valley
1.1%
140
12,387
0.5%
5%
72
Wagga Wagga
1.1%
418
37,611
0.7%
9%
73
Armidale Regional
1.1%
162
14,974
0.5%
4%
74
Clarence Valley
1.0%
309
30,511
0.5%
4%
75
Mid-Coast
1.0%
582
60,143
0.6%
7%
76
Federation
1.0%
61
6,373
0.4%
1%
77
Mid-Western Regional
0.9%
131
14,329
0.5%
1%
78
Tamworth Regional
0.9%
309
35,522
0.5%
2%
79
Junee
0.8%
25
3,051
0.5%
3%
80
Kempsey
0.8%
145
17,433
0.4%
6%
81
Muswellbrook
0.8%
80
9,654
0.6%
1%
82
Dubbo Regional
0.8%
242
30,251
0.5%
6%
83
Berrigan
0.8%
32
4,041
0.4%
1%
84
Richmond Valley
0.8%
99
12,613
0.4%
4%
85
Murray River
0.8%
37
4,878
0.5%
1%
86
Kyogle
0.8%
35
4,682
0.4%
3%
87
Snowy Valleys
0.7%
53
7,693
0.4%
1%
88
Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional
0.7%
42
6,149
0.5%
2%
89
Coolamon
0.7%
16
2,400
0.4%
1%
90
Temora
0.7%
22
3,282
0.5%
1%
91
Cowra
0.7%
44
6,775
0.4%
2%
92
Tenterfield
0.6%
22
3,357
0.3%
2%
93
Upper Hunter Shire
0.6%
46
7,543
0.4%
1%
94
Gwydir
0.6%
14
2,341
0.4%
0%
95
Hilltops
0.6%
62
10,767
0.4%
2%
96
Parkes
0.6%
42
7,281
0.4%
5%
97
Gunnedah
0.6%
35
6,290
0.3%
2%
98
Wentworth
0.6%
16
2,812
0.2%
1%
99
Carrathool
0.6%
7
1,254
0.3%
2%
100
Glen Innes Severn
0.5%
25
4,645
0.2%
2%
101
Lockhart
0.5%
9
1,702
0.3%
1%
102
Warrumbungle Shire
0.5%
24
4,592
0.2%
2%
103
Edward River
0.5%
20
4,159
0.3%
0%
104
Griffith
0.5%
73
15,713
0.3%
10%
105
Walcha
0.5%
7
1,489
0.2%
3%
106
Narrabri
0.5%
27
5,800
0.3%
1%
107
Leeton
0.5%
28
6,167
0.4%
8%
108
Forbes
0.4%
21
4,586
0.3%
5%
109
Narrandera
0.4%
14
3,137
0.3%
2%
110
Murrumbidgee
0.4%
7
1,895
0.3%
3%
111
Liverpool Plains
0.4%
15
4,125
0.3%
1%
112
Broken Hill
0.4%
29
8,321
0.2%
3%
113
Gilgandra
0.4%
7
2,132
0.2%
3%
114
Warren
0.3%
4
1,193
0.3%
2%
115
Bogan
0.3%
4
1,310
0.1%
1%
116
Inverell
0.3%
26
8,572
0.2%
1%
117
Moree Plains
0.3%
14
4,894
0.3%
2%
118
Lachlan
0.3%
8
2,790
0.4%
3%
119
Narromine
0.3%
8
3,091
0.2%
2%
120
Balranald
0.2%
2
817
0.2%
2%
121
Bland
0.2%
7
2,878
0.1%
2%
122
Hay
0.2%
4
1,489
0.2%
1%
123
Walgett
0.2%
6
2,482
0.3%
1%
124
Cobar
0.1%
2
1,696
0.1%
5%
125
Coonamble
0.1%
2
1,775
0.1%
3%
126
Bourke
0.1%
1
1,009
0.0%
2%
127
Brewarrina
0.0%
0
482
0.0%
1%
128
Central Darling
0.0%
0
533
0.0%
1%
Planning a Home EV Charger?
Tell us whether it's a house or a strata building, and we'll look at the switchboard and cable run and give you a clear written quote.
