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Applications for financial year 2025-2026 kick-start funding are now open and will close on 29 May 2026.
If you have any questions, contact the EV Fleets Team at [email protected]
Kick-start funding offers businesses financial incentives from a $5 million allocation to help purchase up to 15 electric vehicles (EVs) and smart charging ports.
Who kick-start funding is for
Kick-start funding is suitable for businesses that are interested in trialling a few EVs or for smaller fleets. It is open to any ABN holder that operates an existing fleet in NSW, provided the business meets one of the following requirements:
- operates an existing fleet of at least 3 vehicles (electric or non-electric) in NSW
- Has licensed taxi drivers with at least 1 taxi in NSW
- Is an individual truck operator, with at least 1 truck in NSW.
Refer to the guidelines for organisations and vehicles that are not eligible for kick-start funding.
About the funding
The 2025- 2026 financial year allocation for kick-start funding is open between 16 December 2025 and 29 May 2026.
For more information about kick-start funding, please refer to the guidelines.
What funding is available?
Vehicle incentives
| Vehicle category | Vehicle incentive |
|---|---|
| Passenger vehicle / SUV (RRP equal or above $40k) | $5,000 |
| Light commercial vehicle under 2.5t | $5,000 |
| Light commercial vehicle from 2.5t and up to 3.5t | $8,000 |
| Heavy commercial vehicles above 3.5t and up to 4.5t | $10,000 |
| Heavy commercial vehicles above 4.5t and up to 8t | $15,000 |
| Heavy commercial vehicles above 8t and up to 15t | $25,000 |
| Heavy commercial vehicles above 15t and up to 23t | $50,000 |
Charging incentives (per port installed)
An organisation must apply for a vehicle incentive to opt in for a charging incentive to support the installation of one port.
Our charger incentives vary depending on your charging strategy, and our program provides AC incentives and two types of DC incentives:
- DC Tier 1 incentives for DC chargers up to 60kW and
- DC Tier 2 incentives for DC chargers above 60kW
If your charging strategy is to install either AC or DC chargers at your site(s), these are the incentives available by vehicle category:
| Vehicle category | AC charging - Incentive per port | DC up to 60kW - Incentive per port | DC above 60kW - Incentive per port |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passenger vehicle / SUV (RRP equal or above $40k) or Light commercial vehicle up to 3.5t | Up to $3,000 per port | 50% of costs per port installed* (up to $30,000 per port) | n/a |
| Heavy commercial vehicle above 3.5t and up to 4.5t | Up to $5,000 per port | 50% of costs per port installed* (up to $30,000 per port) | 50% of costs per port installed* (up to $60,000 per port) |
| Heavy commercial vehicle above 4.5t and up to 23t | Up to $6,000 per port | 50% of costs per port installed* (up to $30,000 per port) | 50% of costs per port installed* (up to $60,000 per port) |
If your charging strategy is to install a mix of AC and DC chargers at your site(s), these are the incentives available by vehicle category:
| Vehicle category | Charger mix | Incentive per port |
|---|---|---|
| All eligible categories | AC + DC Tier 1 | 50% of costs per port installed* (up to $18,000 per port) |
| Heavy commercial vehicles | AC + DC Tier 2 AC + DC Tier 1 + DC Tier 2 | 50% of costs per port installed* (up to $30,000 per port) |
(*)Applicants can claim funding for 50% of the installation cost for each port installed. The maximum amount that can be claimed per port is specified in Tables 1B and 1C, based on the chosen charging strategy. The cost per port installed is calculated by dividing the total eligible invoiced costs by the total number of ports installed at the site.
The table below includes the caps applicable by incentive type. Please note that the total number of charging incentives across both AC and DC categories is capped at 15.
| Incentive type | Max # of incentives (across all funding rounds) |
|---|---|
| Vehicle incentive | 15 |
| AC charging incentive (all vehicle categories) | 15 |
| DC Tier 1 - PVs/SUVs/LCVs | 4 |
| DC Tier 1 - heavy commercial vehicles | 6 |
| DC Tier 2 - heavy commercial vehicles | 4 |
How to apply for kick-start funding
You may be eligible if your business is an ABN holder that has non-private registrations for:
- at least 3 vehicles (electric or non-electric) in NSW, or
- 1 licensed taxi in NSW, or
- 1 truck in NSW.
Do not include any BEV you are applying to receive funding for in your count of existing fleet vehicles.
These vehicles must have been operational in your fleet for at least 6 months prior to the application submission. The Department expects your organisation will continue operating a fleet of at least 3 vehicles for at least three to four years after your application. To ensure compliance, audits may be conducted to confirm this.
The guidelines have everything you need to know about the eligibility criteria, compliance requirements, approved charger specifications and application process for kick-start funding.
Successful applications
We’ll let you know if your application was successful within 20 business days of receiving your application. If successful, you will be:
- invited to sign a funding deed, which is a legal agreement that outlines the terms and conditions under which the incentive payment will be provided from the department to the applicant.
- sent instructions about the evidence requirements that need to be submitted to the department (such as NSW vehicle registration certificates for the newly purchased EVs and tax invoices for any charging infrastructure you are claiming), before payment of your incentive can be made to you.
All successful applicants who receive funding under the EV fleets incentive will be disclosed on the NSW Government Grants Finder website within 45 days of the funding agreement being entered into. Payment of the incentive is not guaranteed until the funding deed is executed and the evidence requirements have been delivered within the specified timeframe.
Learn more
No matter where you are in your EV transition, these resources will help you figure out costs, driving range, charging and more.
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