What FBT normally does
A novated lease is a fringe benefit, and fringe benefits usually attract fringe benefits tax (FBT). On a petrol car that FBT has to be covered, which eats into the saving. On an eligible electric car, there is no FBT to pay.
The exemption, in plain terms
Because an eligible EV is exempt from FBT, the whole lease, the car and its running costs, can come out of your pre-tax salary with nothing to offset. That is what makes the take-home saving so much larger than on a comparable petrol car.
Which cars qualify
To be exempt the car must be:
- Battery-electric or hydrogen fuel-cell (plug-in hybrids stopped qualifying for new arrangements from 1 April 2025)
- First held and used on or after 1 July 2022
- At or under the luxury car tax threshold for fuel-efficient vehicles, $91,661 for 2026-27, on its drive-away price
Most EVs Australians actually buy sit under that threshold. See the EV novated lease page for the models.
The part that is still reported
An honest note: FBT exempt means no fringe benefits tax is payable, but the benefit is still reported on your income statement. That reported amount can affect income-tested things like HECS or HELP repayments, the Medicare levy surcharge, and family payments. Our calculator and team will always show you the full picture.
Common questions
Do plug-in hybrids get the FBT exemption?
Not for new arrangements. The PHEV exemption ended on 1 April 2025. A PHEV already under an eligible arrangement before then can keep it under transitional rules, but new PHEV leases do not qualify. Battery-electric cars are unaffected.
Is the EV saving really tax-free?
There is no FBT payable on an eligible EV and you pay from pre-tax salary, so the saving is real. But the benefit is still reported on your income statement, which can affect income-tested amounts. We show you that up front.
What is the EV FBT threshold for this year?
For 2026-27 the fuel-efficient luxury car tax threshold is $91,661 drive-away. An eligible battery-electric car at or under that is FBT exempt.