Only one in 100 second-hand vehicles for sale is electric and it could take three years for the situation to significantly improve, experts warn. Greater government subsidies targeting fleets and second-hand vehicles may boost supply, they say, which could otherwise slow the wider uptake of zero-emission vehicles and cuts to transport pollution.

“That’s the reality of the market for us is because the supply is so short.”

Subsidies and rebates needed “Somewhere between the three to five years from now we’re going to have a significant presence of used electric cars versus what we have today,” she said.

Australian Electric Vehicle Association national president Dr Chris Jones said the prices of second-hand electric vehicles remained stubbornly high due to short supply. Electric vehicle sales broke records by making up 8.8 per cent of new car sales in June, according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.