DRIVEN pays dealers back for EV chargers. It’s a refund, not a discount.
The federal DRIVEN rebate pays car dealers and EV repairers up to $3,000 for each smart charger plug, up to $21,000 a site. It reimburses chargers you have already bought and installed, in the order claims arrive, with a $5,000 minimum spend. Here is how it works, and the traps that sink a claim.
Written by Juan Flinn, Content Editor · Reviewed by the Mission Green commercial team · Updated October 2026
What DRIVEN
actually pays.
Four figures decide every claim. The first three are ceilings; the fourth is a floor.
Up to $3,000
For each plug on a fixed smart charger, or each portable DC charger. Never more than the charger cost to buy and install.
$21,000
The most any one site can receive for chargers, across every round of the program.
$50,000
Chargers plus EV workshop equipment, which is funded at 80% of cost. Includes the $250 application-help fee.
The floor is the one that catches people: a site needs at least $5,000 of eligible spending per claim, or nothing is paid. Two modest wall chargers can fall under it. A portable DC charger only counts if it cost at least $2,500.
The money comes from the DRIVEN Charger Rebate Stream 2026 to 2029, which holds $21.4 million of the program’s $48.6 million. It is administered by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources on behalf of DCCEEW, through business.gov.au.
Read the transcript
Running a car dealership in Victoria? You could get up to $21,000 back on EV chargers! It's the DRIVEN rebate, from the Australian Government. It pays you back up to $3,000 for every charger plug. A twin charger counts as two. That's up to $21,000 per site. It's for licensed car dealers, their service centres, and EV repair workshops. You'll need a commercial site, not a home garage. And you don't need to sell electric cars yet. Here's how it works. We check your site and give you a fixed quote. We install the chargers. You pay our invoice, like any other job. Then you claim the rebate online, and we'll help you put it together. Once it's approved, the government pays you back. They aim to do that within 30 business days. A few things to know. Each site needs to spend at least $5,000. Claims are paid in the order they arrive, and each year closes on 30 April. Chargers installed since 26 March 2024 may still qualify. And the refund counts as income, so check with your accountant. In Victoria? We'd love to help. Book a 30-minute site visit at missiongreen.com.au.
Dealers and repairers,
on a commercial site.
Your primary business has to be one of three things, and the site has to be commercial.
Eligible: a licensed motor dealer or trader; a service centre associated with a licensed dealer; or an automotive repair business in non-residential, commercial premises that complies with AS 5732:2022 (EV operations — maintenance and repair) and has at least one staff member qualified to work on EVs. You also need an ABN and an Australian bank account. You do not need to be selling or servicing EVs yet.
Not eligible: any business operating from a residential, mixed-use or home-based premises, including garages, sheds or outbuildings attached to a home. Also excluded: employers of 100 or more staff that have not complied with the Workplace Gender Equality Act, and organisations listed as not having joined, or signalled their intent to join, the National Redress Scheme.
One application per site. A group with several dealerships applies separately for each address. A single rooftop that holds franchise agreements with several manufacturers may make an application for each manufacturer — confirm how the caps apply to your site with the department on 13 28 46 before you budget on it.
It is a refund,
not a discount.
Everything about DRIVEN follows from this. You pay first, and you claim after.
DRIVEN reimburses costs you have already incurred and paid. The chargers have to be bought, installed and working before you apply, and the application needs a tax invoice and proof of payment. That also means it looks backwards: fixed chargers bought and installed on or after 26 March 2024 can still be claimed, provided they were not funded in an earlier round.
Applications are assessed in the order they arrive, until each financial year’s funding runs out. Each year closes on 30 April, or earlier if the money is gone, and the stream ends on 30 April 2029. If you apply after a year’s funding is exhausted, your application is held and processed the following financial year.
Once approved, the department aims to pay within 30 business days. It also says plainly that you may not receive the rebate in the same financial year you apply.
A smart charger,
installed properly.
There is no approved product list. There is a test, and an installation rule.
Smart means a fixed charger with an online connection that allows the system to be controlled remotely — monitoring and managing charging sessions, and optimising energy use. AC or DC, at any power level. Fixed chargers must be installed by a licensed electrician; portable DC chargers must run from an outlet a licensed electrician has assessed as safe for the load.
Covered: buying and installing the charger, and circuit or switchboard work needed to install it. Not covered: site-wide capacity or grid connection upgrades, leased or subscription software, ongoing operating costs, and chargers outside your site boundary. Where on the site the charger goes is up to you, and it can be for customers, staff or the workshop.
| What you claim | Covered? |
|---|---|
| Smart AC or DC charger, bought and installed | Yes, up to $3,000 per plug |
| Circuit or switchboard work needed for the charger | Yes |
| Portable DC charger costing $2,500 or more | Yes, up to $3,000 per unit |
| Electrician’s assessment of the outlet a portable DC unit uses | Yes |
| Site-wide supply or grid connection upgrade | No |
| Charging software subscriptions and running costs | No |
| Portable AC charger | No |
How the caps
play out.
Illustrative figures, GST-exclusive. Your quote decides the real numbers.
| Scenario | Eligible spend | Rebate |
|---|---|---|
| Two plugs at $2,300 each, installed | $4,600 | $0 — under the $5,000 minimum |
| Four plugs at $2,800 each, installed | $11,200 | $11,200 — under $3,000 a plug, so the cost is covered |
| Four plugs at $3,500 each, installed | $14,000 | $12,000 — $3,000 a plug is the ceiling |
| Nine plugs at $3,000 each, installed | $27,000 | $21,000 — the per-site cap for chargers |
In every case you pay the full invoice plus GST first, and claim the GST through your BAS as usual. If a third party helps you apply, up to $250 of their fee is added to your rebate — paid to you, not to them.
Five ways a claim
goes nowhere.
None of these are obscure. All of them are in the guidelines, and the department will not chase you to fix them.
1. Spending under $5,000 at the site. The claim is ineligible, however good the chargers are.
2. A missing attachment. An application without the tax invoice, the electrical safety certificate, or a photo that shows the whole charger with its brand name and plugs is assessed as ineligible, and you must submit a new one. The department says it will not contact you about missing mandatory documents.
3. Chargers already funded. Sites funded in round 1 or round 2 cannot top up the charger amount they were approved for. They can still claim EV workshop equipment.
4. The wrong premises. A workshop in a home garage or shed is excluded outright, and the eligibility criteria cannot be waived.
5. Double funding. An item already paid for, in part or in full, by any other government grant cannot be claimed again.
So what should
a dealership actually do?
Short version.
Check the five traps before you get a quote. Premises, licence, earlier rounds, the $5,000 floor and other grants. Each one is a yes or no.
Size the chargers to your supply, not the cap. Several fast AC chargers can outrun a site’s connection, and a supply upgrade is not covered. Load management lets them share what you have.
Keep the paperwork as you go. Tax invoice, proof of payment, the electrical safety certificate, the electrician’s name and licence number, and a clear photo of each charger. Then apply soon after installation, because funding goes in order of receipt.
Ask your accountant about the tax. The rebate is assessable income, and the charger is a business asset.
DRIVEN for dealers:
your questions, answered.
Licensed motor dealers and traders, service centres associated with a licensed dealer, and automotive repair businesses in non-residential commercial premises that comply with AS 5732:2022 and have at least one staff member qualified to work on EVs. A business run from a home, or from a garage or shed attached to one, is not eligible. You do not need to be selling EVs yet.
Up to $3,000 per plug for a fixed smart charger or a portable DC charger, and never more than the charger cost to buy and install. Charger funding is capped at $21,000 per site, and the total per site across chargers and workshop equipment is $50,000.
Yes. DRIVEN reimburses costs you have already paid. You buy and install first, then apply with a tax invoice, proof of payment, an electrical safety certificate and photos. Chargers bought and installed on or after 26 March 2024 can be claimed, as long as they were not funded in an earlier round.
Applications close on 30 April each financial year, or earlier if that year’s funding runs out, and the stream runs until 30 April 2029. Applications are reviewed in the order they arrive. If a year’s money is used up, your application is held and processed in the next financial year.
A fixed charger with an online connection that allows monitoring and managing charging sessions and adjusting energy use. There is no approved product list. AC and DC units at any power level qualify if they meet that test, and a licensed electrician must install them.
GST does not apply to the rebate, and your claim must be the GST-exclusive cost. The rebate is assessable income unless a tax law exempts it, so check the net effect with your accountant.
A third party can help prepare the application and up to $250 of their fee can be claimed, but that $250 is paid to the dealer or repairer, never to the third party. The department states the program has no affiliation with any equipment supplier and warns businesses to be cautious of third parties asking for bank account or dealer licence details.
Not for the same item. DRIVEN will not pay for activities already partly or fully funded by another Commonwealth, state, territory or local government grant program.
Where these figures come from.
Every figure on this page is taken from the DRIVEN Charger Rebate Stream 2026 to 2029 grant opportunity guidelines, released 8 September 2026 and updated 22 September 2026. It is general information about how the rules read, not advice about your business — the department’s decision on eligibility is final.