Rise of ‘fuel-guzzling’ SUVs costing Australians $13bn extra at the pump per year, report finds

The Australia Institute says the rise in SUVs has led to the nation’s vehicle fleet being 24% less efficient than the UK’s. Photograph: sourabhj/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Surging SUV ownership means Australians are needlessly spending an extra $13bn a year to fuel their cars, and the trend is sending transport emissions into overdrive at the same time similar nations are reducing them.

Analysis from the Australia Institute has found that the recent uptake in SUVs in Australia has led to the nation’s vehicle fleet now being 24% less efficient than the UK’s, a similarly developed right-hand-drive country.