Polestar urges Australia to hold firm on NVES as review looms and big-emitter penalties loom

Polestar steps up its defence of the NVES as a review begins

Polestar Australia managing director Scott Maynard has renewed his attack on brands lobbying against the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, telling news.com.au that 'there's a lot of cash being thrown at a lobby to allow the Australian market to continue to absorb old technology that can't be sold in other markets'. His comments came as the Federal Government's review of Australian efficiency standards for 2029 and beyond gets under way, and after the Federal Opposition promised to scrap the standard if it wins office in 2028. ¹

Maynard argued the scheme has worked, saying predictions before its introduction that 'no brand would make it' and that 'the cost of cars would go through the roof' had not eventuated, with new-vehicle costs continuing to fall and more electrified products reaching Australian buyers. He told the publication the NVES has been 'a fantastic success' and that Australia should 'stay the course in the face of its review and stick with it'. These are the company's advocacy positions rather than a government position, and no change to NVES targets has been confirmed. ¹

The first scorecard: who beat their targets and who is exposed

The federal regulator's interim 2025 performance results, reported by GoAutoNews Premium, show 59 regulated entities entered 620,947 NVES-covered vehicles on the register of approved vehicles between July 1 and December 31, 2025. Around two-thirds beat their emissions target, more than 17 million NVES units were generated, and the scheme recorded a net surplus of 15.9 million units, marking the start of a tradable unit market. Average emissions for new light passenger vehicles beat the target by 21 per cent. ³

On the same interim data, GoAutoNews Premium reported that penalties are calculated by multiplying a brand's emissions value by $50, and would apply from December 31, 2027, giving car makers two years to clear accrued values by adjusting their fleets or buying credits. On that basis Mazda carried the biggest liability at 508,517 interim emissions values, equating to a $25.4 million penalty, followed by Nissan at 215,261 units, equating to $10.76 million — figures that would apply only if the penalty system were currently enacted. ³

The Australian Automotive Dealer Association has urged caution on the data, however. Chief executive James Voortman told GoAutoNews Premium that 'a number of these vehicles could be unsold, sitting in paddocks or even on boats on their way to Australia', and the AADA is pressing for the point of compliance to move from point of import to point of sale. ³

Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Tony Weber told GoAutoNews Premium the 2026 passenger-vehicle target is 17 per cent lower than 2025 and the light-commercial target 14 per cent lower, tightening to 59 per cent and 48 per cent below 2025 levels by 2029. He also noted that EVs represented just 8.3 per cent of new vehicle sales in 2025, only a 1.1 percentage point increase on 2023, warning that sustaining compliance as targets tighten will require materially stronger EV uptake than current market trends indicate. ³

Maynard's argument that heavy polluters should pay heavily

Maynard's position, laid out in a comment article published by news.com.au in February, is that fines under the NVES are not inevitable but 'a consequence of failing to move with the times'. He argued brands that had not invested in electric vehicles or low-emissions technology were facing the results of that inaction, and that some were instead running what he called an expensive scare campaign to have the standard watered down, including threats to pass penalty costs to buyers. The piece is his opinion as Polestar's local chief, published under his name. ²

The same comment article cited research from Melbourne Climate Futures in 2023 finding vehicle emissions may be associated with 11,105 premature deaths in adults, 12,210 cardiovascular hospitalisations, 6840 respiratory hospitalisations and 66,000 active asthma cases in Australia every year — the health case Maynard used to support the standard. ²

In the more recent news.com.au interview, Maynard pointed to market pressure as the check on price rises, noting Australia's roughly 1.2 million-vehicle annual market is contested by 74 brands — by his description the most competitive new-vehicle marketplace on earth — with volume growing barely 1 per cent, meaning displacement among brands is inevitable. He cited new entrants such as Zeekr outselling Nissan in a single month, and news.com.au reported new car makers Avatr, Nevo, Freelander, iCaur and Exlantix have confirmed plans to launch cars in Australia within the last month. ¹

Credits, windfalls and who decides

Polestar has confirmed it will sell the emissions credits it accrues under the NVES. Speaking to Australian media, Maynard told CarExpert: 'We've had interest in our credits, and we'll sell them', while declining to name interested parties, describing the discussions as commercial-in-confidence. He argued it is fair that brands which profited from internal-combustion sales should pay those that invested in low-emission technology 'at huge cost'. ⁵

CarExpert noted Polestar has previously downplayed the credits' financial value, with Maynard telling Australian media in July 2025 that the value would not be high 'only because the standards – particularly in the industry here – are low enough that most brands can comfortably slide underneath them'. The current willingness to sell represents a shift in emphasis from that earlier position. ⁵

GoAuto separately reported, at the MY26 Polestar 2 launch in Melbourne, that Polestar Australia had received several purchase offers for its NVES credits but that proceeds would be coordinated and held globally, attributed as a market earning to Australia. 'Locally, we will have input, we will have an opinion, but the final say will go to global,' Maynard told the publication, citing global partnerships at head office in Sweden. Both outlets quote the same executive; neither names the interested brands. ⁴

A wider agenda: road-user charging on all drivers

In separate comments reported by 7NEWS via CarExpert, Maynard said Polestar has been working with government officials on the design of a proposed road-user charge for passenger vehicles, and argued it should be levied on all road users rather than only electric-vehicle owners. 'We see the inevitable introduction of a road-user charge, and we feel that it's critical that [the] charge be levied against all road users, and not just electric vehicle owners,' he said, adding that a review of the 53.7 cents-per-litre fuel excise could preserve electric vehicles' cost advantage. ⁶

The same report noted federal Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said in August 2026 that a road-user charge 'is something that Australia should be working towards' but must not be rushed, while the NSW Government plans its own charge for electric cars and plug-in hybrids from July 2027 at 3.095 and 2.476 cents per kilometre respectively. That follows the High Court of Australia striking down Victoria's similar tax in 2023, finding only the federal parliament can impose duties of excise. Any charge remains at proposal or design stage, not confirmed law. ⁶