Last updated: 2026-04-23
CarCostIQ is a free EV vs petrol total cost of ownership calculator. To keep the site free we participate, or intend to participate, in a small number of Australian affiliate and lead-generation programs. This page explains exactly what that means and how it affects — or does not affect — the content you see on CarCostIQ.
What is an affiliate or partner link?
Where CarCostIQ links to a third-party product or service provider (for example, a car insurance comparison site, an electric vehicle charger installer, or a finance provider), we may receive a commission or referral fee if you follow the link and subsequently transact with that provider. This is a commercial relationship and is required to be disclosed under the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) guidance on influencer and publisher transparency and Google’s policy on sponsored links.
How we disclose partner links
- Every partner link on CarCostIQ uses the
rel="sponsored nofollow"attribute as required by Google since 2020. - Every partner link is immediately accompanied by a short inline note “Partner link. CarCostIQ may earn a commission.” with a pointer back to this page.
- Pages that are primarily there to generate a quote or lead for a partner (for example
/quote/insurance-quote) carry a larger notice at the top of the form making the commercial relationship unmistakable.
Categories of partners we work with or may work with
We may establish commercial relationships in these categories:
- Car insurance comparison — comparison aggregators that pay a fixed fee per qualified quote or lead.
- Electric vehicle financing — green car loan providers that pay a fee when a loan application completes.
- Novated leasing — lease providers that pay a fee when a lead they receive converts to an active lease.
- Home charger installation — installers that pay a fee per site-survey enquiry or completed install.
- Online marketplace — Amazon Associates Australia (revenue share on qualifying EV accessories and related purchases).
How partner relationships do not affect the site
Commercial relationships with partners do not change our calculations, assumptions, rankings, or recommendations. Specifically:
- Our total cost of ownership formula is published on the methodology page and is the same for every vehicle pair, regardless of whether a vehicle is associated with a partner.
- We do not adjust state-level electricity or fuel defaults based on commercial considerations — sources and last-reviewed dates are shown on each state guide.
- We do not remove, downgrade, or re-order a model because a competing partner prefers we did. All vehicles available in our dataset are shown to every user.
- When a partner link is also editorially the best fit for the page, we disclose and link it. When there isn’t a good fit, we don’t.
If you prefer to avoid partner links
You never need to use a partner link. Every partner link has a corresponding generic path you can use directly (for example, searching Google for “car insurance Australia” will surface comparison sites without touching our tracking). You are also free to go to a provider directly.
Questions or concerns
If you believe any link on CarCostIQ is not adequately disclosed, or if something feels off, please let us know via the contact form. We take transparency seriously and will act on feedback quickly.
This page is provided for transparency and is not legal advice. CarCostIQ endeavours to meet ACCC guidance and Google’s Webmaster Quality Guidelines on paid relationships.