How far is it from Canberra to Melbourne by EV?

It's around 660 km. You take the Federal Highway to Yass, then the Hume Highway (M31) the rest of the way. That's a bit longer than the direct Sydney to Melbourne route because you first have to reach the Hume from Canberra. Budget 7 to 7.5 hours of driving time before any charging stops.

Can I drive from Canberra to Melbourne in an EV without stopping to charge?

Not in one hop for most vehicles. 660 km is beyond the real-world highway range of almost every EV on the road today. Plan on one full charging stop, most likely at Albury-Wodonga or Wangaratta, and a shorter top-up somewhere else on the route depending on your battery size.

Where should I charge between Canberra and Melbourne?

Gundagai, Holbrook, Albury-Wodonga, Wangaratta and Euroa all have Tesla Superchargers plus NRMA, Evie or Chargefox options, so there is real backup at each of those towns. Albury-Wodonga is the biggest hub on the route with over 30 stations, which makes it the easiest place to plan your main charging stop.

Is Seymour a good place to charge on this route?

Not really. The Chargefox unit in Seymour only does 25 kW, which is slow. If you need a proper top-up on the Victorian end of the trip, Euroa (Tesla Supercharger, 130 kW) or Wangaratta (Tesla Supercharger, 250 kW) are both faster and only a short detour from Seymour.

How long does the Canberra to Melbourne EV drive take with charging?

Plan on 8 to 9 hours door to door, including one longer charging stop of 30 to 40 minutes and a shorter break. Without stops it's a 7 to 7.5 hour drive, so charging adds roughly an hour to your day if you build it around a meal instead of trying to rush it.

Route Guide

Canberra to Melbourne EV Route Planner: Charging Stops and Timing

Published September 2026

Canberra to Melbourne isn't a route you can do in an EV without thinking about charging. It's around 660 km, and you don't actually start on the Hume Highway. You drive out on the Federal Highway to Yass first, then join the M31 for the rest of the trip. I've done this drive a few times now. The towns along the way turn out to be some of the better-served charging stops in the country, but 660 km is still more than any EV on the market today will cover on a single charge at highway speed, so you do need a plan.

The route and the real distance

From Canberra, it's about 75 km up the Federal Highway to Yass, where you join the Hume Highway. From there it's roughly 100 km to Gundagai, another 100 km to Holbrook, 55 km to Albury-Wodonga, 75 km to Wangaratta, 90 km to Euroa, 50 km to Seymour, and a final 113 km into Melbourne. Add it up and you're looking at close to 660 km total, around 7 to 7.5 hours of actual driving before any stops.

Yass: your first stop, even though you just left

Yass sits right where the Federal Highway meets the Hume, about 75 km out of Canberra. It's too early in the trip to need a charge if you left Canberra full, but it's worth knowing what's there because it's the last well-covered town before a longer run. Yass has a Tesla Supercharger, an NRMA charger, and a Chargefox unit, so if you're leaving Canberra with anything less than a full battery, this is a sensible place to top up before the bigger gap to Gundagai.

Check what's available before you go using the Yass charger listing.

Gundagai and Holbrook: the reliable middle stretch

Gundagai, about 175 km from Canberra, has a Tesla Supercharger in town and another larger one just up the road at Coolac. Holbrook, another 100 km further on, has its own Tesla Supercharger plus an NRMA charger right in the town centre. Both towns are well used by Sydney to Melbourne traffic, so the infrastructure here is more established than you'll find on plenty of other regional routes. NRMA has been progressively replacing older, less reliable chargers along this stretch of the Hume, so don't be surprised if what you find on the ground looks a bit different to what you read about even a year ago.

Neither stop is essential if you charged well at Yass and your EV has decent range, but Holbrook in particular is a good place to stretch your legs and grab a coffee even if you don't need the electrons. Check current options at Gundagai and Holbrook.

Albury-Wodonga: the natural halfway break

Albury-Wodonga sits almost exactly halfway between Canberra and Melbourne, around 330 km in. It's also the biggest charging hub on the whole route, with more than 30 stations listed across both sides of the border, including a 300 kW Tesla site, an NRMA charger, Evie Networks, and several Chargefox and destination options. This is where most people doing the full trip will want their main charging stop, and with this much choice you're not stuck waiting if one site is busy.

It's also a good place to stop for lunch. Charge for 25 to 30 minutes while you eat and you'll have more than enough to comfortably reach the next major town. Use the Albury charger listing to check what's free before you commit to a stop.

Wangaratta and Euroa: the last two solid options before Melbourne

Once you're back on the road in Victoria, Wangaratta (about 405 km from Canberra) has a 250 kW Tesla Supercharger, an Evie charger, and two bp pulse 150 kW units just off the highway. Euroa, another 90 km on, has its own Tesla Supercharger plus a Chargefox site. Either of these is a good second stop if you only topped up briefly at Albury, or if you're driving a shorter-range EV and want more margin heading into the final stretch.

Check Wangaratta and Euroa for live availability before you decide which one suits your timing better.

Seymour and the run into Melbourne

Seymour is the last town of any size before Melbourne, about 545 km from Canberra, but I won't pretend it's a great charging stop. The Chargefox unit there only does 25 kW, which is slow by 2026 standards. If you're low on charge by the time you reach this point, you're better off topping up properly at Euroa or Wangaratta first, or pushing on to Melbourne if your battery allows it. From Seymour it's a straightforward 113 km run down the freeway into the city, and Melbourne itself has plenty of fast charging once you arrive.

Use the journey planner to map your exact stops based on your car's real range, and always keep a backup charger in mind for each leg. On a route this long, having a plan B at your main stop matters more than shaving a few minutes off the total drive time.