Yes, in four specific ways. Most EVs have almost no grille, so the front of the car is a much larger run of exposed paint. Factory paint is thin and soft. They often sit in holding yards for weeks before delivery and arrive contaminated. And some have coated roof glass that cannot be tinted at all.
So is an EV really a different job?
The products are the same. Paint protection film, ceramic coating and ceramic tint do not change because the car has a battery in it. What changes is where the car is vulnerable, how much margin you have when you work on the paint, and what condition the car turns up in.
That matters because the package most new EV owners get offered is quoted exactly the way it would be quoted for a petrol hatchback. Four things about an EV make that the wrong quote.
1. The front end is where it actually matters
Take the grille off a car and what is left is one continuous run of painted panel facing the road. On most EVs the bonnet, the bumper and the whole lower front are paint, and all of it is in the firing line at highway speed. A petrol car breaks that surface up with a grille and vents that do not care about stone chips.
This is the single most common reason EV owners come to us asking about film, and it is the one difference we would defend hardest, because you can see it on the car rather than having to take our word for it. Most end up taking either a partial front or a full front in paint protection film, with ceramic coating over the rest of the car.
You will read that instant torque and battery weight throw up more stone chips than a normal car. We do not see that on cars coming in, so we are not going to claim it. The exposed painted front end is the real issue.
2. EV paint is thin and soft
Across the brands we see, EV factory paint is thin and soft. Two things follow from that. It marks more easily during washing, so how the car is maintained matters more than it would on a car with a hard clear coat. And it leaves less margin when polishing, so the enhancement stage is worked carefully rather than cut hard.
There is an argument that a coating is worth more on an EV for exactly this reason. The less paint you have underneath, the more you want something else taking the wear.
3. Your EV probably sat in a yard for weeks
New EVs tend to spend a long time in transport and holding yards before anybody drives them. They arrive carrying iron fallout and bonded contamination that a normal wash will not shift. Every car we take on gets a chemical decontamination and a clay stage before anything else happens, and the polishing takes longer than it would on a car straight off a showroom floor.
To be clear about what this is and is not: it is contamination, not damage, and it comes off. We would not tell you an EV arrives in worse condition than a petrol car, because in our experience it does not. What is different is how long it sat still beforehand, and that is a supply chain thing rather than a build quality thing.
4. Some EV roof glass cannot be tinted at all
Most EV roof glass already has some heat rejection built in. In a Brisbane summer that is not enough for a lot of owners, and roof tint is one of the most requested things we do on an EV.
The complication is that some EVs, MG and Zeekr among them, have a coating on the inside of the roof glass. Conventional tint goes on the inside, so on those cars it cannot be fitted at all. Plenty of owners only find this out after they have been quoted for it.
The alternative is Sunroof-X, which goes on the outside of the glass instead. It is an 8 mil multilayer TPU film, roughly 203 microns, built with nano ceramic and titanium nitride layers. It rejects 99 percent of infrared and 99 percent or better of UV at 55 percent visible light transmission, self heals, has a hydrophobic surface and carries a 10 year warranty. Because it sits on the outside it also protects the glass itself from scratches, which conventional tint does not do.
It costs more than conventional roof tint. On a car with coated roof glass it is the only option. On a car without it, it is a choice about how much you want out of the roof.
| Conventional roof tint | Sunroof-X | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it goes | Inside the glass | Outside the glass |
| Works on coated roof glass | No | Yes |
| Infrared rejection | Varies by film | 99 percent |
| UV rejection | Varies by film | 99 percent or better |
| Protects the glass from scratches | No | Yes, and self heals |
| Warranty | Varies by film | 10 years |
| Cost | Lower | Higher |
What EV owners ask us for that petrol owners do not
Front end film, specifically. Petrol car owners tend to ask about protection in general. EV owners often arrive already knowing they want the front covered, which lines up with the grille point above.
Whether it can go through their lease. A large share of new EVs in Australia are bought through a novated lease or salary packaging arrangement. We can put your quote together in the format your provider asks for, so you can submit the protection with the car rather than paying for it separately afterwards. Tell us who you are leasing through when you enquire and we will match the format.
To be straight about the limits of that: we prepare the quote, you submit it, and whether your provider approves it is up to them. We are not financial advisers and we cannot tell you how it will be treated for tax. Your leasing company or accountant can.
Three EV worries we think are overstated
The charge port. You do see marking around the flap from cables and plugs, so it is real. It is not the main concern and we would not build a package around it.
Sensors and cameras in the front bumper. EVs are loaded with them and it sounds like it should complicate filming the front. In practice it does not cause us problems.
Light interiors. EVs come with white and pale interiors far more often than petrol cars, so you would expect interior protection to sell harder on them. It does not. Demand is about the same either way. Worth having, but not an EV specific argument.
Which EVs we see most
Teslas, BYDs and Zeekrs are the top three by a clear margin, with Polestars, Kias, Hyundais and MGs behind them. Hundreds of EVs have come through the studio since 2018, which is where all of the above comes from rather than from a product brochure.
What we would actually recommend
For most new EVs: paint protection film across the front, partial or full depending on budget, ceramic coating over the rest of the car, and ceramic tint. If the roof glass is coated, Sunroof-X instead of conventional roof tint. The full breakdown of what each package includes is on the new EV protection page, and if you are in a Model Y or Model Y L there is a model specific page for it.
Related guides
If you are still deciding between products, PPF or ceramic coating covers which does what. For the legal side of tinting, Queensland window tint laws has the limits straight from the regulation.
Does a Tesla need paint protection film?
It is not compulsory, but the front of a Model Y is a large unbroken painted surface and it is the part that collects stone chips. If you plan to keep the car and you do highway kilometres, film across the front is the change that makes the most difference. A coating alone will not stop a chip.
Can you tint an EV glass roof?
Usually yes. The exception is EVs with a coating on the inside of the roof glass, MG and Zeekr among them, where conventional tint cannot be fitted at all. On those cars the option is Sunroof-X, which is applied to the outside of the glass instead.
Is ceramic coating enough on its own for an EV?
It depends what you want from it. A coating gives you gloss, UV and chemical defence and a car that washes clean far more easily, and it will resist light marring. It will not stop a stone chip. On an EV, where the front is mostly exposed paint, that distinction matters more than it does on a petrol car.
Will paint protection film interfere with the sensors and cameras?
No. EV front bumpers carry a lot of sensors and it sounds like it should be a problem, but it has not caused us issues in practice.
Can paint protection go through my novated lease?
Often, yes. We can prepare your quote in the format your leasing provider asks for so you can submit it with the car. Whether it is approved is a decision for your provider, and we cannot advise you on how it will be treated for tax.
Protecting a new EV in Brisbane?
Tell us the model and what you are most worried about, and we will tell you what it actually needs.