Electric vehicles grab record 6.8 pct share of Australia market as Tesla rules again

Electric vehicle sales have reached new heights in Australia, with the latest data for the month of February showing that EVs have grabbed a record share of 6.8 per cent of new car sales.

Data compiled by vFacts on behalf of the Federated Chamber of Automotive Industries shows that there were 5,932 EVs sold in February, out of a total of 88,878 vehicles (passenger SUV, and light commercial).

Once again, the sales were dominated by Tesla which sold 3,516 EVs in the month, to keep 60 per cent of the market. But the month also saw the entry of some new vehicle offerings, including the Hyundai Ioniq 6, with more to follow in coming months.

FCAI vFacts data for last month’s vehicle sales show that EVs made up 6.8% of the overall market. 88,878 vehicles were sold in February with battery electric vehicles sales making up 5,932 of them.

This is a very positive sign for electric vehicle uptake across the country. FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber commented on this milestone:

“Growing sales of electric vehicles proves that where a battery electric product exists which suits the driving habits, needs and finances of Australian motorists, they will purchase these vehicles,” FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said in a statement.

“The number of low emission vehicle sales demonstrates that there is an appetite among Australians for environmentally friendly vehicles. “

Weber said that Australia needs to adopt a fuel efficiency standard to ensure enough EVs are brought to Australia to meet demand. Currently most car makers – with the exception of Tesla, Polestar and BYD – prioritise other markets where fuel efficiency standards require them to sell more zero-emission vehicles.

Diving into the numbers for February, Tesla sold 3,516 sales during the month and made up 6,829 EVs for the year.

Overall, Tesla made up 4% of the overall sales. It also accounted for 16.3% of the total passenger market with its Model 3, which totalled 2,671 sales for the month. EVs accounted for 75% of the medium passenger market in the month.

The Tesla Model 3 was once again the third best-selling vehicle in the country, after the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux utes.

The Tesla Model Y had 845 sales but captured 30% of the Medium SUV over $60k market.

The top-selling EVs for the month were:

• Model 3 (2,671)
• Model Y (845)
• BYD Atto 3 (770)
• MG ZS EV (387)
• Polestar 2 (172)
• Hyundai Ioniq 5 (146)
• Hyundai Kona EV (88)
• Volvo C40 (59)
• Nissan Leaf (57)
• Mercedes EQ Series (55)
• BMW iX (46)
• Kia EV6 (40)

The data from February showcases that Australian drivers are ready to transition to EVs and in large numbers too. After January’s strong EV sales performance, February has continued to show growth in EV uptake. 

This has given the EV uptake a kickstart that it needed to make 2023 the best year ever for EV uptake.