Model Y tops electric list again as new models propel 2023 EV sales beyond 55,000

The Tesla Model Y electric crossover retained its dominant position in Australia’s growing electric vehicle market as the addition of a number of new models helped propel total EV sales to more than 55,000 in 2023.

New data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) V-Facts service says total new car sales in August jumped 15.4 per cent to its second best monthly total ever of 109,966.

EV sales saw a slight dip in their market share, coming in at 6.4% of the total vehicle sales, although Tesla ranked as the number eight best selling marque overall, with a total of 32,820 vehicles sold so far in 2023.

The Model Y, however, fell out of the list of Top 5 best selling cars for the month, with 2,314 sales. Tesla has sent more than 10 ships full of its EVs, but the deliveries and sales will likely be recorded in September.

The Model 3 reclaimed second spot for EVs, pipping the BYD 3. One of the first models with a sub-$40,000 variant, the MG4, sold 296 vehicles in August, claiming fifth spot, setting the stage for large deliveries of the electric hatchback for the rest of the year. The GWM Ora, another sub-$40,000 model, sold 90.

The overall monthly sales list was led by the Toyota Hilux ute, the Ford Ranger ute, and then the Toyota Rav4, the Isuzu D-Max ute selling and the MG ZS, which also comprised sales of the EV version.

“As consumers continue to embrace low emissions technologies we are seeing growth in electric, plug-in and hybrid vehicle sales,” FCAI CEO,Tony Weber said in a statement. “More than 1 in 6 vehicles sold in the month of August featured low emissions technologies.”

The best-selling EVs in August were:

1. Tesla Model Y – 2,314 sales
2. Tesla Model 3 – 995 sales
3. BYD Atto 3 – 803 sales
4. Volvo XC40 recharge – 382 sales
5. MG MG4 – 296 sales
6. Kia EV6 – 243 sales
7. Polestar 2 – 225 sales
8. MG ZS EV – 193 sales
9. Mercedes-Benz EQA – 153 sales
10. Mercedes-Benz EQB – 127 sales
11. Volvo C40 recharge – 122 sales

The Driven is waiting to hear back from various manufacturers for sales of some EV models. The article will be updated once they have been received.

Next month will be quite an interesting one with Tesla deliveries expected to have larger delivery numbers, helping the overall EV uptake for the year.

Update: MG ZS EV sales now added.