EV sales hit record high in March, as Tesla Model Y overtakes Toyota Hilux ute

The uptake of electric vehicles has reached a new monthly high in March, posting a new peak above 10,000 sales for the second month in a row, although its share of the new car market fell slightly because the sale of internal combustion cars also hit a new peak in Australia.

The sales data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) put the sales for EVs in March at 10,464, but this does not include another 84 sales of the Polestar 2, whose parent company has quit the FCAI over its opposition to vehicle emissions standards.

That would take total sales to 10,548,  although the share of the new car market for full battery EVs fell slightly to 9.5 per cent from 9.6 per cent in February. 

Tesla once again had a strong month of EV sales, with both the Model Y SUV and its refreshed Model 3 performing well, propelling Tesla to be the number 6 best selling brand in Australia, its highest position to date.

The Model Y took the crown of best selling EV with 4,379 sales, and was beaten in the overall market only by the Ford Ranger ute and the Toyota Rav4. The Model Y overtook the Toyota Hilux ute, while the Mitsubishi Outlander was the fifth best selling vehicle.

In the EV section, the newly refreshed Model 3 had 1,638 sales and took second place, following a record month in February when 3,593 vehicles were sold. 

Other notable EV models included the BYD Atto 3 with 1,044 sales, followed by the BYD Seal with 365 sales and the MG MG4 making up the top 5 on the EV charts with 352 sales.

Australia’s most affordable EV, the GWM Ora did not make the top 10 but accounted for 96 sales. Toyota reported 103 sales from the bZ4X, the first full EV it has brought to the Australian market, to take its total for the year to 311.

Sales of hybrid and plug-in hybrids represented 14 per cent of total sales.

Polestar sales were excluded from the vFacts data this month due to the manufacturer no longer being part of FCAI. Tesla data will also be excluded after June after both EV companies cancelled their membership of the FCAI over its opposition to proposed new vehicle emissions standards.

The FCAI, for its part, used the release of the sales data to repeat its ongoing concern about “the speed and magnitude” of the proposed vehicle emissions standards for both manufacturers and consumers.

“The car makers will respond, however it will take time to develop new products, especially in the large SUV and Light Commercial segments, that meet expectations in terms of price, performance and emissions, noting these vehicles make up more than one third of new vehicle sales in Australia,” FCAI chief Tony Weber said in a statement.

The best-selling EVs in March 2024 were:

• Tesla Model Y – 4379 sales
• Tesla Model 3 – 1638 sales
• BYD Atto 3 – 1044 sales
• BYD Seal – 365 sales
• MG MG4 – 352 sales
• BMW i4 – 236 sales
• BYD Dolphin – 213 sales
• Kia EV6 – 198 sales
• Volvo XC40 recharge – 135 sales
• Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV – 124 sales

The Driven is waiting to hear back from various manufacturers for sales of some EV models and this list will be updated once they’re received.

These EV sales come after a strong year in 2023 and the first quarter of 2024. Sales across these 15 months officially account for over 112,000 EVs on Australian roads.