EV industry celebrates record 100,000 plug-in car sales for 2024, even as Tesla licks its wounds

Australia has already broken its record for the sales of new cars with rechargeable batteries in 2024 – reaching more than 100,000 before the end of November – a milestone that remained just out of reach for the full 2023 calendar year.

“2024 has been a record-breaking year for EV uptake in Australia, with new sales surpassing 100,000 for the first time in a year – and that’s before the year has even ended,” said Aman Gaur, head of policy, legal, and advocacy for the Electric Vehicle Council.

“Reaching this annual milestone of 100,000 EV sales is a clear signal that Australians want modern, sustainable cars that are fun to drive.

However, it’s important to note that these numbers are not just full battery electric vehicles, they also include plug in hybrid vehicles, a sector where sales have already more than doubled and account for more than 20,000 of the EVC tally.

The total for EVs, according to data provided by the EVC, the FCAI and aggregated by The Driven, show that EV sales have accounted for 82,961 vehicles so far this year, up from 80,456 sold over the same period in 2023.

With a  reasonable performance in December, last year’s total of 87,217 should be beaten, but not by much and the market is witness a share contraction in its growth compared to the 161 per cent lift experienced in 2023 over the 2022 numbers.

Part of the problem has been the dramatic slump in sales of market leader Tesla – with its total for the year down almost 21 per cent. Pure EV sales from BYD have also fallen, although it has done well with PHEVs.

“Despite ongoing cost-of-living pressures making it harder to purchase a new car upfront, EV sales have still outpaced previous years,” the EVC’s Gaur said.

“EVs are becoming more affordable thanks to a variety of budget-friendly models, more competition across all vehicle types and government incentives.”

The EVC notes that the cheapest EV available in Australia currently the 51kWh MG4, priced at around $33,000 – a price point that has helped it dramatically increase sales in recent months, and become the best seller in the month of October.

But the EVC says policy stability will be vital to ensure carmakers are confident enough to bring EVs to Australia’s shores.

“Looking ahead to 2025, we’re optimistic that EV adoption in Australia will continue to grow, especially with the introduction of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, which is set to deliver even more affordable and a greater choice of low and zero emissions cars,” Gaur said.

“Reaching milestones in EV adoption is exciting – governments can build on this momentum by offering more incentives to improve EV affordability, expanding charging infrastructure, and updating regulations to support the sector’s growth and create local jobs.”

For more details on pure EV sales, and to see which models are selling the most, go to The Driven’s month by month sales data, updated to the end of November.