The slow start to electric vehicle sales in Australia in 2025 continued into April, with the ongoing plunge in Tesla EV sales offsetting gains from a slew of new models brought to the market by other suppliers.
The latest data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) and Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) shows that 6,010 EVs were sold in Australia in April. That represented a share of 6.6 per cent in an overall weaker market for new car sales, down from 7.5 per cent in March, but up from 6.4 per cent in the same month last year.
EV sales over the first four months of 2025 have totalled just 23,911 in Australia, compared to 31,846 in the same four months of 2024. The fall can be almost entirely explained by the plunge in Tesla sales.
Tesla accounted for nearly half the Australian EV market in the first four months of 2024, with 14,866. But in 2025 its share of the market has slumped to just 5,660 – or less than 25 per cent. Sales of non-Tesla EVs have actually risen over the first four months of the year.
The fall in Tesla sales is partly blamed on the wait for the refreshed Model Y, which should start deliveries in May, and boost its sales numbers. But Tesla has also been offering discounts of up to $9,000 on the old Model Y in recent months, and the Model 3 is also down sharply from the same month a year ago.
In fact, both the Model Y and Model 3 are down 75 per cent in the month of April, pushing the two former best selling EVs to seventh and eighth place in the monthly numbers, although they remain the top selling vehicles for the year to date.
Similar results have been found in Europe and north America, with the consumer pushback against CEO Elon Musk’s political positions cited as the main cause. The latest data shows an 81 per cent slump in Tesla sales in Sweden.
See also: Tesla sales plunge again in April, down stunning 75 pct over year before
As per previous months, the data for Australia was separated with two suppliers, the FCAI shared 5,308 EVs – and those provided by the Electric Vehicle Council – a total of 702 – from Tesla and Polestar.
EV Sales Breakdown – April 2025
| FCAI vFacts | 5,308 |
| EVC (Polestar + Tesla) | 702 |
| EV Sales Total (FCAI + EVC) | 6,010 |
| Total Vehicle Sales (FCAI + EVC) | 91,316 |
Plug in hybrid sales also had a sharp dip in April, as it was the first month where FBT exemption for PHEVs had ended. A total of 2,601 vehicles under that fuel type were sold, with the BYD Shark 6 ute making up 1,293 of them.
The new front-runner in the EV sales stakes is the BYD Sealion 7, which claimed the top spot with 743 sales. MG4 followed with 363 and the BYD Atto 3 was not too far behind that with 355 sales.
The Atto 3 sales rise is also likely due to the initial deliveries of the more affordable Essentials range which BYD launched in January.
Kia took the next two spots with its EV5 filling the fourth spot with 342 sales, while the recently launched small electric SUV, the EV3 rounded up the top 5 with 336 sales.
Other notable products mentioned in April were the Geely EX5, which sold 324 units in its first full month of sales. It recently boasted of 1,000 sales since March, but these have clearly not all been delivered. It remains to be seen to what extent the Model Y can bounce back in May, when first deliveries of the refresh are made.
The best-selling EVs in April 2025 were:
- BYD Sealion 7 – 743 sales
- MG MG4 – 363 sales
- BYD Atto 3 – 355 sales
- Kia EV5 – 342 sales
- Kia EV3 – 336 sales
- BYD Seal – 325 sales
- Geely EX5 – 324 sales
- Tesla Model Y – 280 sales
- Tesla Model 3 – 220 sales
- BYD Dolphin – 216 sales
- Polestar 4 – 124 sales
The Driven is waiting to hear back from various manufacturers regarding sales of some EV models, and this list will be updated once they’re received.
FCAI CEO Tony Weber said removing the tax support for plug in hybrids has led to an “immediate and disappointing” drop in demand in a price-sensitive vehicle market.
“For NVES to succeed, it must be supported by holistic policy settings that assist consumers to move to zero and low-emission technologies, including continued investment in recharging infrastructure,” he said in a statement.
During April, MG also announced the prices of its successor to the affordable ZS EV. With driveaway prices of just over $40,000, various EV models are now better value than their ICE counterparts.
See full details of EV sales for each month of the year in our database here.