The Australian electric vehicle market has rebounded from its lows of the past few months, topping the 10,000 aggregate sales in a single month in May for the first time in nearly a year, and lifting its market share to 9.5 per cent – still short of the record.
Here are a few graphs that highlight some key parts of the market.
The first graph from Tim Eden shows the aggregate sales of Tesla and non-Tesla EVs in the Australia market. Tesla rebounded strongly after its miserable months of April and January, but despite the big number for Model Y sales in May, its total numbers are well short of the peaks in previous years.
Time will tell if it regains those earlier giddy heights. How badly has Musk impacted sales, will his “breakup” with Trump make a difference, does the Model Y now have a new demographic, or has nothing really changed. And will the Model 3 ever rebound?
The second graph shows the percentage share of the market for Tesla and non-Tesla EVs. Tesla once owned the market, holding up to two thirds of all Australia EV sales as recently as January, 2023. But the growth of new makers has eaten away at that share. Will they meet again?
The next three graphs come courtesy of renewable energy developer, analyst and advocate Ray Wills.
The first highlight is that Australia’s EV sales share of 9.5 per cent of the new car market in May is strong, and just short of the peak in March last year. Will a continued rebound in the Model Y and the growth of Kia, Geely, BYD and others take the market to a new peak in June?
The next graph provides another illustration of the respective drive train market shares over the last five years. EVs overtook hybrids and plug in hybrids briefly in October, 2022, but since then the growth has been strongest in the hybrid class.
Wills notes that plug ins – battery electric and plug in hybrids – account for 12.5 per cent of the market, and mild hybrids 16.1 per cent. Green vehicles (the combination of BEV plus PHEV and HEV) make up 28.6 per cent of the market.
- SUV Share of Vehicle Sales: A record 61.6%, SUV sales now consistently above 60%
Wills notes that plug ins – battery electric and plug in hybrids – account for 12.5 per cent of the market, and mild hybrids 16.1 per cent. Green vehicles (the combination of BEV plus PHEV and HEV) make up 28.6 per cent of the market.
Wills is optimistic about the near term future. “Australia and the rest of the world that’s not the US will see cheaper EVs arriving by years end, and then greater surges in 2026 as China’s production continues to ramp, and Europe makes deals with China for manufacturing in Europe,” he says.
“Perhaps also  Japan as Nissan says it is open to sharing factories around the world with its Chinese partner Dongfeng.”
See The Driven’s detailed sales data by model and make:Â Australian electric vehicle sales by month and by model in 2025
Giles Parkinson is founder and editor of The Driven, and also edits and founded the Renew Economy and One Step Off The Grid web sites. He has been a journalist for nearly 40 years, is a former business and deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review, and owns a Tesla Model 3.