- EV specialists Tesla and Polestar continued to record strong sales in September, even though the usual end-of-quarter surge in Tesla deliveries did not eventuate as a result of a quirk in delivery timings.
According to data released on Friday by the Electric Vehicle Council, the two EV companies sold 5,854 electric cars in September, with Tesla accounting for 5,654 of these.
As usual, it was led by the Model Y, which has been the country’s best selling car of any type over the last two months. September’s total of 4,476 may not be enough to keep that title, but that won’t be confirmed until FCAI data is released early next week.
The Model Y sales were the lowest monthly total since April. Normally, Tesla sales surge at the end of each quarter, but the quirks of the market this year have seen deliveries peak earlier in the quarter, which could suggest a quick rebound in October or November.
Still, the Model Y sales were up 14 per cent over the same month a year ago, and the total for the year of 35,930 is more than double the total over the same period in 2025.
For a deeper dive into recent months, please see The Driven’s month by month sales data for models and brands, which will be updated as new information comes to hand.
The big mover in September was the Model 3 electric sedan, which continued its recent recovery with 1,178 sales for the month, up 60 per cent on the same period last year. The strong performance in the last two months has helped the Model 3 lift its year to date sales to 5,775, up just 6.6 per cent over the same period in 2025 after a slow start to the year.
- Tesla this week announced the release of a “stripped down” version of the Model 3 RWD, priced at just under $46,000 before on-roads, nearly 20 per cent cheaper than any other Tesla EV offered in Australia. That is expected to result in a big boost in sales.
Tesla also announced a price reduction for the Model Y performance as it shifted production from Germany to Shanghai, and a boost in range for some models.
Meanwhile, Polestar has take delivery of its first Polestar 5 EVs – most likely for media purposes, while its Polestar 2 continues a rebound and the Polestar 4 slips from the same period a year ago ahead of the release of the Polestar 4 SUV.
Data for all other car makers is expected to be released early next week. In August, EVs accounted for a record 24.8 per cent of new car sales, and have average 20 per cent of the new car market over the last five months.
You can find The Driven’s detailed EV sales data here: Australian electric vehicle sales by month in 2026; by model and by brand. It will be updated as new data comes in.
And you can sign up for The Driven’s free daily newsletter and get the latest EV news and analysis delivered straight to your inbox.
