EV sales in Australia rose sharply in 2023 with a total of over 87,000 new battery-electric cars making it onto the road, according to the latest data from FCAI. This was a 161% rise in 2022 sales which made up 33,410.
Tesla topped the sales chart with both the Model Y SUV making up 33% of the total EV sales. Meanwhile, the Model 3 sedan remained strong with a 59% increase over 2022 sales.
That’s despite a slowdown in sales in the last quarter of the year as Tesla launched a 2024 Refresh with more premium features and styling improvements.
The podium was shared by BYD with the Atto 3 SUV making up 13% of the total EV sales during the year. This is a huge achievement given the brand’s second year in the Australian market and its presence growing with the launch of multiple new models to close the year off.
One of these is the Dolphin electric hatchback which took the crown for Australia’s most affordable electric car, coming in with a starting price of $38,890 – although, as The Driven reports today, GWM has now driven away with that title by offering a discount on its entry-level Ora EV.
MG also launched the very popular MG4 electric hatch, which was first showcased locally in March at the first Fully Charged Show event.
Since then, the brand has delivered over 3,000 of these electric hatchbacks, which also happen to be one of the most affordable models in the market with a starting price of $38,990.
Kia’s EV6 made it in the top 10 EVs list while Hyundai grew sales of the Ioniq 5 SUV and launched the Ioniq 6 sedan. In 2024, we expect both brands to grow sales as they expand their lineup.
From the other brands, Polestar was up over the 1,526 units it sold in 2022. Over the last 12 months, the Swedish brand sold 2,463 units of the Polestar 2 sedan as it plans to launch two new SUV models in 2024. These are likely to sell better given Australia’s affinity with SUVs.
Speaking of Swedish brands and electric SUVs, Volvo has two in its lineup which were both in the top-10 best-selling EVs across the country. Volvo’s EVs, made up nearly 4,000 sales in 2023.
Looking ahead, the brand plans to launch its affordable electric SUV, the EX30 which already has over 1,500 pre-orders and is bound to do well in the local market.
2024 is looking to be an exciting year for EVs as more models on the cards mean more options, healthy competition and a used EV market that will help thousands more get behind the wheel of their first EV.
2023 Australian EV sales table
| EV Models | 2023 Sales |
| Tesla Model Y | 28,769 |
| Tesla Model 3 | 17,347 |
| BYD Atto 3 | 11,042 |
| MG MG4 | 3,134 |
| Volvo XC40 recharge | 2,846 |
| MG ZS EV | 2,797 |
| Polestar 2 | 2,463 |
| Kia EV6 | 1,831 |
| Mercedes-Benz EQA | 1,196 |
| Volvo C40 recharge | 1,103 |
| Kia e-Niro | 996 |
| Hyundai Ioniq 5 | 947 |
| BMW iX1 | 936 |
| BYD Dolphin | 925 |
| Cupra Born | 887 |
| Hyundai Kona Electric | 836 |
| BMW iX | 822 |
| Mercedes-Benz EQB | 783 |
| BMW iX3 | 772 |
| Hyundai Ioniq 6 | 623 |
| Mini Cooper Electric | 551 |
| Porsche Taycan | 535 |
| GWM Ora | 526 |
| Nissan Leaf | 484 |
| BYD Seal | 471 |
| Mercedes-Benz EQE | 437 |
| BMW i4 | 353 |
| Audi e-tron GT | 339 |
| Mercedes-Benz EQC | 323 |
| Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV | 252 |
| Kia EV9 | 208 |
| Audi e-tron | 200 |
| Lexus RZ | 195 |
| Genesis GV60 | 192 |
| Fiat 500e/Abarth | 174 |
| Lexus UX | 113 |
| Genesis GV70 | 78 |
| Peugeot e-Partner | 71 |
| Mercedes-Benz EQS | 67 |
| BMW i7 | 63 |
| Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV | 60 |
| Peugeot e-2008 | 57 |
| Ford Mustang Mach-E | 51 |
| BMW i5 | 44 |
| Jaguar I-Pace | 35 |
| Mazda MX-30 | 13 |
| Genesis G80 | 11 |
| Renault Megane E-Tech | 2 |
| Hyundai Ioniq | 1 |
| Totals | 87,217* |
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.