Electric vehicles account for 36pc of record new car sales in June driven by ‘unique’ factors

The take-up of electric vehicles in Australia surged to a new high in June as either battery electric or plug-in hybrid EVs accounted for more than one in three cars sold.

Data from the Electric Vehicle Council reveals that almost 49,000 Australians drove home in an EV from the showroom floor during the month, comprising 35.8 per cent of total new passenger car sales nationally.

The EV data comes on the back of a record month for all new vehicle sales nationally with the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries revealing that VFACTS recorded 131,134 sales in June, up 7 per cent on June 2025.

But sales from all sources in June totalled 140,058, the highest monthly sales figure ever recorded in Australia.

The Tesla Model Y outsold the Toyota HiLux, making the Model Y Australia's best-selling car two months in a row.

Model Y sales for June hit 8,072, an all-time record, outpacing the Ford Ranger with 5,999 sales and the Toyota HiLux 4x4 with 5,175 sales. 

BYD sold 18,881 vehicles during the month, which was just 243 cars fewer than Toyota and more than the 16,342 Toyota sold in May.

Polestar also sold an all-time record number of EVs in the last financial year. 

“Electric vehicles are now competing head-to-head with Australia’s legacy manufacturers and winning because they’re cheaper to run, there are more models to choose from than ever before, and they’re better to drive,” says Julie Delvecchio, CEO of the Electric Vehicle Council.

“That’s not just a sales record - that’s a shift in how people are getting around.”

However, Delvecchio says the results were driven by unique factors which may not be easily repeated and she has stressed caution for sales in coming months.

“Some of this month’s strength reflects unique conditions - end of financial year sales, and pre-ordered deliveries arriving,” she says.

“These conditions aren’t likely to repeat anytime soon. But it’s a genuinely promising sign that EVs are matching the way Australians actually want to live and drive.”

BYD Australia’s chief operating officer Stephen Collins says higher fuel prices pushed more Australians to consider electric vehicles, with orders more than doubling almost overnight.  

“We promised to move faster than ever to get vehicles into customers’ hands, and that’s exactly what we’ve done,” he says.

“BYD dealers went above and beyond, ramping up delivery centers and offering delivery in the evenings and weekends.”

BYD is reported to have built and sold 1.8 million new energy vehicles globally in the first half of this calendar year, which is down 15.7 per cent compared to the same time last year.

While sales have increased in Australia, BYD’s domestic sales in China fell by 24 per cent in the past six months.

This has been largely blamed on a reduction in government subsidies for Chinese consumers and strong competition from EV rivals within the Chinese market.

This has led to BYD focusing on the offshore market which now accounts for up to 40 per cent of the EV manufacturer's total sales globally.