Battery-electric vehicles have outsold petrol, diesel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles in Australia for the first time, with EV sales surging by more than 160 per cent in August.

A total of 108,760 new vehicles were delivered in Australia in August 2026, up 4.9 per cent compared with the same month last year, according to VFACTS data published by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) and Tesla and Polestar sales data made available by the Electric Vehicle Council.

Of those, 27,078 were battery-electric vehicles, representing a massive 169.4 per cent increase year on year.

That gave EVs 24.9 per cent of the total new-vehicle market, their highest-ever share, and was enough to make them Australia's best-selling powertrain type for the first time.

For comparison, petrol-powered vehicles accounted for 25,824 deliveries in August, followed by diesel with 23,608, conventional hybrids with 18,662, and plug-in hybrids with 10,591.

The result represents a dramatic shift in Australia's new-car market, with EV sales now exceeding those of traditional petrol and diesel vehicles individually.

The surge has been driven by a combination of rapidly expanding EV choice and strong results from several Chinese brands, as well as Tesla.

The Tesla Model Y was Australia's best-selling vehicle of any type in August, with 6414 deliveries, putting it ahead of the Toyota RAV4 on 5470. The Model Y was followed by the Toyota Hilux with 4833, Toyota Prado with 2475 and Ford Ranger with 2440.

The BYD Sealion 7 was Australia's sixth best-selling vehicle, recording 2213 deliveries, while the Geely EX5 managed 1947 and the Zeekr 7X recorded 1748.

The growth of EVs is also visible further down the sales charts, with the Geely EX2 recording 1279 deliveries and the BYD Atto 2 managing 1122.

BYD has now ranked second among Australia's car brands for five consecutive months, while Tesla climbed to third after recording a 162.6 per cent year-on-year increase.

Despite the rapid rise of EVs, the overall Australian market remains heavily reliant on internal-combustion vehicles, with petrol and diesel together accounting for almost half of all new-vehicle deliveries in August.

However, the gap is narrowing quickly. EVs accounted for less than 10 per cent of Australia's new-vehicle market as recently as a few years ago, whereas they now represent almost one in every four new vehicles sold.

The Australian figures come as New Zealand's own new-car market undergoes a similar shift towards electrification.

In August, battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles accounted for 23.9 per cent of New Zealand's passenger-vehicle registrations, up from just 9.8 per cent in August 2025.

BEV registrations increased by 172.5 per cent year on year, while PHEVs jumped 179.1 per cent.

Year to date, BEVs account for 17.0 per cent of New Zealand passenger-vehicle registrations, while PHEVs hold a 10.9 per cent share. Combined, the two plug-in powertrains account for 27.9 per cent of the passenger market in 2026, compared with 12.3 per cent at the same point last year.

Australia's August result nevertheless marks a significant milestone, with EVs becoming the first propulsion type to outsell every other individual powertrain in a monthly new-car market.

And with several of Australia's fastest-growing models now electric, the result suggests the country's transition away from petrol and diesel is gathering pace.

EVs outsell every other new-car type in Australia for the first time

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