Australian EV sales top 20% as market sets July record

Australia’s new vehicle market recorded its strongest July on record, with battery electric vehicles accounting for more than one in five sales, according to the latest VFACTS figures.

A total of 23,510 battery electric vehicles were sold during the month, representing 21.7% of all new vehicle deliveries. It was the second consecutive month that BEVs have exceeded a 20% market share.

Overall, Australians purchased 103,656 new vehicles in July, eclipsing the previous July record of 103,097 set last year. The result follows a record June and takes year-to-date sales to 710,449 vehicles.

Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Tony Weber says the figures demonstrate the resilience of Australia’s automotive market despite ongoing cost-of-living pressures.

“July was another outstanding month for Australian new vehicle sales and delivered the best July result on record. This strength extended to battery electric vehicles, which accounted for more than one in five new vehicle sales,” he says.

However, Weber warned that charging infrastructure must keep pace with growing EV adoption.

“There is a risk that the rapid increase in electric vehicle uptake in 2026 will outpace the supply of public charging infrastructure.

“Governments and the private sector must work together to ensure that the public charging network meets growing demand particularly in regional areas and for motorists who do not have access to charging at home.

“Accessible and dependable charging will be critical to maintaining consumer confidence as electric vehicles become a larger part of Australia’s new-vehicle fleet.”

Year-to-date, Australians have purchased 127,244 battery electric vehicles, accounting for 17.3% of all new vehicle sales.

SUVs remained the dominant vehicle segment in July with 67,699 deliveries, followed by light commercial vehicles (19,207), passenger cars (13,393) and heavy commercial vehicles (3,357).

Toyota retained its position as Australia’s top-selling brand with 20,409 deliveries during July, ahead of BYD on 7,857, Ford on 6,553, Kia on 6,458 and Mazda on 6,400.

On a year-to-date basis, Toyota continues to lead the market with 115,550 sales, although its market share has fallen to 16.3% from 20.0% a year earlier. BYD has consolidated second place with 60,192 sales and an 8.5% market share, more than doubling its volume from 27,962 vehicles during the same period last year. Ford, Kia and Mazda round out the top five.

The Toyota RAV4 was Australia’s best-selling vehicle in July with 5,564 deliveries, up 26.0% year-on-year, ahead of the Toyota HiLux (4,721) and Ford Ranger (4,042).

Chinese brands continued to make their mark, with the BYD Sealion 7 finishing fourth on 2,548 sales, while the Chery Tiggo 4 ranked fifth with 2,156 deliveries. The Geely EX5 was eighth after surging 315.1% year-on-year to 2,034 units, while the Zeekr 7X entered the top 10 with 1,892 sales.