EV sales ease as diesel reclaims top spot
Electric vehicles slipped back to second place among fuel types in October, but remain well ahead of where they were 12 months ago.
After EVs became Australia’s most popular fuel type in August and September, diesel has nudged back in front, with the latest data showing a slight cooling off from the record highs.
In October 2026, data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries’ month VFACTS report and the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) shows 107,493 new vehicles were delivered to buyers last month, a 6.8 per cent increase over the same period last year, and a new record for the month.
Of this, 24,845 deliveries were EVs for a 23.1 per cent market share, sitting between diesel (25,649 deliveries, 23.9 per cent) and petrol (23,605 deliveries, 22.0 per cent).
Combined with hybrids (18,434 deliveries) and plug-in hybrids (11,745 deliveries), electrified vehicles accounted for 51.2 per cent of the market. That is up from 49.8 per cent in September and just short of August’s record 51.7 per cent, despite diesels being the most popular fuel source overall.
The month-on-month dip in EVs deliveries (down from 26,287 in September) was largely due to market leader Tesla, which delivered 4050 vehicles, compared with 5654 the month before, dropping it out of the top 10 on the sales charts.
While EVs weren’t the leading vehicle type, their deliveries surged 237.5 per cent compared with October 2025, when they held just a 7.3 per cent share. Over the same period, petrol deliveries have fallen by 35.9 per cent and diesels have dropped 14.7 per cent.
The Toyota HiLux was the top seller overall with 5954 deliveries, ahead of the Ford Ranger (5228) and Toyota RAV4 (4718) . The Model Y finished fourth with 3105 examples delivered, followed by the BYD Sealion 7 on 2524 deliveries.
Three BYD models made the top 10, with the Atto 2 (1943) and Shark 6 plug-in hybrid ute (1843) joining the Sealion 7. BYD finished the month as Australia’s second most popular brand with 10,025 deliveries, up 153.2 per cent year-on-year.
China again led Australia’s sources of new-car imports, with 41,671 vehicles registered last month coming from Chinese production lines, a 104.2 per cent increase on the same month a year ago.
Japan accounted for 24,089 imports, down 13.1 per cent year-on-year. Thailand (18,505 deliveries) and South Korea (9531 deliveries) decreased by 11.1 per cent and 23.5 per cent, respectively.
“Australia’s open and competitive market has put consumers in the driver’s seat, with more choice across brands, technologies, features and price points,” said FCAI chief executive, Tony Weber.
“Consumers are making rational choices and are attracted to options that reduce their costs. Despite continuing pressure on household budgets and higher borrowing costs in 2026, the October result shows there is extraordinary resilience in new vehicle demand.
“This increase in new vehicle demand, especially BEVs (EVs), must be supported by reliable and accessible charging infrastructure that keeps pace with demand.”
