Australia crossed a threshold in May 2026: one in five new cars sold was electric. The 21,303 EVs registered against 106,887 total new car sales pushed EV market share to its highest point on record. Add plug-in hybrids and the electrified share jumps to 29 per cent.

The numbers come from VFACTS data compiled by The Driven, released June 3. Year to date, Australians have bought 71,144 EVs in the first five months of 2026. That is more than double the 33,976 sold in the same period in 2025.

Tesla still leads, but the gap is closing

Tesla had its best ever month in Australia with 6,443 sales in May, driven almost entirely by the Model Y. The Model Y alone shifted 5,605 units, making it the single best-selling car of any type, petrol or electric, in the country for the month.

But the story behind Tesla is more interesting than the headline. Omoda Jaecoo's J5 came second among EVs with 2,126 sales. The Geely X5 posted a monthly record of 1,814 units. The BYD Sealion 7 moved 1,538, and the Zeekr 7X rounded out the top five at 966 units.

Positions two through five in Australia's EV sales chart are owned by Chinese brands. That is not an accident, and it is not going to reverse.

What the ute numbers say

The plug-in hybrid segment also doubled year on year, with 9,315 PHEVs sold in May and 38,173 registered in the first five months of 2026. Most of that volume is going into the family SUV segment, not working utes.

The diesel ute market has not collapsed. The Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux still sell in large numbers. But the rate of growth that underpinned those models for the past decade has flattened, and the mix of buyers is shifting. Fleet buyers chasing lower fuel and running costs are now a meaningful share of the EV buyer pool.

Cartell Assessment

The 20 per cent figure is a milestone worth noting, but the more revealing number is the YTD doubling. In 2025, an EV market at 16 per cent was still being called a niche. At 20 per cent and accelerating, the conversation has to change. If you are planning a new car purchase this year and have ruled out EVs because of range anxiety or price, the models in positions two through five on this month's chart average under $50,000 and are delivered from Australian dealerships. Worth a test drive before you sign anything.

AU Outlook

June will be the first month with the full Suzuki eVitara on sale and BYD shipments of Atto 2 stock arriving. If the trend holds, the June figure could push past 21 per cent. The next VFACTS monthly EV breakdown is due in early July.