Tesla is on course for its best sales year yet in Australia, and the gap to the record is now small. On the official figures reported by the Electric Vehicle Council, the brand delivered 45,755 cars here from January to October 2026, up 94.1 per cent on the same period last year. That leaves it just 362 sales short of its all-time calendar-year record of 46,116, set in 2023, with two months still to run.
Model Y doing the heavy lifting
The Tesla Model Y family accounts for 39,035 of this year's tally, more than 85 per cent of every Tesla sold here, with the Model 3 making up 6,720. The six-seat Model Y L added this year stretched the range at the top, while sharper drive-away pricing through the second half has kept the order book moving against a growing field of Chinese electric SUVs.
Cartell Assessment
Clearing 46,116 now looks a formality rather than a question. Tesla needs an average of fewer than 200 sales a month across November and December to pass it, and the Model Y alone has been doing many times that. The more telling figure is the 94 per cent jump, a sharp turnaround for a brand plenty of people had written off a year ago.
AU Outlook
Expect Tesla to confirm a fresh record before the end of December, and the full-year total to settle comfortably above 46,000. The question for 2027 is whether BYD and a wave of electric SUVs priced under $40,000 can finally slow the Model Y, or whether another round of stock pricing keeps Tesla out in front.
