Australia sold 15,459 full battery electric vehicles in April, giving EVs a record 16.46 per cent market share for the month. That is one in six new cars sold. BYD was the second-biggest car brand overall, sitting behind only Toyota. Chinese brands collectively are now the largest source of EV sales in the country.

The numbers that matter

The BYD Sealion 7 was the top-selling EV in April with 1,780 units. Geely and Zeekr both posted their strongest months. According to The Driven, China is now the biggest single country of origin for Australian EV sales, ahead of Korea and ahead of Europe.

Year-to-date EV sales in 2026 are more than double the same period in 2025. That is not a growth trend. That is a structural shift in how Australians buy cars.

What pushed the numbers

Two things coincided in April. Fuel prices remained elevated following Middle East supply disruptions, making the running cost comparison between EVs and petrol cars more stark for household budgets. The FBT exemption also remained in place for eligible vehicles under the luxury car tax threshold, keeping the corporate fleet and novated lease channel active through the quarter.

The ACT led by geography, with EVs taking 34 per cent of new car sales in the national capital. Victoria and South Australia also outperformed the national average. Queensland and Western Australia remain below it.

Cartell Assessment

The one-in-six figure is striking, but the geography gap is the real story. The ACT at 34 per cent and Queensland well below the national average tell you that EV adoption in Australia is still being driven by policy incentives more than by charging network confidence. Until the infrastructure genuinely reaches rural Queensland, WA, and regional NSW, the market will keep splitting along those lines. The government's $40 million for regional charging announced this month is a start. It is a modest start against the gap that still exists.

AU Outlook

May will be the first full month with the BYD Shark 6 Performance and several new Chinese models on sale. Watch whether the ute segment EV share ticks upward. The next monthly VFACTS data drops in early June. If Chinese brands hold their April momentum through the end of financial year push, BYD's claim to second-largest brand overall will be hard to dislodge.