Across all reporting sources, a record 27,089 battery electric vehicles were sold in Australia during August 2026. That is 24.9 per cent of the entire new vehicle market and a 171 per cent increase on August 2025 — the highest number of BEVs ever sold in one month in Australia, according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.
Dylan Anderson
The total market barely moved
VFACTS recorded 100,939 new vehicle sales in August, up 0.4 per cent on the 100,539 sold in August 2025. Year-to-date sales sit at 811,388, which the FCAI calls broadly consistent with the same period in 2025. So the market is not really growing. What is changing is who you are buying from.
Five of the top 10 brands are now Chinese
BYD, GWM, MG, Geely and Chery recorded a combined 26,610 sales in August — 26.4 per cent of the VFACTS market. BYD alone finished second overall on 8,231 sales and an 8.2 per cent share, up from 4,877 a year earlier. Geely went from 401 sales in August 2025 to 4,504.
Toyota still leads on 19,712 sales and 19.5 per cent share, though that is down from 20,791 and 20.7 per cent last August. Kia (6,500), Mazda (6,203), Hyundai (5,355) and Ford (4,816) fill out the rest of the top 10. Ford's number is the one to watch — it sold 8,002 in August 2025.
Half the top 10 models come from China too
Toyota holds the podium: RAV4 on 5,470 (up 32.9 per cent), HiLux on 4,833 (up 0.2 per cent) and Prado on 2,475 (up 21.7 per cent). The Ford Ranger slipped to fourth on 2,440, down 50.6 per cent year-on-year.
Then come five Chinese models in a row — BYD Sealion 7 (2,213), Chery Tiggo 4 Pro (2,012), Geely EX5 (1,947), GWM Haval Jolion (1,891) and Zeekr 7X (1,748). The Zeekr 7X sold none at all in August 2025. The Isuzu D-Max rounds out the 10 on 1,708.
Hybrids still take a bigger slice than you think
Within VFACTS, plug-in hybrids accounted for 10.5 per cent of August sales and conventional hybrids 18.5 per cent. Petrol and diesel are still the default, but they are no longer the default by much.
Where sales grew, and where they went backwards
Tasmania had the strongest month at 1,698 sales, up 9.3 per cent. Western Australia was up 8.7 per cent to 11,572, South Australia up 4.0 per cent to 6,660 and the Northern Territory up 2.5 per cent to 861. Victoria edged up 0.9 per cent to 27,270.
New South Wales was flat at 30,517, down 0.1 per cent. Queensland fell 4.8 per cent to 20,849 and the ACT dropped 6.4 per cent to 1,512.
What the industry says has to happen next
FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said the results pointed to a structural shift, and that charging infrastructure is now the constraint:
These changes continue to reinforce the need for infrastructure settings that keep pace with the market. Accessible and dependable charging will remain critical to consumer confidence, particularly on highways, in rural and regional areas and for motorists without access to charging at home.
If you are shopping now, the practical read is simple: there is more choice at the affordable end than there has ever been, and a lot of it is arriving with a badge you did not grow up with.
Dylan Anderson
Source: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, “August vehicle market remains buoyant”, VFACTS August 2026, 3 September 2026.
Discussion