Source : Perth Now news
Electric vehicles have smashed sales records across the country as Australians continue to grapple with global fuel uncertainty.
Battery powered EV’s represented one-fifth of all car sales in July, marking the second consecutive month of record-breaking EV sales.
More than 23,500 battery powered EV’s were sold in July 2026 and accounted for 21.7 per cent of the total market share, according to new data from the Chamber of Automotive Industries.
“July was another outstanding month for Australian new-vehicle sales and delivered the best July result on record,” Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Tony Weber said.
Mr Weber said a sudden uptick in EV sales would also add pressure on public charging infrastructure, and urged governments and the private sector to address the issue as sales steadily increase.
“Governments and the private sector must work together to ensure that the public charging network meets growing demand particularly in regional areas and for motorists who do not have access to charging at home,” he said.
“Accessible and dependable charging will be critical to maintaining consumer confidence as electric vehicles become a larger part of Australia’s new-vehicle fleet.”
The BYD Sealion 7 led the charge as the most popular EV sold in July, with 2548 sales recorded during the month.
Tesla cars were also favoured highly by customers, with the Model Y L selling 2429 cars and Model Y just over 2200.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the rise in EV sales was shielding people against “global oil shocks” and that EV adopters were maximising the opportunity to ease their cost of living.
“The lesson from Cheaper Home Batteries and EVs is clear to me: with the right policy settings Australians will respond enthusiastically in ways which can lead to globally leading outcomes,” he said.
“In the first six months of this year, EVs and plug-in hybrids accounted for 27 per cent, about 191,830, of light vehicle sales. This is up from 13 per cent in the 2025 calendar year.”
Mr Bowen said Tarneit, Werribee, Kellyville, Marsden Park, Craigieburn, Cranbourne and Baulkham Hills recorded the highest use of the electric vehicle tax cut, and that the quiet majority of Australians were “simply getting on with it”.
“The common sense choices that Australians are making to upgrade their own energy infrastructure with modern, reliable renewables is the same as our approach for the country,” he said.
“People (are) getting a battery and then maximising its contribution to their cost of living by using it to power their EV at a rate much cheaper than filling up at the servo.”
While electric vehicles accounted for 21.7 per cent of the total market share, when combined with hybrid models (17.2 per cent), they dominated all other options in the market.
Petrol cars are still favoured by customers with 27,894 vehicles sold in July, occupying over a quarter of total sales.
Diesel cars were also close behind with 24,773 units sold.
