BYD and Tesla post record mid-year results as Australian EV sales more than double in first half of 2026

Record June caps a transforming market

The Australian new-vehicle market recorded its strongest month on record in June 2026, with 140,058 units sold, according to VFACTS figures reported by GoAuto. Toyota led the month with 19,124 sales and a 13.7 per cent share, followed closely by BYD on 18,881 (13.5 per cent) and Ford on 9,181. Tesla placed fourth with 8,670 sales, a 6.2 per cent share, ahead of Kia and Hyundai. ⁴⁶

China remained Australia's leading source of new cars, accounting for 46,592 units or 35.5 per cent of June VFACTS volume, GoAuto reports. Adding China-sourced Tesla and Polestar deliveries, which the Electric Vehicle Council reports separately, the Chinese tally rises to 55,516 units and 39.6 per cent of the market. Japan contributed 27,098 units, roughly half the Chinese total, with Thailand next on 23,297. ⁶

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries noted what it called extraordinary growth in battery electric vehicles across the first half of 2026. GoAuto reports BEVs accounted for 23.3 per cent of all June sales, up from 7.6 per cent at the same point last year. FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said: The Australian automotive market has shifted on its axis during the first months of 2026, and this year is likely to represent a significant turning point for the Australian automotive industry. ⁶

Weber attributed the demand shift to global uncertainty, including conflict in the Middle East and volatility in petrol prices, which he said appears to have sharpened customer interest in vehicles that reduce exposure to fuel prices. While these factors have had a short-term impact, he added, part of the EV growth would appear to be a permanent structural shift, as reported by GoAuto. ⁶

BYD's record first half and its own record month

BYD says it delivered more than 52,000 new energy vehicles in Australia during the first six months of 2026, including a record June of 18,881 vehicles, which AutoTalk reports brought April-to-June quarter deliveries to 34,794 and the first-half total to 52,335. CarExpert's analysis of the same period puts the brand's growth at 124.1 per cent year on year, making BYD the number two brand in the market for three months this year. ⁷²

The June result fulfilled a commitment BYD made in early April to cut delivery times after orders more than doubled as motorists responded to rising fuel prices and cost-of-living pressures, the company told AutoTalk. BYD Australia chief operating officer Stephen Collins said: We asked our customers to back us in, and they did, and we delivered, thanking customers for their faith in a promise made when fuel prices skyrocketed. ⁷

According to AutoTalk, the record month was supported by increased factory production and the arrival of almost 5,000 additional BYD and DENZA vehicles aboard a BYD-owned vehicle carrier. BYD said its dealer network expanded delivery centre capacity and offered evening and weekend collections to clear the backlog, with food vans on selected occasions. Zecar reports the carrier was the BYD ZHENGZHOU, and that BYD said the June total is unlikely to be repeated for some time. ⁷³

Within BYD's range, CarExpert identifies the Sealion 7 mid-size electric SUV as the brand's clear best seller with 12,516 deliveries, up 233.2 per cent, followed by the Shark 6 plug-in hybrid ute, the only model to decline, down 8.9 per cent to 9,493 units. A close race for third saw the Atto 2 small SUV on 5,401, the flagship Sealion 8 on 5,380 and the Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid SUV on 5,312. Zecar reports that in June alone the Sealion 7 led BYD's models with 4,730 units, ahead of the Shark 6 (3,398) and Sealion 6 (2,218). ²³

BYD also told AutoTalk it delivered almost 1,800 vehicles from its premium DENZA brand during the second quarter, taking DENZA's total to 2,419 since its Australian launch in February, and that June marked the third consecutive month it ranked second among Australia's passenger and light commercial vehicle brands. ⁷³

Tesla's surge rests almost entirely on the Model Y

CarExpert reports Tesla capitalised on rising EV demand and concern over fuel prices and supply to deliver 23,588 vehicles in the first half of 2026, up 66.7 per cent on the same period last year. That came despite the Model 3 sedan falling 14.1 per cent to 3,192 units, a shortfall more than covered by the Model Y mid-size SUV, which recorded 20,396 deliveries, up 95.5 per cent. ²

The Model Y was not only Australia's best-selling EV but the country's most popular new vehicle overall in both May and June, CarExpert reports. In June's VFACTS model rankings published by GoAuto, the Model Y topped the chart with 8,072 sales, up 133.5 per cent, ahead of the Ford Ranger 4x4 (5,599), the BYD Sealion 7 (4,730), the Toyota HiLux 4x4 (4,691) and the Toyota RAV4 (4,115). ²⁴⁶

BYD overtakes Tesla in the EV brand race

Electric vehicles accounted for roughly one in six new vehicles delivered to Australians in the first half of 2026, or 16.4 per cent, more than doubling their market share from 7.6 per cent a year earlier, according to FCAI and Electric Vehicle Council data reported by CarExpert. A total of 103,843 EVs were delivered in the half, an increase of 119.8 per cent. ¹

Within that total, CarExpert reports BYD has displaced Tesla as Australia's best-selling EV brand, growing its EV sales by 241.2 per cent to 29,192 deliveries against 23,588 for Tesla, giving BYD 28.1 per cent of the EV market to Tesla's 22.3 per cent. Tesla nonetheless retained the top-selling EV model with the Model Y's 20,396 units, well ahead of the second-placed BYD Sealion 7 on 12,516 and the third-placed Geely EX5 on 6,756. ¹

The EV brand field is widening. CarExpert reports more than 40 auto brands now sell EVs in Australia, with Geely (6,756) narrowly overtaking Kia (6,204) for third place among EV brands, Jaecoo fifth on the strength of its debut EV, and Zeekr sixth, fuelled almost entirely by its 7X mid-size SUV. Some brands, including GAC, Cadillac and Smart, do not yet report sales to either the FCAI or the EVC. ¹

Later figures extend the pattern beyond June. Energy Matters, citing FCAI VFACTS data compiled by the Electric Vehicle Council and reported by The Driven, reports that by the end of August BYD had outsold Tesla as a brand year to date, 39,302 units to 36,051, even though the Model Y remained the single best-selling model with 31,454 units year to date. The same outlet notes Tesla's monthly deliveries are concentrated in end-of-quarter pushes, citing spikes of 8,670 in June and 7,685 in August against 501 in January. ⁵

Chinese brands climb as established names slide

The first half was not a rising tide for all brands. CarExpert's winners-and-losers analysis shows Chery grew 76.8 per cent to 24,964 units, led by the Tiggo 4 small SUV on 13,638 (up 70.6 per cent), while GWM grew 20.5 per cent to 30,359 with the Haval Jolion its best seller at 11,480. Leapmotor posted the greatest percentage increase of any brand, up 152.1 per cent, though CarExpert cautions that came off a low base of 779 deliveries after the brand only began local deliveries in December 2024. ²

Among the decliners, CarExpert reports Jeep delivered just 365 vehicles in the first half, down 66.3 per cent, with Grand Cherokee stock almost dried up and the Compass discontinued locally. Peugeot fell 41.4 per cent to 427 units, a slide CarExpert notes made importer Inchcape's announcement that it was dropping the brand unsurprising, though Peugeot is not officially exiting Australia and will be picked up by another distributor or by parent Stellantis itself. ²

Nissan delivered 13,854 vehicles, down and out of the top 10 but holding a top-20 position, CarExpert reports, with double-digit declines across its lineup and a new-generation Navara managing only 2,400 sales, down 46.5 per cent. Even market leader Toyota was down 21.4 per cent at 95,141 units, with Subaru, Suzuki and Mitsubishi also posting significant declines. Cupra was the greatest decliner among Volkswagen Group brands, down 32.4 per cent to 1,091 units. ²