CANBERRA, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Electric vehicle (EV) sales in Australia hit a new record high in May, new data has revealed.
Monthly sales data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) on Wednesday showed that battery EVs accounted for 20 percent of all new vehicle sales nationwide in May, up from the previous record of 16.4 percent set in April.
Including hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles, the FCAI said that all electrified vehicles accounted for 46 percent of new sales in May.
FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber said in a statement that the shift to electrified vehicles was particularly evident in the SUV segment, where EV sales were 167 percent higher in May than 12 months earlier and plug-in hybrid sales were up 377 percent while sales of petrol SUVs declined by 31 percent.
Leading Chinese manufacturer BYD sold 8,211 new vehicles in Australia in May, up 155 percent from May 2025.
As of the end of May, BYD and fellow Chinese manufacturers GWM and Chery had sold 78,168 new vehicles in Australia in 2026, up from 46,023 sales at the same point in 2025.
Toyota remained Australia's leading manufacturer in May, but sales fell from 100,753 vehicles in the first five months of 2025 to 76,017 sales in the same period in 2026. ■
