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Electric cars now account for a record share of new-vehicle sales in Australia, as demand for petrol and diesel models continues to slump amid conflict in the Middle East driving up fuel prices.
Electric Cars
One in seven new vehicles sold in Australia last month was electric for the first time in local motoring history, as surging petrol and diesel prices turn motorists towards cars that don't need liquid fuel.
It amounts to 15,839 vehicles – a record result, up 42.3 per cent compared to the month prior, and up 88.9 per cent compared to March last year.
In contrast, sales of purely petrol-powered vehicles slumped 20.8 per cent year-on-year, and diesel vehicle sales are down 10.1 per cent.
Hybrids add 17,953 to the tally – though only up 6.7 per cent year-on-year due to a changeover from old to new Toyota RAV4s – while plug-in hybrids were up 18.5 per cent to 8215, even despite a rush in PHEV deliveries last March in the final days of a lucrative tax exemption.
It brings March 2026's new-car sales total to 108,703 vehicles, down 2.6 per cent overall.
Electric power's share of new-car sales pulls ahead of the previous high of 11.8 per cent set in February 2026.
Today's data is the first concrete indication of the impact high fuel prices have had on new-vehicle sales, as conflict broke out in the Middle East too late in February to impact demand in car showrooms.
The average price of diesel surged past $3.00 per litre – and 91-octane regular unleaded petrol beyond $2.50/litre – prior to last week's cuts worth 32 cents per litre to the government's fuel excise.
The surge in electric-vehicle (EV) demand in the new-car sales data has been foreshadowed by sharp growth reported by other car sales and finance businesses in recent weeks.
Auction house Pickles reported 60 per cent growth in used EV sales last month compared to February, while Commonwealth Bank has claimed a 161 per cent increase in new electric-car finance since the start of March.
The increase in electric-car interest has pushed the Tesla Model Y, the country's top-selling electric vehicle, to third place on the leaderboard (2818 registrations, up 63.4 per cent).
The Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux utes – predominantly powered by turbo-diesel engines with 80-litre fuel tanks – remained the two best-selling vehicles, but deliveries are down 9.7 per cent and up 2.1 per cent year-on-year, respectively.
The Nissan X-Trail petrol and hybrid SUV has surged to fourth place – up 25.3 per cent to 2438 deliveries – as an updated model arrives in showrooms, closely followed by its Mitsubishi Outlander sibling.
Surging up the charts is the BYD Sealion 7 – up 244 per cent year-on-year to 1970 deliveries, or 11th place – and the Zeekr 7X, reporting 679 deliveries.
A full list of electric-vehicle sales for March 2026 is still to come, as where models are available with petrol and electric power, many brands combine power sources into one entry in the FCAI's main sales report.
Tesla sales were up 23.2 per cent last month compared to March 2025, slotting into 13th place on 3485 registrations.
Four Chinese brands finished in the Top 10 – led by BYD, which finished third for the month on a record 7217 deliveries – while Toyota continued to top the charts, though it was down 19.3 per cent as the first stock of the new RAV4 hybrid only reached showrooms in late March.
Kia surged to second position, joining BYD in knocking Mazda to fourth and Ford to fifth, as the latter faces a 9.7 per cent slump for the Ranger ute, and a 14 per cent decline for the Everest SUV.
Data below supplied by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) and Electric Vehicle Council (EVC).
TOP 10 CARS IN March 2026
| Rank | Model | Volume March 2026 | Change year-on-year |
| 1 | Ford Ranger | 4452 | down 9.7 per cent |
| 2 | Toyota HiLux | 4167 | up 2.1 per cent |
| 3 | Tesla Model Y | 2818 | up 63.4 per cent |
| 4 | Nissan X-Trail | 2438 | up 25.3 per cent |
| 5 | Mitsubishi Outlander | 2318 | down 22.9 per cent |
| 6 | Hyundai Kona | 2316 | up 15.2 per cent |
| 7 | Chery Tiggo 4 | 2258 | up 80.4 per cent |
| 8 | Isuzu D-Max | 2167 | up 3.8 per cent |
| 9 | Hyundai Tucson | 2042 | up 11.5 per cent |
| 10 | GWM Haval Jolion | 2013 | up 28.4 per cent |
TOP 10 CAR BRANDS IN March 2026
| Rank | Brand | Volume March 2026 | Change year-on-year |
| 1 | Toyota | 16,574 | down 19.3 per cent |
| 2 | Kia | 7320 | up 0.2 per cent |
| 3 | BYD | 7217 | up 50 per cent |
| 4 | Mazda | 7156 | down 10.6 per cent |
| 5 | Ford | 7149 | down 13.2 per cent |
| 6 | Hyundai | 6979 | up 2.4 per cent |
| 7 | GWM | 5680 | up 29.3 per cent |
| 8 | Mitsubishi | 5001 | down 31.2 per cent |
| 9 | MG | 4218 | up 7.4 per cent |
| 10 | Chery | 4018 | up 84.1 per cent |
Passenger cars: Top Three in each segment in March 2026
| Micro | Kia Picanto (539) | Fiat/Abarth 500 (26) | |
| Light | MG 3 (563) | BYD Atto 1 (488) | Mazda 2 (282) |
| Small < $45k | Toyota Corolla (1259) | Kia K4 (782) | Mazda 3 (702) |
| Small > $45k | MG 4 (451) | Audi A3 (188) | Mercedes-Benz A-Class (184) |
| Medium < $60k | Toyota Camry (1197) | BYD Seal (337) | Kia EV4 (63) |
| Medium > $60k | Tesla Model 3 (667) | BMW 3 Series (182) | Mercedes-Benz C-Class (148) |
| Large < $70k | Skoda Superb (17) | Citroen C5 X (0) | |
| Large > $70k | MG IM5 (45) | Volvo ES90 (26) | Mercedes-Benz E-Class (24) |
| Upper Large > $100k | Mercedes-Benz S-Class (8) | BMW 7 Series (7) | BMW i7, Porsche Panamera (3) |
| People Movers | Kia Carnival (977) | Volkswagen ID. Buzz (106) | Hyundai Staria (104) |
| Sports < $90k | Ford Mustang (239) | Mazda MX-5 (90) | Subaru BRZ (69) |
| Sports > $90k | BMW 2 Series coupe/convertible (116) | BMW 4 Series coupe/convertible (56) | Mercedes-Benz CLE coupe/convertible (38) |
| Sports > $200k | Porsche 911 (66) | Ferrari sports cars (13) | Aston Martin sports cars (12) |
SUVs: Top Three in each segment in March 2026
| Light SUV | Mazda CX-3 (1161) | Suzuki Jimny (751) | Toyota Yaris Cross () |
| Small SUV < $45k | Hyundai Kona (2316) | Chery Tiggo 4 (2258) | GWM Haval Jolion (2013) |
| Small SUV > $45k | BMW X1, inc. iX1 (507) | Kia EV3 (461) | Volvo XC40 (316) |
| Medium SUV < $60k | Nissan X-Trail (2438) | Mitsubishi Outlander (2318) | Hyundai Tucson (2042) |
| Medium SUV > $60k | Tesla Model Y (2818) | Zeekr 7X (679) | BMW X3, inc. iX3 (594) |
| Large SUV < $80k | Toyota Prado (1850) | Ford Everest (1805) | Isuzu MU-X (1358) |
| Large SUV > $80k | Land Rover Defender (553) | BMW X5 (285) | Lexus RX (230) |
| Upper Large SUV < $120k | Toyota LandCruiser wagon (1123) | Nissan Patrol wagon (478) | Denza B8 (66) |
| Upper Large SUV > $120k | BMW X7 (113) | Lexus GX (92) | Lexus LX (81) |
Utes and vans: Top Three in each segment in March 2026
| Vans < 2.5t | Volkswagen Caddy (77) | Peugeot Partner (47) | Renault Kangoo (14) |
| Vans 2.5t-3.5t | Toyota HiAce van (1226) | Hyundai Staria Load (257) | Ford Transit Custom (186) |
| 4x2 Utes | Toyota HiLux (531) | Isuzu D-Max (520) | Ford Ranger (222) |
| 4x4 Utes < $100k | Ford Ranger (4230) | Toyota HiLux (3636) | Mitsubishi Triton (1702) |
| Utes > $100k | Ford F-150 (270) | Ram 1500 (181) | Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (172) |
Electric Cars Guide
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
