Australian electric vehicle sales up 117 pct in first half of 2026: report

Electric vehicles accounted for more than a quarter of all new car sales in Australia in the first six months of 2026, according to new industry data.

The Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) said in its annual report that 157,957 electric vehicles were sold nationwide in the first half of 2026, an increase of 117 percent from the same period in 2025.

It said that electric vehicles accounted for 25.8 percent of all new car sales in Australia over the six-month period, up from 12.1 percent in the first half of 2025.

The total sales figure consisted of 103,716 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and 54,241 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), the report said.

As of the end of June, there were 4,268 public charging locations across Australia, an increase of 235 percent year-on-year.

Separate data released by peak industry body the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) in September showed that battery electric vehicles accounted for a record-high 24.9 percent of the new vehicle market in August.

It was the fourth consecutive month of battery electric vehicles accounting for at least 20 percent of sales after the milestone was achieved for the first time in May.

xinhua