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May 2026 saw the Tesla Model Y regain the top spot in BEV sales in Australia, after losing it to BYD’s Sealion in April. In fact, the Model Y was Australia’s best-selling vehicle of all powertrains — the first EV to take the gold. In May 2026, 107,000 passenger vehicles were sold into the Australian market. Out of this number, 21,303 were full battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and 9,315 were plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). This represents a year-on-year increase of 111% for BEVs and 202% for PHEVs. Approximately 30% of new cars sold in May in the Australian market came with a plug.
Jaecoo J5. Photo courtesy Kerry Jeston.
So, what are people not buying? The answer is diesel utes! Shock! Horror! Discounts abound, stock is available, but ute sales are down significantly. And the headlines are no longer touting BYD as a Tesla killer, but as a Toyota killer! BYD is just behind Toyota as Australia’s second best-selling brand. But Toyota sales are down 30% YOY. You can read more about the decline in diesel ute sales here.
The media is awash with stories about the BYD RORO car-carrying ship docking in Melbourne with 5,000 new energy vehicles. See the photo here. As one keen observer pointed out, all these cars have already been sold. They should show up in June’s figures. Hold on to the handrails, the ride is speeding up.
