Trailblazer Tesla continues to top the sales charts for electric vehicles in Australia – accounting for almost half of all electric cars sold even though its deliveries have dipped – according to official data for the first six months of this year.

However there are some upsets elsewhere in the list, which show a rapid rise among several emerging brands.

More than 50,000 electric cars have been reported as sold in Australia in the first six months this year, the first time they have eclipsed this tally over this period in a calendar year.

China’s BYD (Build Your Dreams) filled three of the Top Six positions – however all of BYD sales combined were still not enough to overtake any single Tesla model.

German car maker BMW also had two electric cars inside the Top 10, and the Kia EV6 did better than expected and ranks in ninth position so far this year.

In other upsets, the Toyota BZ4X – the first electric car to come from the world’s (and Australia’s) top-selling automotive brand – has outsold its twin under the skin, the Subaru Solterra, by almost two-to-one.

In the commercial vehicle space, the LDV eDeliver 7 from China achieved an incredible feat, outselling the Ford E-Transit by almost three-to-one.

The most telling data of all, however, is the fact that, despite the $770,000 price tag, there were more examples sold of the Rolls-Royce Spectre electric car in the first six months of this year, than vehicles such as the LDV eT60 ute, Mazda MX-30 and LDV Mifa 9.

Figures show electric vehicles accounted for about 8 per cent of the total new vehicle market so far this year, a modest increase compared to 7.4 per cent of the market over the same period last year, according to the official scoreboard.

Here’s the full list below.

Electric car sales in Australia in the first half of 2024:

  • Tesla Model Y: 12,516
  • Tesla Model 3: 10,600
  • BYD Seal: 4092
  • BYD Atto 3: 3726
  • MG4: 2771
  • BYD Dolphin: 1248
  • BMW iX1: 1237
  • BMW i4: 1177
  • Kia EV6: 1060
  • Volvo EX30: 1001
  • Polestar 2: 950
  • Hyundai Kona Electric: 892
  • Volvo XC40: 732
  • MG ZS EV: 640
  • Mercedes-Benz EQA: 624
  • GWM Ora: 592
  • Toyota BZ4X: 555
  • BMW iX3: 545
  • Hyundai Ioniq 5: 541
  • Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV: 516
  • BMW iX2: 428
  • Kia Niro: 422
  • Ford Mustang Mach E: 326
  • Kia EV9: 313
  • Volvo C40: 291
  • Subaru Solterra: 278
  • Cupra Born: 259
  • BMW iX: 255
  • Hyundai Ioniq 6: 233
  • Peugeot e-2008: 207
  • Nissan Leaf: 190
  • Renault Megane e-Tech: 171
  • Porsche Taycan: 163
  • Mercedes-Benz EQB: 152
  • Fiat 500e: 133
  • Audi Q8 e-Tron: 112
  • Lexus RX: 109
  • Mercedes-Benz EQE sedan: 91
  • LDV eDeliver7: 85
  • BMW i5: 75
  • Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV: 68
  • Audi e-Tron GT: 66
  • Mercedes-Benz EQC: 66
  • Mini Cooper: 64
  • Peugeot e-Partner: 61
  • Genesis GV60: 46
  • Lexus UX: 46
  • Renault Kangoo: 42
  • Kia EV5: 40
  • Ford E-Transit: 27
  • BMW i7: 23
  • Mini Countryman: 14
  • Genesis GV70: 14
  • Rolls-Royce Spectre: 11
  • LDV eT60: 8
  • Mercedes-Benz EQV: 8
  • Mercedes-Benz EQS: 6
  • Jaguar i-Pace: 5
  • LDV eDeliver9: 3
  • Mercedes-Benz e-Vito: 3
  • Mazda MX-30: 3
  • Audi Q4 e-Tron: 1
  • LDV Mifa 9: 1

Sources: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) and the Electric Vehicle Council of Australia (EVC).