2024 Australian EV sales: Tesla and BYD still on top, MG slumping, BMW smashing Benz and Toyota a bit player with bZ4X

How many EVs are on sale in Australia today? Go on, take a guess.

Combining figures for passengers cars and commercial vehicles like utes and vans, there’s over 75 different EVs for Aussies to choose from. Hasn’t that happened quickly?

And the market’s soon to become even more saturated, with Chinese EV newbies like Xpeng, Zeekr, Leapmotor and Geely soon to enter the playground.

We’re now into 2024’s final quarter, so let’s look at the sales winners and losers so far for the year.

Tesla and BYD remain on top

Sales of the Tesla Model Y and Model 3 have been declining as the year’s progressed, but they remain our best-sellers with a total of 16,697 and 14,053 units shifted respectively, year-to-date.

Those 30,750 combined Tesla sales are a drop of 19 per cent year-to-date, according to figures published by the Electric Vehicle Council. Tesla and Polestar earlier this year ceased reporting their sales figures to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries’ VFACTS, where we get all other data from.

BYD’s Seal sedan (5308 sales year-to-date) and Atto 3 SUV (4926) are third and fourth on the list, and with the BYD Dolphin in seventh (1740), the Chinese brand has shifted almost 12,000 units already this year.

BYD’s electric sales have jumped 38 per cent in 2024, while its overall sales have climbed a mighty 74 per cent since introducing it Sealion 6 plug-in hyrbrid.

MG taking a hit

The MG4 is our fifth biggest seller with 3772 sales in 2024, but its numbers have markedly declined in recent months, no doubt leading to its recent price slash to become Australia’s (for now) cheapest EV.

Former price leader, the MG ZS EV, has managed 1003 sales in 13th place, while GWM Ora’s cheapie is just behind with 901 sales.

Prestige winners

BMW leads the way for premium brands, with its iX1 in sixth place so far with 1948 sales.

It’s trumping the Volvo EX30‘s 1697 sales in eight place, but it’s not been on sale for the entire year.

BMW’s i4 takes ninth place with 1592 sales, while the Kia EV6 rounds out the top ten with 1470 units moved in 2024.

The losers

Despite many believing EV sales have plummeted in 2024, sales so far this year are 7 per cent higher than from the same time in 2023. But monthly sales numbers have fallen in each of the past four months up to September.

Picking a few EVs that have seen drastic sales slumps, Hyundai’s Kona Electric (1159 sales in 2024) sold only half in the third quarter (Q3) of the year as it managed in the first (Q1).

The Volvo XC40 Recharge managed 444 sales in Q1 but just 150 in Q3, no doubt losing out to the friendly fire from the recently launched EX30.

The Toyota bZ4X remains a fringe EV despite it coming from Australia’s runaway biggest brand. It’s sold only 771 in 2024, but that still puts it ahead of the Hyundai Ioniq 5’s 729 sales.

Mercedes-Benz is being trumped by BMW, its EQA has sold 829 and EQE SUV 689. But German rival Audi’s well behind; its best-seller the e-tron and Q8 e-tron combining for only 152 sales in 2024.

Ford would no doubt have wanted more Mach-E sales than the current 544; as would Subaru with its Solterra – a mere 352 of those have gone.

Cupra’s Born sales are dwindling – Q1 saw 153 sales but Q2 79 and Q3 just 75 – while Porsche’s Taycan is running out of steam. Only 236 sales year-to-date, with 73 in Q3.

PHEVs on a charge

Love ’em or hate ’em, PHEVs are having their moment in the sun.

Numbers are up 121 per cent in 2024 so far this year, although the 15,546 total sales are comprehensively shaded by the 70,094 full EVs shifted.

Leading the way is the stalwart Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, which has found 4438 new buyers so far in 2024.

Second is the BYD Sealion 6 (3207); third the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (1944) and fourth the Mazda CX-60 (1193).

EV sales in Australia from January-September 2024