Sales of electrified cars in Australia surpassed petrol cars for the first time

A historic event has been recorded in the Australian car market. For the first time in recorded history, sales of electrified cars — hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric vehicles — have exceeded sales of petrol engine cars.

What is known

In December 2025, 35,058 electrified vehicles were sold in the country compared to 34,559 petrol cars. This result could be a turning point: 2026 is likely to be the first full year when cars with an electric component outsell models with internal combustion engines.

By the end of last year, sales of electrified cars reached 355,887 units, which corresponds to a market share of 28.6%. Of these, 103,270 were fully electric cars — 8.3% of the total.

Chinese automakers played a significant role in the growth. Models from brands like BYD, Geely, MG, Xpeng, and Zeekr are in steady demand among Australian buyers. Interest in them may increase even more in 2026, with the anticipated sale of affordable compact electric cars, including the Nio Firefly, Geely EX2, and BYD Atto 1.

Meanwhile, petrol cars still remain the largest market segment. In 2025, their sales amounted to 475,279 units, or 38.3% of the total. Diesel models occupy 29.4% of the market, with this figure remaining stable over the past five years.

For comparison, in 2015, petrol cars dominated with a share of 67%, clearly illustrating how much the market and consumer preferences have changed in the past decade.

Self-charging hybrids also showed good results: 199,133 such cars were sold during the year, corresponding to a 16% share. Plug-in hybrids remain a niche segment, but their sales increased to 53,484 units, providing 4.3% of the market.

Source: Drive