Australia EV purchases on the rise

New EV purchases in Australia more than doubled to 98,436 in 2023, according to a report from Australia’s Electric Vehicle Council.

This growth continues a trend of a doubling in sales every year since 2020. But Australia still lags behind sales in other regions such as the US (1.2mn) and the EU (1.5mn).

The growth is largely driven by state-level incentives, and an EV discount policy. The federal government is currently consulting on a fleet emissions standard similar to that in the US and EU.

“The upcoming introduction of the government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard will not only help to further expand the range of fuel-efficient, hybrid and EV models available to Australians, but also the volume of each model supplied to the country,” says the report.

With this continued policy support, the Electric Vehicle Council is confident the market can continue to grow at 30-50pc per year.

Tesla’s Model Y led sales at over 28,000, followed by the Model 3 at 17,500. BYD’s Atto 3 sold 11,000 models.

The total number of EVs on Australian roads now exceeds 180,000. This number must reach 1mn by the end of 2027 to achieve a 40pc EV market share, according to the report.

“These targets would put Australia on a feasible pathway towards achieving around 2.5mn EVs by 2030, which is a critical milestone on the journey towards a 100pc zero-emission vehicle fleet by 2050,” it says.