Key Points
- Battery electric vehicle sales fell 27.8% month-on-month to 23,510 units in July 2026, after a record end-of-financial-year rush in June.
- BEV sales were still up 225.7% year-on-year and PHEV sales rose 157.0% year-on-year, even as both segments pulled back sharply from June.
- Tesla Model Y remained the top-selling EV with 4,644 deliveries, and BYD was the top-selling EV brand overall with 5,116 units across six models.
Australia's electric vehicle market cooled in July 2026, after June delivered a record month driven by pre end-of-financial-year buying. Battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales fell 27.8% month-on-month to 23,510 units, while plug-in hybrid (PHEV) sales dropped 35.5% to 10,359 units.
The pullback was not unique to EVs. Total new-vehicle sales across all drivetrains fell 22.6% month-on-month to 105,220, down from June's 135,885-unit high. Diesel, petrol and hybrid sales all fell as well, which points to a broad post-EOFY correction across the whole market rather than an EV-specific slowdown.
Measured against July 2025, the picture looks different. BEV sales were up 225.7% year-on-year and PHEV sales rose 157.0%, extending a run of strong annual growth even as the month-on-month numbers softened.
Drivetrain Performance
Sales by Drivetrain - July 2026
Drivetrain | July 2026 | Share of Total | June 2026 | MoM Change |
Diesel | 24,773 | 23.5% | 31,789 | -22.1% |
Petrol | 27,894 | 26.5% | 34,717 | -19.7% |
Hybrid | 18,684 | 17.8% | 20,741 | -9.9% |
PHEV | 10,359 | 9.8% | 16,068 | -35.5% |
Electric (BEV) | 23,510 | 22.3% | 32,570 | -27.8% |
Total | 105,220 | 100% | 135,885 | -22.6% |
Every drivetrain fell in July as the market cooled off the back of June's EOFY rush. PHEV took the biggest hit, down 35.5% month-on-month, followed by Electric at -27.8% and Petrol at -19.7%. Diesel and Petrol together still accounted for exactly half of all new-vehicle sales.
BEV and PHEV Sales Breakdown
BEV sales reached 23,510 units in July, down 27.8% on June but up 225.7% on July 2025. BEVs made up an estimated 22.3% of the new-car market in July, down from 24.0% in June's EOFY rush. PHEV sales came in at 10,359 units, down 35.5% month-on-month but up 157.0% year-on-year, holding an estimated 9.8% share of the market.
BEV vs PHEV - July 2026
Metric | BEV | PHEV |
July 2026 sales | 23,510 | 10,359 |
June 2026 sales | 32,570 | 16,068 |
Month-on-month change | -27.8% | -35.5% |
Year-on-year change | +225.7% | +157.0% |
Estimated share of market | 22.3% | 9.8% |
The scale of the June-to-July fall across every drivetrain, not just BEV and PHEV, lines up with the pattern seen around the end of the Australian financial year, when fleet and business buyers commonly bring purchases forward into June for tax reasons.
EV Sales in Australia
Top Selling BEV Models
The Tesla Model Y held onto top spot with 4,644 deliveries in July, even after falling 42.5% on June's record 8,072. The BYD Sealion 7 was second with 2,548. The Omoda Jaecoo J5 was the standout new entry, landing in fifth with 1,654 deliveries, and the MG MG4 Urban and Geely EX2 also broke into the top 10 for the first time.
Top 10 BEV Models - July 2026
Rank | Model | July 2026 | June 2026 | MoM Change |
1 | Tesla Model Y | 4,644 | 8,072 | -42.5% |
2 | BYD Sealion 7 | 2,548 | 4,730 | -46.1% |
3 | Geely EX5 | 2,034 | 2,303 | -11.7% |
4 | Zeekr 7X | 1,892 | 1,868 | +1.3% |
5 | Omoda Jaecoo J5 | 1,654 | N/A | N/A |
6 | BYD Atto 2 | 1,214 | 2,482 | -51.1% |
7 | Kia EV3 | 804 | 821 | -2.1% |
8 | MG MG4 Urban | 666 | N/A | N/A |
9 | Kia EV5 | 650 | 572 | +13.6% |
10 | Geely EX2 | 474 | N/A | N/A |
BYD Dolphin, BYD Seal and Toyota bZ4X all fell out of the top 10 in July, pushed down by the arrival of the Omoda Jaecoo J5, MG MG4 Urban and Geely EX2. Among the established models, Zeekr 7X and Kia EV5 were the only two to grow month-on-month, both by modest amounts.
Top BEV Brands
BYD was the top-selling EV brand in July with 5,116 units across six fully electric models, ahead of Tesla on 4,778. Zeekr placed third with 2,115, followed by Geely on 2,034 and Kia on 1,491. Toyota experienced the largest percentage growth following a record months of sales for the bZ4x.
Top 10 BEV Brands - July 2026
Rank | Brand | July 2026 | June 2026 | MoM Change |
1 | BYD | 5,116 | 10,174 | -49.7% |
2 | Tesla | 4,778 | 8,670 | -44.9% |
3 | Zeekr | 2,115 | 1,954 | +8.2% |
4 | Geely | 2,034 | 2,303 | -11.7% |
5 | Kia | 1,491 | 1,446 | +3.1% |
6 | Toyota | 357 | 192 | +85.9% |
7 | MG | 270 | 405 | -33.3% |
8 | Volvo | 261 | 167 | +56.3% |
9 | Hyundai | 205 | 383 | -46.5% |
10 | Volkswagen | 183 | 346 | -47.1% |
July's fall is a seasonal effect rather than a change in underlying appetite for electric vehicles. Watch for the August figures to show whether BEV and PHEV demand settles above pre-EOFY levels, and keep an eye on new entrants such as the Honda Super-One, which landed in the sub-$40,000 segment this month.
About the author
Danny is a consultant and entrepreneur working at the cutting edge of the electric vehicle and energy transition. He is passionate about educating and helping consumers make better decisions through data.
