Australia’s electric vehicle market continued its rapid expansion in September, with battery electric vehicles accounting for almost one in four new vehicles sold.
According to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), 102,924 new vehicles were sold in September 2026, up 0.9 per cent on the same month last year. More significantly for the EV market, battery electric vehicles accounted for 24.2 per cent of all new vehicle sales, compared with just 11.3 per cent in September 2025.
NALSPA, using combined FCAI and Electric Vehicle Council data, reported 26,287 battery electric vehicles were sold during September.
The figures confirm that EV adoption has moved well beyond the early-adopter phase and is becoming a material part of Australia’s mainstream new-car market.
But just as EV sales are becoming more important, detailed market information is becoming harder to access.
EV sales are rising, but visibility is falling
Fleet News Group has traditionally relied on detailed VFACTS reporting to help fleet buyers understand which manufacturers, models and powertrains are gaining traction with Australian buyers.
That level of information matters when organisations are considering unfamiliar manufacturers, building EV replacement strategies or trying to assess likely residual values and future used-vehicle demand.
However, the FCAI no longer provides media organisations with the full VFACTS dataset previously available each month.
The timing is significant.
The change coincided with a sharp acceleration in EV adoption during 2026, including the major lift in sales seen from June onwards. By September, BEVs represented 24.2 per cent of the monthly market and 18.9 per cent of all new vehicles sold year-to-date, compared with just 8.1 per cent at the same point in 2025.
For fleet buyers, this is precisely the point at which greater market transparency would be most useful.
When EVs represented a small share of the market, detailed sales data was interesting. Now that fleets are actively considering EVs across passenger vehicles, SUVs and light commercial applications, it has become an important procurement input.
BYD and Geely move into the mainstream
Even the more limited September VFACTS summary shows how dramatically the market is changing.
The Ford Ranger remained Australia’s highest-selling vehicle with 5,062 sales, followed by the Toyota RAV4 with 4,624 and Toyota HiLux with 4,455.
But the BYD Sealion 7 ranked fourth nationally with 2,687 sales, while the Geely EX5 was seventh with 2,008 sales.
The Geely result was particularly notable. The table included on page two of the FCAI September report shows EX5 sales were up 619.7 per cent compared with September 2025, while the BYD Sealion 7 increased 42.4 per cent.
For fleet buyers, that kind of market acceptance can be an important consideration.
A vehicle that is selling in meaningful numbers potentially brings greater driver familiarity, a larger future used-car market and stronger incentives for manufacturers to invest in servicing, parts and support infrastructure.
BYD becomes Australia’s second biggest brand for the month
September also delivered another milestone.
Toyota remained Australia’s largest manufacturer with 17,682 vehicles sold, but BYD moved into second place with 8,191 sales, ahead of Ford on 7,592.
Kia followed with 5,901 vehicles, Mazda with 5,702, GWM with 5,212 and Hyundai with 5,073. MG, Geely and Chery completed the top 10.
China was also Australia’s largest source of new vehicles during September, accounting for 35.5 per cent of sales. Japan supplied 22.5 per cent of vehicles, Thailand 17.3 per cent and South Korea 9.6 per cent.
Those results underline why historical assumptions about brand strength and market acceptance need to be continually reassessed.
Tesla remains a major part of the EV story
The Electric Vehicle Council is now publishing its own monthly sales report, although at present it only captures Tesla and Polestar.
The two brands delivered a combined 5,854 battery electric vehicles in September, while their three-month average across the September quarter was 6,199 vehicles.
Tesla Model Y accounted for 4,476 September deliveries, representing 76 per cent of all Tesla and Polestar vehicles included in the EVC report.
Tesla Model 3 deliveries reached 1,178, an increase of 60 per cent compared with September last year.
Year-to-date, Tesla and Polestar have recorded 43,386 sales, up 77 per cent on the corresponding period in 2025.
The EVC openly acknowledges the limitations of its dataset, noting that its monthly report currently captures only Tesla and Polestar.
It has also called for broader industry participation, saying all vehicle brands are welcome to supply data for its free public report and that its objective is to make new-vehicle sales information publicly available “to enhance transparency and consumer confidence.”
That is a worthwhile objective.
EV adoption is increasingly an economic decision
NALSPA argues that household economics are becoming an important contributor to EV demand.
Chief executive Rohan Martin said:
“Facing cost-of-living pressures, working Australians are looking for practical ways to make their household budgets go further and protect themselves from volatile petrol prices.”
He said lower running costs were becoming part of the appeal, particularly for households able to use rooftop solar for vehicle charging.
NALSPA estimates Australians who purchased an EV through the Electric Car Discount between mid-2022 and mid-2026 will have collectively saved approximately $609 million on fuel by Christmas.
Martin said:
“Our data shows that by Christmas, working Australians who bought an EV through the Electric Car Discount between mid-2022 and mid-2026 will have collectively saved an estimated $609 million on fuel.”
For fleets, that shift in consumer behaviour has broader implications.
Growing private demand helps expand the EV ecosystem, increases driver familiarity and supports a stronger second-hand market for ex-fleet vehicles.
Fleets need more data, not less
FCAI acting chief executive Dianne O’Hara said the September result showed the shift towards electrification was continuing.
“Australian motorists are embracing a broader range of powertrains, following greater model choice offered by manufacturers and growing competition.” September 2026 VFACTS Media Rel…
That growing competition is precisely why access to detailed market information matters.
Fleet buyers are now evaluating vehicles from brands that may have had little or no Australian presence only a few years ago. They need to understand which models are actually selling, how rapidly brands are growing and where consumer acceptance is developing.
September provides a strong headline: BEVs captured almost one quarter of the Australian new-car market.
But the bigger issue for Fleet EV News is that as the electric vehicle market becomes more important, it is becoming harder for independent media and fleet buyers to see the complete picture.
Australia’s EV transition will be better served by more transparency around new-vehicle sales, not less.
