Plugin Vehicles Achieve 19% Penetration in Australian Auto Market in February

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Our February update on EV sales shows: Australian plugin penetration grew from 16% in January 2026 to about 19% in February. That is a sales total of 11,100 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and 5,854 plugin hybrid EVs (PHEVs). Almost 17,000 Australian motorists joined the electric vehicle ecosystem, a significant increase (almost double) from February 2025. Over 91,000 light vehicles of all drivetrains sold in the month. Sales of cars with a plug grew at the expense of those powered solely by internal combustion engines running on petrol. Although, James of EVDB points out that the share of diesel-powered vehicles remains unchanged. See some great charts here.

In other news, the Model Y L has been confirmed for sale in Australia. We’re just waiting on the launch date. NIO is bringing out the budget friendly Firefly sub-brand. General Motors is trying to sell three budget-unfriendly Cadillac models. MG is bringing out a stripped down “urban” MG 4. The party is moving along.

Drum roll! The highest selling EV models in the Australian market for February 2026 were:

1. Tesla Model Y — 2,791 February sales | 3,079 year to date
2. BYD Sealion 7 — 1,327 February sales | 2,498 YTD
3. Zeekr 7X — 628 February sales | 1,046 YTD
4. Tesla Model 3 — 483 February sales | 696 YTD
5. Geely EX5 — 416 February sales | 831 YTD
6. MG 4 — 406 February sales | 565 YTD
7. BYD Atto 3 — 384 February sales | 618 YTD
8. Omoda Jaecoo J5 — 369 February sales | 584 YTD
9. BYD Atto 1 — 349 February sales | 594 YTD
10. BYD Atto 2 — 347 February sales | 909 YTD
11. BYD Seal — 302 February sales | 597 YTD
12. Kia EV5 — 280 February sales | 561 YTD
13. BYD Dolphin — 260 February sales | 532 YTD
14. Kia EV3 — 223 February sales | 400 YTD
15. Toyota BZ4X — 211 February sales | 393 YTD
16. MG S 5 — 158 February sales | 290 YTD
17. VW ID.4 — 111 February sales | 237 YTD
18. Hyundai Elexio — 105 February sales | 117 YTD
19. Polestar 4 — 97 February sales | 198 YTD
20. Volvo EX 30 — 92 February sales | 150 YTD

Quite a contrast from January’s numbers, when the Tesla Model Y was left floundering in the wake of the BYD Sealion 7. Though, through its multiplicity of models, and value for money offerings, BYD dominates the top 20 chart. Six out of 20 models are from BYD. You have to get down to number 12 to find a South Korean vehicle and to number 15 to find a Japanese one. The Toyota BZ4X is hanging in the top 20 by its toenails. I hope the newer Toyota EV models we have been promised will do better. Despite being a technology laggard and a lobbyist against electric vehicles, I still believe we need Toyota to complete the transition/rEVolution.

The newly released Atto 1 and 2 are putting in a decent inning. Their Facebook pages are full of new owners enthusing about their cars. Out shopping yesterday, I met a new owner with an Atto 2 and she was raving about what a great car it was.
Richard Baird posted this photo of BYD Attos being unloaded from a roll-on roll-off transporter in Freemantle, West Australia, and commented: “Yes my car is in this batch!”

It is great to see Geely moving up the chart, both with its own name brand and also Zeekr. Recently, Steve brought his Zeekr 7X to our coffee morning so we could check it out. An article is on the way.

In a recent article, CleanTechnica pointed out, “Share-wise, 2026 started with plugin vehicles getting 18% share of the global auto market (12% BEV). The global market was helped by significant volumes in markets outside the spotlight, which are on the upswing. Just looking at markets registering more than 1,000 units in January, there is a constellation of countries with 100%-plus growth rates, a majority of them in Asia. That includes India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and South Korea, but elsewhere there were also the cases of Azerbaijan, Belarus, Poland, and Uruguay.”

Australia is part of this Rest of World growth, with figures mirroring those of the countries quoted.

The Australian roads of my youth were dominated by American cars. We had the General Motors Holden Monaro and the Ford Performance Vehicles, not to mention the Valiant Charger. Nowadays, most GM and Ford vehicles are giant utes pulling trailers loaded with building equipment. There is the rare Mustang, and the even rarer Chrysler 300. Will the launch of three Cadillacs — the Optiq, Lyriq, and Vistiq — mean we will see a resurgence of an American brand?

Sadly, I doubt it. Despite months of email encouragement (I registered my interest), it appears that none have yet sold. Despite the Q in all the names, none are available for viewing in Queensland. To see an Optiq, I would have to drive (or fly) to Sydney — 1000 km away. And with the advertised prices ranging from AU$84,000 to AU$123,000, it would be an expensive shopping trip. Not sure if the Australian market can absorb more luxury SUVs. Even the BMW Neue Klasse iX3 has undercut the Cadillac.

I expect that the KGM Musso will be a better market success, as it is entering an underserved market niche — electric utes. However, they have no sales registering in the data as yet, either. 

With news headlines dominated by the USA attacks on Iran and the roll-on effects on oil prices, I would hope that we will see even greater sales of plug-in vehicles in Australia in the coming months. With a year-on-year doubling of percentage uptake, could it mean that in February 2027 we could breach the 30% penetration mark? Or even the 40% mark in Australia. I certainly hope so.

At times it seems like the EV transition is so slow it is like watching paint dry or grass grow. But then when you take time to zoom out, it is actually quite rapid, and becoming more so in the ROW. With new models launching every month, as well as homeowners installing government-subsidized solar panels and home batteries, Australia’s future continues to be bright and electric.