Australians bought more electric vehicles in the first six months of ۲۰۲۶ than the whole of the previous year, new data shows, as the ongoing crisis in the Middle East causes uncertainty about petrol prices.
There were ۱۰۳,۸۵۵ battery electric vehicles (EVs) sold nationally between January and June, compared with ۱۰۳,۲۶۹ in ۲۰۲۵, according to data from VFacts and the Electric Vehicle Council.
Battery EVs as a share of new car sales doubled compared with the same time last year, making up ۲۳.۴% of sales in June ۲۰۲۶ compared with ۱۰.۳% in June ۲۰۲۵.
Sales of plug-in hybrids were also outpacing last year’s figures, with ۵۴,۱۲۱ sold in the first six months of ۲۰۲۶ compared with ۵۳,۲۴۹ throughout ۲۰۲۵. Plug-in hybrids made up ۱۱.۵% of all sales last month, compared with۴.۸% in June ۲۰۲۵.
Julie Delvecchio, chief executive of the Electric Vehicle Council, said the sharp rise was driven by unique circumstances. “It’s clear that the fuel crisis has reminded all of us how reliant we really are on overseas fuel.”
As a result, she said, EVs as “something that people may have been considering jumped to the top of the list”.
“We’re hopeful that it will be a sustained trend, but we’ll have to wait and see,” she said. “What we do know for sure is that once people switch to an EV, they generally never go back.”
Fuel prices were expected to rise again after the government’s temporary cut to the excise ends this coming Sunday.
Diesel prices are up by about ۵۰ cents in July to about $۲.۲۰ a litre in the major east coast cities.
George Whitcombe, an EV analyst at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, whose data revealed similar results, said it was rare for an automotive market to experience such a significant increase in EV sales. “This sets that market on a new trajectory.”
In addition to elevated fuel prices and uncertainty as a result of the conflict in Iran, Australia’s EV growth is also being driven by legislative changes under the federal government’s vehicle efficiency standard, Whitcombe said.
However, national uptake is still behind other countries, he said. “Many European markets now have penetration rates [the proportion of people in a market likely to buy a product] above ۳۰%, with penetration rates in the Nordic countries now above ۵۰% and as high as ۹۲% in Norway.”
Tony Weber, chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, said the increase signalled EVs were moving beyond the early-adopter market and becoming an increasingly significant part of Australia’s broader new vehicle market.
The sales spike in recent months could reflect a combination of new-model launches, vehicle availability and concerns about fuel prices, he said. He noted that in ۲۰۲۶, ۸۰% of EV sales occurred in two of ۲۰ market segments: small SUV and medium SUV.
“The ongoing transition will depend on vehicles remaining affordable and the continued expansion of model choice into new market segments, providing a viable choice for consumers.”
