Tesla Model Y and BYD Sealion 7 lead Australian EV sales in first half of 2026
Australian electric vehicle buyers registered 103,849 pure battery electric vehicles across the first two quarters of 2026. Data from the Australian Automobile Association shows 43 active BEV brands in the local market, with the top 10 models accounting for 68,980 sales — 66.4% of total volume.
The Tesla Model Y retained top spot in the first half of the year with 20,396 registrations, accounting for 19.6 per cent of total battery-electric sales. The BYD Sealion 7 finished second with 12,516 registrations, capturing a 12.1 per cent market share.
BYD Closes Market Share Gap on Tesla
While the Model Y remains Australia’s single highest-selling EV model, BYD secured the largest overall brand volume so far in 2026. BYD recorded 29,192 total BEV sales across six models, capturing 28.1% of the pure electric market. Tesla finished second in brand volume with 23,588 sales across Model Y and Model 3, holding a 22.7% share.
New Chinese entries gained significant ground during Q2. Geely placed third in model rankings with 6,756 sales for the EX5, while Omoda Jaecoo registered 5,930 units of the J5 crossover for fourth place. Zeekr secured fifth position with 5,532 registrations of the 7X SUV.
Top 10 BEVs in Australia First Half Of 2026
| Rank | Model | Q1 2026 | Q2 2026 | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Tesla Model Y | 5,897 | 14,499 | 20,396 | 19.64% |
| #2 | BYD Sealion 7 | 4,468 | 8,048 | 12,516 | 12.05% |
| #3 | Geely EX5 | 1,437 | 5,319 | 6,756 | 6.51% |
| #4 | Omoda Jaecoo J5 | 1,153 | 4,777 | 5,930 | 5.71% |
| #5 | Zeekr 7X | 1,725 | 3,807 | 5,532 | 5.33% |
| #6 | BYD Atto 2 | 1,481 | 3,920 | 5,401 | 5.20% |
| #7 | BYD Atto 1 | 1,082 | 2,172 | 3,254 | 3.13% |
| #8 | Tesla Model 3 | 1,363 | 1,829 | 3,192 | 3.07% |
| #9 | BYD Atto 3 | 1,084 | 1,968 | 3,052 | 2.94% |
| #10 | Kia EV5 | 1,148 | 1,803 | 2,951 | 2.84% |
Full Brand Market Share (All 43 BEV Brands)
| Rank | Brand | 2026 Sales | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | BYD | 29,192 | 28.11% |
| #2 | Tesla | 23,588 | 22.71% |
| #3 | Geely | 6,756 | 6.51% |
| #4 | Kia | 6,204 | 5.97% |
| #5 | Omoda Jaecoo | 5,930 | 5.71% |
| #6 | Zeekr | 5,835 | 5.62% |
| #7 | MG | 5,607 | 5.40% |
| #8 | Volkswagen | 2,276 | 2.19% |
| #9 | Hyundai | 2,236 | 2.15% |
| #10 | BMW | 2,194 | 2.11% |
| #11 | Toyota | 1,780 | 1.71% |
| #12 | Volvo Car | 1,413 | 1.36% |
| #13 | Polestar | 1,200 | 1.16% |
| #14 | GWM | 1,026 | 0.99% |
| #15 | Chery | 987 | 0.95% |
| #16 | Mercedes-Benz | 969 | 0.93% |
| #17 | Subaru | 810 | 0.78% |
| #18 | MINI | 791 | 0.76% |
| #19 | Leapmotor | 779 | 0.75% |
| #20 | Deepal | 737 | 0.71% |
| #21 | Audi | 703 | 0.68% |
| #22 | Skoda | 580 | 0.56% |
| #23 | Porsche | 388 | 0.37% |
| #24 | Renault | 312 | 0.30% |
| #25 | CUPRA | 288 | 0.28% |
| #26 | KGM | 270 | 0.26% |
| #27 | Nissan | 186 | 0.18% |
| #28 | Farizon | 162 | 0.16% |
| #29 | Ford | 158 | 0.15% |
| #30 | Fiat | 112 | 0.11% |
| #31 | LDV | 85 | 0.08% |
| #32 | Lexus | 66 | 0.06% |
| #33 | Stellantis | 52 | 0.05% |
| #34 | Genesis | 42 | 0.04% |
| #35 | Denza | 36 | 0.03% |
| #36 | Mazda | 28 | 0.03% |
| #37 | Xpeng | 24 | 0.02% |
| #38 | Peugeot | 21 | 0.02% |
| #39 | Suzuki | 17 | 0.02% |
| #40 | Rolls-Royce | 3 | 0.00% |
| #41 | Lotus | 3 | 0.00% |
| #42 | Forthing | 2 | 0.00% |
| #43 | Maserati | 1 | 0.00% |
The Big Picture
Tesla still holds the single-model crown with the Model Y, but its overall brand share fell to 22.7 per cent as BYD stretched its market lead to 28.1 per cent through the second quarter.
China’s second wave is here. Geely, Omoda Jaecoo, and Zeekr didn’t just enter the Australian market, they claimed spots 3, 4, and 5 overall in their first year. The “unknown Chinese brand” era is officially over.
Choice is exploding. Across 43 brands and over 100 models, 103,849 Australians went electric in just six months. The second-hand market in 2027–28 is going to be interesting.
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