Australia’s new-vehicle market recorded its strongest month yet in June 2026, as electric and new-energy brands converted demand into large delivery numbers while several established manufacturers continued to lose share.

VFACTS recorded 131,134 sales for the month, up 7.0 per cent on June 2025.

Across all reported sales sources, the market reached 140,058 vehicles, the highest monthly sales figure recorded in Australia.

Toyota remained the top-selling brand with 19,124 VFACTS sales in June, but BYD finished just 243 vehicles behind on 18,881 sales.

That result gave Toyota a 14.6 per cent VFACTS share for the month and BYD a 14.4 per cent share.

The shift follows another record EV month in May, with June pushing battery-electric vehicles to 23.3 per cent of sales across all sources.

BEVs accounted for more than 32,500 sales in June, compared with a 7.6 per cent share in June 2025.

The EV share is calculated against the broader all-sources sales count, rather than only the 131,134 vehicles captured in the headline VFACTS tally.

FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber said the June result marked a major change in the market.

“The Australian automotive market has shifted on its axis during the first months of 2026.
This year is likely to represent a significant turning point for the Australian automotive industry,” Mr Weber said.

“Global uncertainty, including conflict in the Middle East and volatility in petrol prices, appears to have sharpened consumer interest in vehicles that reduce exposure to fuel prices.

“While these factors have had a short-term impact, part of the EV growth would appear to be a permanent structural shift.”

China is now Australia’s leading source of new vehicles, with 46,592 VFACTS sales in June, equal to 35.5 per cent of the market.

Japan followed with 27,098 sales, then Thailand with 23,297, Korea with 14,863 and Germany with 5731.

The 2026 Ford Ranger led the VFACTS model standings with 5999 sales, ahead of the 2026 Toyota HiLux 4x4 on 5175 and the 2026 BYD Sealion 7 on 4730.

The top 10 also included the 2026 Toyota RAV4, 2026 BYD Shark 6, 2026 Isuzu D-Max, 2026 Hyundai Kona, 2026 BYD Atto 2, 2026 Haval Jolion and 2026 Chery Tiggo 4.

Separate Electric Vehicle Council reporting also covered Tesla and Polestar sales in June, including the 2026 Tesla Model Y, 2026 Tesla Model 3, 2026 Polestar 2, 2026 Polestar 3 and 2026 Polestar 4.

Challenger brands turn demand into records

BYD delivered 18,881 fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in June, its third consecutive month as Australia’s second-best-selling brand.

The company delivered 34,794 vehicles across April, May and June, and 52,335 vehicles in the first half of 2026.

BYD’s luxury and off-road brand Denza recorded almost 1800 deliveries in the second quarter, taking its Australian total to 2419 since launching locally in February.

BYD Australia Chief Operating Officer Stephen Collins said June’s volume followed increased production and a dedicated vehicle shipment to Australia.

“We asked our customers to back us in, and they did, and we delivered,” Mr Collins said.

“We thank them for having faith in us to make good on a promise we made in early April, which was to deliver vehicles in record time when orders more than doubled as cost-of-living pressures intensified with skyrocketing fuel prices.”

GWM also posted its strongest Australian month on record, with 6104 sales in June and a 4.7 per cent market share.

The brand ranked seventh overall for the month and is up 20.5 per cent year-to-date.

The Haval Jolion led GWM’s result with a record 2446 deliveries, while the H6 and H6 GT combined for 1433 sales.

The Cannon and Cannon Alpha ute range added 1171 deliveries, while the Ora 5 contributed 275 units as stock reached dealers late in the month.

Electrified models accounted for a major part of GWM’s result, with plug-in hybrids representing 21.0 per cent of its June sales mix and hybrids representing 25.6 per cent.

The Tank 300 PHEV recorded 258 deliveries, accounting for 49 per cent of Tank 300 sales in June.

Zeekr recorded 1954 deliveries in June, its best month yet in Australia and its third consecutive month above 1000 deliveries.

The new Zeekr X has recorded more than 1200 orders in its first six weeks, compared with 665 total sales for the previous Zeekr X across the 2025 calendar year.

Zeekr now has 17 retail locations operating across key metropolitan markets.

Frank Li, Managing Director, Zeekr Australia, said the result showed a change in premium EV buying behaviour.

“June represents a significant milestone for Zeekr in Australia, not only our strongest month on record, but also our third consecutive month delivering over 1,000 vehicles,” Mr Li said.

“This reflects a clear shift in the premium EV market, with Australian customers no longer defaulting to legacy brands, but actively seeking something better.”

The pressure on legacy brands is clearer in year-to-date share.

Toyota remains well ahead for the first half with 95,141 sales, but its share has fallen from 19.9 per cent at the same point last year to 15.7 per cent.

Ford is down from 47,300 to 42,296 year-to-date sales, Mazda is down from 48,942 to 40,502, and Mitsubishi is down from 33,379 to 24,802.

Kia and Hyundai are slightly ahead year-to-date by volume, but both lost ground in the June brand ranking as BYD, GWM, Chery and MG held four of the top 10 positions.

National Automotive Leasing and Salary Packaging Association Chief Executive Officer Rohan Martin said policy settings were also supporting EV demand.

“Australians have set another monthly record in EV sales and the Electric Car Discount is central to making that possible,” Mr Martin said.

“Demand is being driven by a combination of cost-of-living pressures, fuel price volatility, greater model availability and the policy certainty provided by the Albanese Government’s May 2026 announcement on the future of the Electric Car Discount.”

Every state and territory recorded growth in June.

New South Wales was the largest market with 39,932 sales, followed by Victoria on 34,689 and Queensland on 29,347.

Tasmania posted the strongest percentage gain, up 14.3 per cent year-on-year to 2082 sales.

The June result does not remove Toyota’s long-running market lead, but it does show how quickly Australia’s sales mix is changing.

With EV share rising, China-sourced vehicles leading the import mix, and challenger brands converting supply into volume, the first half of 2026 has reset the competitive order in Australia’s new-car market.