Australia's most popular electric cars in 2023

More cars were sold in May than ever before in the same month, partially assisted by record electric vehicle sales in 2023.

May again showed that many Australian new-car buyers are looking for electric vehicles, with a record 8124 registrations last month and year-to-date sales totalling 32,050 – up 275.2 per cent over 2022.

When compared to May 2022, electric vehicle sales increased by a staggering 778.3 per cent, with market share likely to grow as more models arrive, including the Toyota BZ4x, MG 4, BYD Dolphin, Polestar 3, Peugeot E-2008, and Renault Megane E-Tech.

Tesla keeps its claws firmly on first place

The Tesla Model Y backed up April's success with 3178 sales (and third place overall, beating the popular Toyota RAV4) ahead of the BYD Atto 3 (1448).

While the Model 3 sedan slipped to third in May (1298), it remains Australia's most-popular electric vehicle year-to-date with 10,117 sales – making it the fifth best-selling vehicle overall in Australia.

MG ZS EV climbs up the charts

MG's ZS EV small SUV took fourth place with 276 registrations in May, with recent EOFY deals and a new Long Range variant likely contributing to increased sales, while there was a small 10-car gap to the sixth-place Volvo XC40 Recharge (266).

Following the Volvo XC40 was the related Polestar 2 sedan (226) and the XC40's swoopy C40 coupe sibling (165).

EQA beats supply-hobbled Koreans

Then came the Mercedes-Benz EQA with 124 registrations, followed by two supply-constrained all-electric Kias – the Kia EV6 (104) and Kia Niro EV (100).

Top 10 best-selling electric vehicles in May

And the rest...

Total EV sales in 2023 (YTD)