Australia's most popular electric cars in 2023: September update

The Australian new-car market continues to set new highs, with the biggest September on record.

Electric vehicle sales cooled off in percentage terms compared to their high in August, but the continued prevalence of the Tesla Model Y proves battery-powered vehicles are here to stay.

Don't let the comparatively small 20.7% increase over last September's EV sales speak too loudly, as that was the first full month of Tesla Model Y deliveries, meaning the best-selling EV actually posted a 12.6% drop on September 2022.

With 8821 electric vehicles sold this month, battery-powered vehicles made up 8% of total sales.

The majority of electric vehicles sold in Australia are built in China, with Tesla, Polestar, MG, BYD and GWM all manufacturing battery-powered vehicles in the country.

The trend looks set to continue with even more affordable electric cars, such as the GWM Ora and BYD Dolphin beginning to arrive on Australian shores.

Traditional automakers continue to lag behind the EV game in Australia, and it'll be interesting to see how the public receive the Toyota BZ4x, Volkswagen ID range, Polestar 3, Subaru Solterra, Peugeot E-2008, and Renault Megane E-Tech in the coming months.

Model Y wears the crown again

The Tesla Model Y (3811 sales) took an uncontested win in both electric vehicle and medium SUV sales.

Lagging nearly 2500 sales behind was the T brand's other car, the Model 3 (1366) which outsold the BYD Atto 3 last month (702). Showing potential right out of the gate, the MG 4 hatch came in swinging with 645 sales in September 2023.

Then it was a monster showing for Volvo's electric small SUV, with 297 Australians deciding to pick up an all-electric XC40. Despite only really selling one electric model, Pure Electric vehicles accounted for 36% of Volvo's overall volume this month, and that number sits at 37% year-to-date.

Spain's hot new brand put in a solid effort this month with 218 Cupra Born sales – a record thus far – followed by the Kia EV6 (202); both beat the electric version of MG's ZS in September, which managed 145 sales in total.

Rounding out the top ten were the two Korean 'please all people' EV-hybrid-petrol hatches, with the Hyundai Kona Electric (124) selling through final stock before it gets replaced, and the new Kia Niro EV (113).

Notable absences include the Polestar 2 – though in 11th with 111 sales it had a solid showing – and the GWM Ora, which is yet to find its footing in monthly sales notching up just 71 registrations in September.

Top 10 best-selling electric vehicles in September

And the rest...

Ranked year-to-date 2023