The Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) says nearly 30,000 battery electric vehicles were sold in Australia during the September quarter, arguing the record figures show the transition to cleaner transport is already well under way.
But the industry body says the Coalition’s move to abandon key EV policies risks locking Australians into more expensive and more polluting petrol and diesel vehicles for longer.
“More Australians are choosing electric vehicles because they make financial, environmental, and practical sense,” electric vehicle council chief executive Julie Delvecchio says.
“With transport projected to become Australia’s largest source of emissions by 2030, every additional EV on our roads cuts the cost of transport, improves air quality, and strengthens Australia’s energy resilience.
“The latest national EV sales figures demonstrate that the Federal Government’s vehicle efficiency standards and the Electric Car Discount are clearly working.
“Any move to abandon national emissions reduction targets and these key EV policies would condemn motorists to paying more at the pump for longer, while missing out on the long-term savings and energy security that EVs deliver.”
Record BEV quarter
The Australian Automobile Association’s latest EV Index shows battery electric vehicles reached 9.7% of total new-vehicle sales in the past quarter — a new high for Australia.
BEVs made up more than 40% of sales in the medium-car segment, while internal combustion models fell to under 20%. In the medium-SUV category — Australia’s largest — BEVs reached 22.7%.
Call for public vehicle-sales data
Delvecchio told the Senate Select Committee on Information Integrity that Australia needs a single, publicly available national source of vehicle-sales data to counter misinformation.
“Publicly available data is crucial in key industries like the Australian automotive sector,” Delvecchio says. “However, there is not a single source of all vehicle sales, which leads to fragmented and sometimes inaccurate reporting, confusion for consumers and the underrepresentation of EV sales figures.”
She says better data transparency would strengthen information integrity during Australia’s energy transition.
The EVC also noted recent reporting errors caused by double-counting Tesla figures in 2024, which led some outlets to wrongly claim EV sales had fallen this year. The AAA Index shows sales have grown year-on-year.
The Electric Vehicle Council represents companies across the EV supply chain and advocates for policies that support Australia’s transition to low-emissions transport.
Automobile Magazine-AU
