Electric car sales up 120% on last year, says Electric Vehicle Council

The newly released State of Electric Vehicles Report for July 2023 is promising for EV enthusiasts, showing electric cars as making up 8.4% of new car sales so far in 2023, up 120% compared to 2022.

As of the end of June 2023, sales for EVs had hit 46,624, which is more than 3 times as many were purchased in the same period last year.

There are now 91 models of electric cars, vans, and utes available in Australia – up from 70 last year and only 31 in 2021. While electric vehicle options are expanding, the majority of new EV purchases (68%) are made up of 3 models (and 2 by Tesla): the Tesla Model Y, the Tesla Model 3, and the BYD Atto 3. 

The ACT still leads Australia in green car uptake, with electric vehicles comprising 21.8% of new cars purchased. This is helped by their leading amount of subsidies, but growing government schemes and lower rate green car loans could make electric cars more affordable nation-wide.

Concerns around electric vehicle infrastructure remain, with rising electricity prices being a major concern in Australia. Similarly, concerns remain around the number of public charging stations. There has been a 57% increase in ultra-fast charging stations, but these remain mostly clustered around high density metropolitan areas.

While electric vehicles do generally have a higher price barrier to entry than petrol or diesel powered vehicles, they are an important step in moving towards net zero carbon emissions. Electric cars could save you money, with the cost of an EV estimated at roughly $5,000 less than a comparable combustion engine car over a 5 year span.

If you’re interested in making the switch to an electric car, you can start comparing below or take a look at Mozo’s best car loans.