New data shows Australians are continuing to shift towards electric vehicles and that internal combustion engines' market share continues to decline.
The quarterly update of the Australian Automobile Association's EV Index shows both battery electric vehicle and hybrid new vehicle sales continue to grow.
Both segments recorded record market share in the three months to March 31.
The AAA EV Index online data dashboard, produced by Australia's peak motoring body, analyses all new light vehicle sales across the country.
In national new light vehicle sales from the fourth quarter 2023 to first quarter 2024:
- Internal combustion engine sales fell by 8.03 per cent and internal combustion engine market share dropped to 78.18pc, going below 80pc for the first time
- Battery electric vehicle sales continued to grow strongly, reaching 8.70pc market share, but they were outsold by hybrids, which recorded record sales volume and market share (11.95pc)
- Plug-in hybrid vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles still have very small market shares. Collectively, internal combustion engine vehicles, battery electric vehicles and hybrids accounted for 98.7pc of the quarter's total new light vehicle sales.
From the fourth quarter 2023 to first quarter 2024, national light vehicle sales declined by 3.54pc, but year-on-year (March 31, 2023 to March 31, 2024) total sales rose 13.91pc.
Sales figures across the five quarters confirm a clear trend of growth for battery electric vehicles and hybrids and a gradually shrinking market share for internal combustion engines. But there have also been significant quarterly fluctuations in the past 15 months.
Across that period, battery electric vehicles market share rose from 6.77pc to 8.70pc and total battery electric vehicles sales rose from 17,396 to 25,468. The strongest quarters for total battery electric vehicles sales and market share were Q2 2023 and Q1 2024.
In the first half of 2023 battery electric vehicles outsold hybrids, but since then hybrids have outsold battery electric vehicles in three consecutive quarters, accounting for 11.95pc of all light vehicle sales (rising from 9.46pc in Q4 2023 and up from 6.26pc in Q1 last year). Hybrid sales volume rose by 117pc in the 12 months from the end of March 31, 2023 to March 31, 2024.
Internal combustion engine vehicle sales have risen year-on-year (up from 222,136 in Q1 2023 to 228,961 in Q1 2024), but across that period the internal combustion engine share of a growing market has declined by more than 8pc (down from 86.40pc to 78.18pc). Across the last five quarters, internal combustion engine market share peaked in Q1 2023 (86.40pc) and sales volume peaked in Q4 2023 (248,943).
In the March quarter, internal combustion engine vehicles still dominated the small car, small SUV and large SUV market segments with hybrids a distant second.
More than 99pc of utes and vans sold were internal combustion engine vehicles, as were more than 95pc of people movers sold.
But only 18.61pc of medium-sized cars sold were pure internal combustion engine.
Battery electric vehicle accounted for 52.56pc of medium car sales and 39.48pc of large car sales. Battery electric vehicles also performed relatively strongly in the medium SUV segment (14.77pc of sales).
Hybrids sold most strongly among medium cars (28.44pc), medium SUVs (21.61pc), small cars (17.05pc) and small SUVs (11.91pc).
