Hybrids outsell electric cars, as regular new petrol and diesel vehicle sales decline

Sales of new hybrid vehicles have exceeded electric cars for the past nine months, new data shows.

According to the Australian Automobile Association’s (AAA) EV Index report, hybrid sales totalled 95,129 sales from the third quarter (Q3) of 2023 to the first quarter (Q1) of 2024, outperforming the 69,593 electric vehicles (EVs) sold in the same time frame.

The EV Index identified a stable growth in the low-emission vehicle market, with hybrids accounting for 11.95 per cent of total market sales in the first quarter of 2024 – up 5.69 per cent from Q1 of 2023.

The influx of Toyota RAV4 deliveries – the top-selling SUV in March 2024 – could have been a factor in the surge of hybrid sales, with the Japanese auto giant increasing production as it cleared back orders and decreased wait times, Drive has previously reported.

Toyota Australia said a record 93.4 per cent – or 4278 examples – of RAV4s delivered in March 2024 were hybrid models.

Electric vehicles recorded their highest market share in Q1 of 2024 at 8.70 per cent – surpassing its previous record of 8.67 per cent in the second quarter of 2023, during a surge in Tesla deliveries.

While traditional petrol or diesel-powered cars account for more than 70 per cent of the new light-vehicle market in Australia, these models without hybrid or electric power experienced an 8 per cent sales decline from Q4 of 2023 to Q1 of 2024.

According to the AAA, purely petrol and diesel-powered vehicles accounted for 78.2 per cent of total motor vehicle sales in the first quarter of 2024, said to be the first time it has fallen below 80 per cent.

The motoring body said in the January to March 2024 quarter, hybrids were popular among small and medium-sized passenger cars like the Toyota Camry, and SUVs such as the Mitsubishi Outlander.

Electric models accounted for 52.6 per cent of medium passenger car sales – dominated by the Tesla Model 3 sedan – and close to 40 per cent in large-sized passenger cars and SUVs, led by the Tesla Model Y, in the first quarter of 2024.

Tesla continues to be Australia's most popular amongst electric buyers, with the electric auto giant delivering 6017 models – ranking sixth in total sales, its highest finishing position of all time – in March 2024, as previously reported by Drive.

The AAA said petrol and diesel engines still dominated the small-sized passenger and SUV market, with the Toyota Camry and Ford Everest, the most sold models by volume from the January to March quarter.

Petrol and diesel-powered engines accounted for more than 99 per cent of utes and vans – with the leading Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux featuring in the top 10 most cars sold in March 2024.

"People are wanting to go into that lower cost, lower emissions motoring, but they just don't think they are ready for the full EV experience," James Voortman, the Australian Automotive Dealer Association chief executive told The Guardian.