BYD has finished second in Australia's new-car sales race for the second consecutive month, delivering more vehicles than long-standing household names like Ford, Kia, Hyundai and Mazda, and trailing only Toyota in terms of total sales.
It's a stunning result for the Chinese brand, which this time last year delivered 3225 vehicles. In May 2026, that number shot up to 154 per cent to 8211 sales.
Leading the charge this month was the BYD Sealion 7, of which 1583 found homes, followed by the Shark 6, with 1244 sales. There is success right across BYD's lineup, though, with the Sealion 8, Sealion 6, Atto 2 and Atto 1 all delivering around 800 units.
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For some perspective, though, there is still a long climb to topple Toyota, with the Japanese giant delivering around twice as many vehicles as BYD, with 16,342 deliveries in May. The recently refreshed HiLux (4005 sales) and RAV4 Hybrid (3865 sales) are leading the charge, but the Camry, Corolla, Corolla Cross, Hiace and LandCruiser family all delivered more than 1000 units last month.
Rounding out the top five last month were Ford (7195 sales), Hyundai (7007 sales) and Kia (6761 sales). Tesla (6433), Mazda (5698), GWM (4660), Chery (4401) and MG (3872) rounded out the top 10.
The model list tells a different story, though, with the Tesla Model Y finishing in first place with 5605 sales, followed by the Ford Ranger (4474 sales), HiLux (4005), RAV4 (3865), Hyundai Kona (2291). In fact, BYD doesn't have a model in the top 10, which is rounded out by the Hyundai Tucson, Jaecoo J5, Chery Tiggo 4 pro, Isuzu D-Max and the Ford Everest.
The other big story this month is that, of 100,206 new vehicles purchased last month, some 20 per cent were EVS – the biggest monthly share on record – while vehicles with some sort of electrification accounted for 46 per cent of all sales.
“The shift is particularly evident in the SUV segment, where consumer preferences are changing rapidly. Today’s SUV buyer is increasingly choosing hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric options,” says FCAI chief executive Tony Weber.
Top 10 vehicles May, 2026
| Model | Sales | Change % |
| Tesla Model Y | 5605 | +56 |
| Ford Ranger | 4476 | -6.0 |
| Toyota HiLux | 4005 | -19.1 |
| Toyota RAV4 | 3865 | -3.4 |
| Hyundai Kona | 2291 | +17.4 |
| Hyundai Tucson | 2287 | +27.5 |
| Jaecoo J5 | 2172 | N/A |
| Chery Tiggo 4 Pro | 2123 | +23 |
| Isuzu D-MaX | 1916 | -27.5 |
| Ford Everest | 1876 | -20.8 |
Top 10 car brands May, 2026
| Make | Sales | Change % |
| Toyota | 16,342 | -30.7 |
| BYD | 8211 | +154.6 |
| Ford | 7195 | -15 |
| Hyundai | 7007 | +4.5 |
| Kia | 6761 | -2.1 |
| Tesla | 6433 | +65 |
| Mazda | 5698 | -27.4 |
| GWM | 4660 | +9.1 |
| Chery | 4401 | +59.7 |
| MG | 3872 | +18.4 |