The five electric cars outselling big-name combustion vehicles in 2022

Over the course of 2021, electric cars managed to make up just under two percent of the Australian market. It doesn’t sound like much but with some nameplates gaining ground in 2022 and some storied combustion cars falling out of favour, here are some stats which might surprise you.

The Tesla Model 3, king of our list, and clearly king amongst EVs for the time being, outsold not just individual cars, but having racked up a whopping 12,094 sales in 2021 it managed to outsell the entire Lexus brand.

It’s not the only EV putting solid sales increases on the board though, so let’s take a look at some of the other popular EVs in Australia, and the once-popular cars they’ve managed to outsell year-to-date so far in 2022.

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Porsche Taycan

Sold: 260 units

Outsold: BMW 5 Series (172 units)

Despite truly premium pricing for Porsche’s dedicated electric sports machine, it has soared since its launch, apparently resonating well for consumers looking for something more performance-oriented. In fact, the Taycan was Porsche’s second-best-selling model after the Macan SUV over the course of 2021.

This hasn’t rung true over the first four months of this year, with the Taycan amassing 218 sales, having been outsold by the Cayenne large SUV by a small margin. Still, the fact that the Taycan ranks as one of Australia’s top EVs should show you something about the survival of performance brands without combustion engines.

Mercedes-Benz EQA

The Mercedes-Benz EQA is a popular pick among premium EV buyers.

Sold: 415 units

Outsold: Jeep Wrangler (394 units)

The EQA has sold impressive numbers so far in 2022, flying up the charts to be one of Australia’s best-selling electric cars. Benz’ strategy of offering a single highly-specified variant is clearly working, with buyers not needing to pay for optional equipment which they would otherwise have to on this car’s GLA equivalent. It helps this electric car feel closer to its combustion equivalents, with the price gap much less noticeable at the premium end of the market.

The EQA surges ahead of even some more mainstream EV offerings like the Nissan Leaf and Kona electric, with Benz buyers clearly keen for a slice of the future.

MG ZS EV

Sold: 579 units

Outsold: Ford Mustang (573 units)

We should start here with the caveat that the number provided to us by MG is for the number of vehicles ordered rather than the number of deliveries made thus far in 2022, unlike all the other cars here, so the numbers are a little higher than the reality. Still it is notable that this little SUV has made such an impact from a brand which was barely on the radar of the automotive space a handful of years ago.

It makes a lot of sense that this little SUV is so popular, as the ZS EV has held the title of the most affordable mainstream EV in Australia for some time, acting as an attractive, affordable option for first-time EV buyers, with a range which many consumers would consider at least passable. We expect this car will go from strength to strength with the updated version which arrives later this year.

Hyundai Kona electric

Sold: 394 units

Outsold: Honda Civic (361 units)

The Hyundai Kona electric achieves something which few EV rivals have managed to: being a relatively good value choice in the booming small SUV segment. It’s worth remembering other top-selling rivals don’t play in this lucrative space, with the Model 3 being a sedan and the Taycan being a hugely expensive grand tourer.

The Kona electric has outsold some notable rivals on a downward trend like the Honda Civic and VW Golf, although this space in particular is set to heat up in the coming years with low-cost rivals like the updated MG ZS EV and BYD Atto 3 from China.

Tesla Model 3

Sold: 4481 units

Outsold: Toyota Camry (4446 units)

So far, according to VFACTS, the Model 3 has officially managed to move 4,481 units in 2022 - the first time Tesla has reported its sales data in Australia.It’s a number which makes the Model 3 truly mainstream, outselling cars like the Toyota Camry mainstay.

While it appears the Tesla has a stranglehold of the EV market currently, this article could look very different in a year’s time, with significant rivals out of Europe like the VW ID.4 and China like the BYD Atto 3 looming to steal sales away. Indeed, rivals are beginning to overtake this trailblazer elsewhere in the world.