Jaecoo News

The Aussie EV switch is in full swing. Electric car sales have skyrocketed in Australia in 2026, and it has seen some record-breaking figures.  Electric cars outsold petrol- and diesel-powered cars individually for the first time in a single month in August 2026. EVs repeated that success in September 2026, but only bested petrol in October after diesel surged back ahead. Plenty of EVs have jumped up the sales charts in 2026, so here is a look at the 25 best-selling EVs through 10 months of the year. The Tesla Model Y is the best-selling EV in the world, and Australia is no exception.  The mid-size SUV is approaching the 40,000 sales mark for 2026, which is nearly 5000 more than the Toyota RAV4 (35,927) has managed. The BYD Sealion 7 claimed second place on this list with more than 22,000 units sold up to October 2026.  BYD’s mid-size SUV is the brand’s most successful model and has provided competition for the Model Y, boasting year-on-year growth of almost 130 per cent.  The Geely EX5 is currently sitting in third place at more than 14,500 sales, while the Zeekr 7X rounds out the top four with 12,241. The Jaecoo J5 EV is currently occupying fifth position (10,266), while the sixth-placed BYD Atto 2 small SUV (9126) is followed by the Tesla Model 3, which is one of only three sedans in the top 25.  Kia’s EV5 (5175) and EV3 (5045) SUV duo take up eighth and 10th spot, with the BYD Atto 3 sandwiched between the pair (5070).  The EV3 and EV5 have been crucial to Kia’s increased EV presence in Australia, because the rest of its electric line-up hasn't reached 1000 units sold collectively so far in 2026. The BYD Atto 1 became Australia’s cheapest new car on sale, currently available with a drive-away deal of $19,990 until December 15, 2026.  It's sold nearly 5000 examples up to October 2026. Geely’s EX2 hatchback is another ultra-affordable EV option, and hit the Australian market in August 2026, already proving popular with Aussie buyers.  The EX2 recently surpassed one million cumulative global sales in October 2026, and it has had a similar impact in Australia, already registering more than 4300 sales.  The MG4 Urban also joined the Australian market early in 2026 as a cheaper, front-wheel drive alternative to the MG4. MG has shifted 4233 examples of the MG4 Urban in 2026 so far, which is more than the BYD Dolphin (3894).  The BYD Seal is another electric sedan putting up competitive sales numbers, registering 4167 sales, as one of few sedan models to experience growth in 2026. Further down the list is Toyota’s bZ4X (3333), followed by the MG4 (2711), with the MG S5 next up (2670).  Chery’s E5 has managed 2056 sales, while the XPeng G6 (1673) is doing better under the brand’s new factory-backed operation Down Under.  Zeekr dropped the price of its X small SUV in April 2026, and it has seen a strong sales response, with 1635 units sold, equating to a 167.6 per cent increase year-on-year compared to October 2025. Hyundai’s Kona EV has shifted 1567 examples, while the European-built Volvo EX30 (1558) and Volkswagen ID.4 (1440) also sneak into the top 25.  The Mazda 6e has been the 25th best-selling car so far in 2026, with 1390 sales, as the Japanese brand looks to turn around impending fines under the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard.   

BYD’s Ti 7 has just been approved for sale in Australia, but Jaguar Land Rover has taken issue with the boxy hybrid SUV’s design, seeking to drag its Chinese rival through the courts in Europe. According to media outlets including the UK’s Telegraph and The Guardian, bailiffs acting on behalf of Jaguar Land Rover conducted a raid of BYD’s offices in the Netherlands ahead of an intellectual property court case in The Hague. According to several UK media sources, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) had the court-ordered raids conducted to secure the digital records of the alleged intellectual property theft before BYD had a chance to destroy them. JLR is said to suspect BYD has reverse engineered some of the technology used in its Ti 7 from the Land Rover Defender. The brands faced-off in a court recently, with procedural details of the case being worked through, like how much documentation JLR will be allowed to use, and whether the case even has enough merit to proceed. The case comes as Land Rover seeks to stop BYD from selling the Ti 7 on its home turf in the UK. The car is slated to go on sale in January in the UK, adding to the brand’s existing range which has seen it achieve a similar level of success as it has had in Australia. Without the same protectionist policies as the EU, the UK has seen a mass influx of Chinese automakers, transforming its best-selling vehicle charts. While BYD has experienced explosive growth, so too has Jaguar Land Rover’s joint-venture partner Chery. Chery Group (including its sub-brands Omoda, Jaecoo and Lepas) has captured 8.9 per cent of the UK market in 2026, with the Jaecoo 7 (known as the Jaecoo J7 in Australia) becoming the country’s best-selling new car. Many have likened the design of the Jaecoo J5 small SUV and J7 mid-sizer to Range Rover products, with the J7 attracting the colloquial name of ‘Temu Range Rover’. Chery Group has officially teamed up with Land Rover on the re-booted Freelander marque, now as a separate sub-brand. The Freelander brand, which uses British JLR design mixed with Chinese production, is set to launch in international markets, including Australia in 2027. The BYD Ti7 joins the upcoming Freelander 8 in cashing in on the ‘boxy SUV’ trend taking over China. As Chinese companies seek higher profit margins in global export markets, they have been building larger, more competitive and more aspirational vehicles which they can sell at a higher price-point. And yet still that price-point undercuts many established names from the world’s biggest ‘legacy brands’. Even Zeekr's next move will be to come after the Defender's success specifically with an as-yet-unseen future off-roader. While it’s hard to say the Ti7 doesn’t borrow at least some inspiration from the Defender, so too do vehicles like the Geely Battleship 700, GAC Yue 7, and iCaur V27 (the latter of which being another Chery Group offering). Meanwhile other popular new off-road options in the market, like the GWM Tank 300 and Tank 500 have designs clearly influenced by the Jeep Wrangler and Toyota LandCruiser respectively. Even more established brands have drawn inspiration from Land Rover’s iconic design, with Hyundai’s CarsGuide Car of the Year award-winning Santa Fe clearly paying homage to the British brand’s Discovery 4x4. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but it is also an existential threat for Jaguar Land Rover. The historic British brand is embattled on multiple fronts. Not only are new and much more affordable rivals eating into its market share across the world, it has also suffered from a debilitating cyberattack, slowing sales in the lucrative Chinese market, increasing tariff barriers around the world, and delays in bringing new models to market to replace once-popular but ageing nameplates. The Defender 4x4, which many rivals are specifically seeking to emulate, is by far the company’s best-selling vehicle, accounting for 33.9 per cent of the company’s total sales in the 2026 financial year. Ironically, recent developments may push JLR further into the embrace of its Chinese Chery partner, which is busy establishing its own manufacturing footprint across Europe and the UK.

The numbers for October 2026 are in, and electric vehicles have officially outsold utes, marking a change in climate for the Australian new car market. A total of 24,845 electric vehicles were sold in October, eclipsing the total ute segment, which accounted for 19,431 units across 4x2, 4x4 and those costing in excess of $100,000. Of those 19,431 utes sold, 327 of them were also fully electric, up 330 per cent from the prior year. There were 6040 electric cars and 19,478 electric SUVs sold in the same period. Electric is now the leading fuel type for cars, and the second best selling fuel type for SUVs after petrol. Electric vehicles are the second best selling fuel type in October, even eclipsing petrol and hybrids for the month, landing within 1000 units of diesel. Year-to-date the Australian market has eclipsed 1 million units, with nearly 1/3rd of them still being petrol (293,298 units) and over a quarter being diesel (258,361 units). Electric vehicles so far account for 205,436 sales, but the fuel type has grown over 175 per cent for the year, where diesel has fallen 16.3 per cent and petrol has fallen 27.6 per cent. The biggest winners in October for electric cars are the Tesla Model Y (3105 units), BYD Sealion 7 (2524 units), Geely EX5 (1789 units) and Zeekr’s 7X (1441 units). Other popular options in the market include the Geely EX2 hatchback (1350 units), Jaecoo J5 EV (1117 units) and Tesla’s Model 3 (945 units). Meanwhile the ute segment is in the midst of a downturn after years of record popularity. Winners for October include the HiLux (5954 units), Ford Ranger (4841 units), BYD Shark 6 (1843 units), Isuzu D-Max (1599 units) and Mitsubishi Triton (1056 units). In total (including 4x4 and 4x2 models) the segment is down 11.42 per cent to 176,240 units from nearly 200,000 units this time last year. The numbers make sense. Diesel has been hit particularly hard by the impact of the war in Iran, which has caused a 94 cent price rise per litre from this time last year. The average price per litre for diesel in Australia is now $2.63, a 55.6 per cent increase on the year prior. This is due to inelastic demand for the fuel type, with private and small business utes competing with the wider commercial sector for the fuel. Meanwhile petrol is currently averaging $2.35 per litre, a more modest 72 cent increase from this time last year. According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, this means Australians, on average, are paying $546 more per year for fuel than they were in 2025. Combine this with the government’s current FBT exemption program and New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) forcing an influx of pure electric options to the market, and it’s a potent cocktail for automakers with competitive electric car line-ups. This has benefitted Tesla and newer Chinese brands, which largely have managed to meet the market with hybrid and fully electric vehicles that are at or near price parity with their combustion counterparts from so-called ‘legacy’ brands. A prime example is BYD’s fully electric Atto 1 city car becoming Australia’s most affordable new car earlier this year. For the ute segment specifically, BYD’s PHEV-only Shark 6 and GWM’s Cannon and Cannon Alpha which offer PHEV variants have received significant buyer attention, up 1.6 and 9.2 per cent respectively in a market which has otherwise significantly shrunk.

Australia’s new car market is at a “crisis point”, according to the Australian Automotive Dealer Association (AADA).  The AADA has warned dealers are losing money due to the influx of new car brands. AADA Chief Executive Officer James Voortman said Australia needs to stop letting new car brands launch here. “Dealers are facing intense competition, relentless pressure to take more stock and rising business costs. Too often, they are left to absorb the financial consequences of decisions made elsewhere in the supply chain,” Voortman said.  “There are simply too many manufacturers operating in this market and we need a pause on further car brands entering this market. At a time when other countries are trying to slow the rate of change and number of brands, Australia is allowing unfettered access to this market.” New car brands continue to launch in Australia, growing from 39 in 2021 to 67 in 2026, with more on the way in the coming months.  AADA has set out a 10-point plan, with recommendations for the government, suppliers and manufacturers.  The association wants the government to consider a capped licensing regime and pause the entry of any new brands into Australia.  It has called for the implementation of proposed dealer protections to be fast-tracked and liability of Australian Consumer Law breaches to be repositioned onto manufacturers, with new brand entries paused until this has been achieved.  It also wants at least a 12-month price freeze to guard against “severe pressure” on dealer profitability.  Among the changes for manufacturers is the agreement of realistic sales targets, allowing dealers to decline excess stock without facing commercial penalties.  AADA has previously raised concerns around long car repair and refund wait times in Australia as well as a "wave of litigation" when EV batteries need replacement outside of warranty. Australia’s market provides a near-perfect environment for new car brands to launch, because they are not subjected to major tariffs or prohibitive fees. It’s seen brands from around the world, especially China, flood into Aussie showrooms offering buyers very competitive prices.  Many Chinese brands operate with extensive sub-brand networks. There could be as many as nine Chery sub-brands in Australia by the end of 2027, while BYD and GWM also continue to actively add to their line-ups. These brands have capacity to produce copious amounts of stock, but selling them isn’t as simple a task, according to Voortman.  “Pushing excessive stock onto dealers is fuelling a race to the bottom. Aggressive discounting erodes margins and devalues vehicles while dealers carry the financing costs and risk of unsold vehicles,” Voortman said. “Strong headline vehicle sales can conceal serious financial distress at the businesses making those sales. Dealers cannot keep absorbing higher costs, lower margins and greater stock risk indefinitely.” This news follows reports that some Chinese brands are losing money on cars sold. Hyundai Australia Chief Executive Officer and President Don Romano told CarsGuide in July 2026 BYD’s approach to the Australian market wasn’t sustainable.  "I think if I were to lose money and dump cars, and if my stock price was down 40 per cent, I could do the same," Romano said.  "I think there's a big difference between growth at any cost and growth organically, so I'm not surprised. I would be if it was sustainable.”

Many Aussie have bought their first ever EV in 2026 and it’s changed the new car market forever. The Iran war's impact on fuel prices is often put forward as a key reason why more people than ever are making the electric car switch, but that's not the full story. Ed Harvey, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Australasian home EV charger manufacturer Evnex, told CarsGuide it was fuel security that started to sway buyers. “It flipped the argument,” Harvey said. “The fuel prices have not just really strengthened the cost-saving argument, but also I think it's the first time that people really started talking about energy security or transport security.” Range anxiety has put many buyers off EVs.  It combines a fear of running out of charge with having nowhere to charge it. Harvey said the fuel crisis brought about by the Iran war and the closing of the integral Strait of Hormuz in March 2026 started to change buyer perception. Buyers can now save as much as $3600 a year in just fuel costs by making the EV switch, according to Evnex's research, but Harvey said fuel security also started to cause anxiety with panic fuel buying leading to localised shortages. The federal government relaxed fuel standards and released reserves, while launching a $20 million “Every little bit helps” fuel conservation advertising campaign. Harvey said it was fuel availability not fuel prices that "flipped the script" for many buyers. Drivers worried about where they could fill up as opposed to where they could charge up, for the first time. “I think that really changed how people thought about energy security and our reliance on imported fossil fuels,” Harvey said. “I knew some people with petrol or diesel vehicles that were asking friends to borrow electric vehicles for the holiday period because they were nervous they might not be able to get where they needed to go.” BYD Australia’s Chief Operating Officer Stephen Collins told CarsGuide higher fuel prices and fuel shortages contributed to exponential EV uptake earlier in 2026. Collins described the early stages of the fuel crisis period as a “pivotal point” and an “unprecedented time”. “That March, early April period - I think it was genuinely only a four-week period where we saw a big spike in orders,” Collins said. “I think there were a lot of people that were on the cusp of buying an EV and that tipped a lot of people into ‘I’ll just make the decision now’. “It was a pretty tumultuous time, so I think there’s some truth to that.” The Electric Vehicle Council’s (EVC) 2026 ‘State of EVs’ report found buyers purchased one EV every 100 seconds in the first half of 2026. Electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle sales contributed to more than a quarter of all new car sales in the first half of the year, compared to roughly one in every 10 in the first half of 2025. Where there are competitive EV choices, buyers are making the switch, such as the mid-size SUV segment. The BYD Sealion 7, Geely EX5 and Tesla Model Y have consistently featured among the best-selling cars in Australia in 2026, and have experienced unprecedented growth. There hasn’t been the same growth in some other large segments of the market, and this is because competitive EV choices are still emerging, according to Electric Vehicle Council Chair and Origin Energy E-mobility GM Chau Le. “In each of these segments, EVs are becoming competitive, but we're not quite there yet in some of the segments,” Le told CarsGuide. “We're still a bit out, but with more EV models coming in and improvement in battery technology, it's only a matter of time until we're competitive across all segments.” There are no electrified utes that reach the balance of affordability, capability and driveability that their diesel counterparts have yet. Diesel-powered utes like the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux continue to be a significant component of the new car market. Once competitive electric ute choices emerge, the ute segment will likely follow a similar transformation to the rest of the new car market. New car buyers' priorities have shifted permanently, and there's nothing fuel prices or supplies can do to change it.

Jaecoo has just given its Toyota RAV4 competitor some special flair.  The brand has unveiled the Jaecoo J7 Black Edition as the range-topping grade for the mid-size SUV, starting from $49,990 (drive-away).  It’s $2000 more expensive than the plug-in hybrid all-wheel drive grade of the J7 ($47,990) and is $10,000 more expensive than the base PHEV grade of the car ($39,990).  The new sleek and blacked-out J7 is much cheaper than the bigger BYD Sealion 6 AWD ($52,990) and AWD PHEV grades of the Toyota RAV4 ($64,015), both before on-road costs. The Black Edition will arrive in Aussie dealerships in November 2026 as a permanent fixture, with no scheduled departure date. The car features a suite of blacked out exterior finishes that replace chrome details, including on the vertical grille, wheels, mirrors and roof rails.  Inside the cabin, there’s a dark headliner and pillar trims, while the car keeps its 14.8-inch central multimedia screen and its 10.25-inch digital driver display.  Seats are wrapped in a synthetic black leather, with heating and ventilating functionality in the front ones.  Omoda Jaecoo said the new look is designed to provide a more striking presence on the road.  The Black Edition’s PHEV set-up is the same one found in the J7 Summit AWD grade, which combines a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine and two electric motors to make 260kW and 490Nm.  This means it also has the same AWD system that has an electric motor on each axle. This is more power than AWD grades of the Toyota RAV4 that only produce 227kW, with the Japanese brand not quoting a combined torque figure for the car.  It’s a minor step up on power over the most powerful BYD Sealion 6 example that has 253kW and 550Nm.  The car can DC charge from 30 to 80 per cent in about 20 minutes.  The J7 is one of three models sold under the Jaecoo name, joined by the J5 small SUV and J8 large SUV. The J5 small SUV launched in January 2026, with its EV variant surging to become the brand’s best-selling model.  The J7 is the second-best selling model in the line-up, followed by the J8 and the Omoda 9. The Omoda 9 three-row SUV is currently the only Omoda-badged model remaining on sale, but buyers can expect two new models from next year.  The Omoda 4 small SUV and the Omoda 7 mid-size SUV are both scheduled to arrive in the first half of 2027. 

Chery’s International boss confirmed a local research and development centre is in the works for Australia. Chery International President Zhang Guibing noted that Australian-based engineers would help the brand tune its cars to better suit local conditions. Zhang said an R&D centre is planned, and even suggested one of Chery’s sub-brands could be headquartered in Australia in the future. “We will create an R&D center in Australia,” he confirmed. “We will use more local labor to really teach Chery because we are far Australia. “The habits, the road conditions, the weather is a big difference. Even now… maybe in the future we are also different.” The move to build an R&D centre in Australia would make Chery an on-paper leader in localisation in terms of its Chinese compatriots, with GWM also employing a local ride and handling expert in former Holden guru Rob Trubiani. Chery earlier this year confirmed it would build an R&D centre in Millbrook in the UK, though given the emphasis Zhang places on Australia, it seems an Aussie localisation program will teach the brand plenty about getting ahead in the brutally competitive new-car market. The announcement goes against the brand’s local arm saying last year that local ride and handling work is ‘irrelevant’ because much of the tech in Chery’s cars is too new for local experience to tune. “I think as long as we have the intelligent and educated input, whether we do that work in China or Europe or North America is irrelevant,” Chery’s local Chief Operating Officer Lucas Harris said in late 2025. To further cement Australia’s importance in the eyes of Chery’s top brass, Zhang suggested Sydney or Melbourne as potential locations for one of Chery’s sub-brands’ international operations to be headquartered in future. Chery currently has several global sub-brands: Jetour, Exlantix, Lepas, Luxeed, iCaur, Freelander and finally Omoda and Jaecoo, with the latter often paired together. This came alongside the acknowledgement that many have suggested London as a possible headquarters for Jaecoo’s international arm. He also noted the Stockman, Chery's upcoming ute, will launch in Australia before any other market, including China. Zhang also said Chery’s sub-brands in Australia wouldn’t all be based in the same city, ideally. “Some of the brands, the headquarters maybe put in Sydney. Some of the brand we put not in Sydney, in other cities… Melbourne.” He outlined that even in Wuhu, the plan is for Chery’s sub-brands to at least have their own buildings and spaces to develop and engineer their vehicles, despite the regularly shared engineering and tech across the Chery group. Mr Zhang’s approach is to try and tailor the staff on each brand to best understand the intended audience of the brand by being closer to that demographic where possible. “Actually, the team, the people, the different R&D department people is completely separated. “Because we want this brand from R&D and later the sales the, marketing, the people really is the same customer group of the brand. “Even the building, the design is also a very strong link with the customer feeling. So this is our main decision.  “Even for me, I don't participate. Because I think I'm not the customer group. So if sometimes I make too many decisions, it’s wrong.  “So I will leave more power to the different brand groups. So they will make their own decisions on how to really make the customer happy, because they understand the customers.”

Jaecoo is axing the regular, petrol-only versions of its J8 large SUV in Australia as it prioritises zero and low-emission vehicles. With this change, only a single, range-topping plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the Jaecoo J8 will remain on sale. It’s priced from $59,990, before on-road costs. This effectively raises the entry asking price for the Jaecoo J8 by $10,000. Demonstrator versions of the Jaecoo J8 petrol grades are still available at dealers, but only while stock lasts. The Jaecoo J8 first launched in Australia in 2025 as a larger stablemate to the mid-size J7 SUV. The two petrol-only trim levels were powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine. It produces 180kW and 385Nm and, depending on the trim level, was front- or all-wheel drive. The petrol-only versions of the J8 notably only had five seats. This changed when the PHEV with seven seats launched earlier this year. The Jaecoo J8 SHS-P has a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine and dual electric motors for a total system output of 315kW. It also has a 34kWh lithium-ion battery pack allowing for a claimed electric range of 169km. The main driver for Jaecoo discontinuing the petrol-only J8 grades in Australia is seemingly the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES). Carmakers are being pushed to introduce more low or zero emission models as the fleet CO2 targets get lower with every year. Jaecoo is far from the only brand to be pivoting to hybrid-only model line-ups. For example, a number of Toyota models, including the Yaris, Corolla, C-HR, Camry, RAV4 and Kluger are hybrid only, as is the Nissan Qashqai and forthcoming, next-generation Kia Seltos. While Jaecoo still offers petrol powertrains in the smaller J5 and J7 SUVs, both of these models come with hybrid, PHEV or electric powertrains.

Physical buttons are making a return to cars around the world, but the Chinese government is taking it a step further. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has filed proposals to mandate physical buttons and switches for critical car functions. Multimedia screens, large-area displays and complex head-up displays in cars must undergo mandatory safety checks under the proposals. These tests will measure the impact on driver distraction, reliability in extreme weather and crash performance. The rules take effect for new models from January 1, 2027, with existing models getting the same scrutiny from July 1, 2027. In February 2026, China overtook Japan as the biggest seller of cars in Australia. The China-built BYD Sealion 7 and Tesla Model Y have consistently been the two best-selling electric cars in Australia. They feature 15.6-inch and 16.0-inch central touchscreens, respectively. The Model Y’s screen controls virtually all functions, while the touchscreen in the Sealion 7 controls climate as well as vehicle and safety settings. Installing a large screen instead of a series of buttons and switches can save carmakers money. Housing features like this in a touchscreen increases driver distraction, with drivers needing to sift through menus instead of looking at the road. It arguably causes a similar distraction to using a mobile phone while driving, but using a big touchscreen isn’t illegal. These new rules will require key functionality to be controlled physically as opposed to being embedded in the in-car software. Buyers will see many of Australia’s most popular models adopt a new layout inside the cabin from 2027. Some brands have already started to reintroduce physical controls in the cabin in response to buyer feedback, including Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen. The Chinese government is moving to prohibit “folding” or “flexible” screens inside the car. While there aren’t mass-production cars that have these styles of screen, some brands were developing plans to introduce them down the line. China is also banning the use of ‘zero-gravity’ seats while driving that have become hugely popular in luxury models. This feature enables a seat to recline back on a steep angle, while elevating the leg rest to distribute body weight evenly, hence ‘zero-gravity’. This poses dangers to passengers, because in the event of a sudden stop or a crash, they could slide under the seatbelt, and will also be misaligned with airbags. It comes after the Chinese government outlawed electrically-operated hidden door handles, in favour of manual emergency releases.

A fix for a huge electric car problem is in the works. The Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) has announced a $1.43 million investment into a national EV charging roadmap.  The EVC said in its 2026 State of EVs report that Australia still needs "substantial public charging investment”.  It called for better data on demand use, reliability and coverage, with Australia’s charging infrastructure conundrum more complex than merely installing more fast chargers.  The roadmap is expected to be finalised in mid-2027.  The $1.43 million is made up of funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) ($1.06 million) as well as contributions from the EVC and other project partners.  The roadmap will look at charging demand, pressure points and where greater coordination could inform investment decisions through to 2035. It aims to introduce a coordinated charging network for passenger cars and heavy vehicles in metropolitan and regional Australia.  “Other major EV markets have recognised the value of coordinated national planning,” EVC Chief Executive officer Julie Delvecchio said.  “This Roadmap will bring that to Australia, shaped around our distances, our electricity system and the needs of everything from passenger cars to heavy trucks.” Owning a petrol or diesel car is becoming more expensive in Australia, and buyers are making the switch to EV power.  The Tesla Model Y has consistently featured in the top five best-selling cars, and in June 2026, it achieved a recording-breaking 8072 sales.  The BYD Sealion 7 has also recorded a serious increase in sales as it provides tough competition for the Model Y, while Geely’s EX5 has had a bumper 2026.  The federal government is targeting 5 million electric cars on Aussie roads by 2035, which would require the total number of EVs on the road to increase tenfold. Electric cars are now among the cheapest on offer in Australia.  The BYD Atto 1 starts from $19,990, drive-away (until December 15, 2026), while the Geely EX2 is available from $26,490, before on-road costs.  The New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) is helping to increase EV choices for buyers, with high-emission cars incurring hefty fines under the scheme.