Electric car sales Australia: July 2022

the 2022 Polestar 2 remained Australia’s best-selling electric vehicle (EV) in July – but a wave of Tesla sedans and SUVs due within days may turn the tables from this month.

The latest VFACTS industry sales data shows the Polestar 2 – the first model from Volvo’s electric spin-off brand to be sold in Australia – remained Australia’s top-selling EV last month, as it was in June, with 94 cars reported as sold.

July was a slow month for electric vehicle sales – in relative terms – with 609 vehicles reported as sold, up from 515 in July 2021, but nearly half of the 1137 sold the month prior to last, in June 2022.

However, that can be attributed to fluctuations in supply, rather than demand – with something such as one fewer shipment of cars than usual capable of shuffling the order of the Top Five best sellers, given the relatively low volumes in which electric cars sell in Australia .

Another key factor behind the lower sales result is Tesla, which reported only four cars as sold in July – down from 172 in June – as it waited for its first major shipment of cars to arrive at the end of the month.

The first of these shipments arrived late last week (as reported yesterday), and the first cars are en route to showrooms now – with the first customers reporting on Facebook delivery dates later this week.

The inbound ships contain not only more Model 3 sedans, but also the first customer-bound examples of its Model Y SUV sibling – just a few months after orders opened in mid June.

While it’s unclear how many Teslas will arrive in Australia this month for delivery, the new vehicles will extend Tesla’s significant lead in the electric vehicle (EV) sales race, with the Model 3 already accounting for 45 per cent of all EVs sold so far this year.

That’s despite 95 per cent of these cars being delivered before the end of March (4417 of 4657) – and only 240 reaching customers’ homes since then. In the same period, Polestar reported 541 cars as sold.

As mentioned, July saw most electric car models post lower sales figures than they did in June – though that’s expected to be a result of fluctuating supply and vehicle shipments, rather than demand.

Some sales figures can be attributed to other factors; Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric sales were down to 17 cars (from 78 in June), as these were the last 2022 models to arrive, ahead of an updated 2023 model due this month.

Renault Kangoo ZE electric van sales slowed to a crawl in July – just one of two total Kangoos sold – ahead of a new model early next year, while five Kia Niro Electrics were sold, as supply for the just-launched second-generation model is currently skewed towards the cheaper hybrid variant.

However, none of these models can place higher than fourth in the sales standings. This story will be updated once these figures are received.