BYD almost beats Toyota in record-breaking month for new car sales

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Chinese brand BYD almost toppled market leader Toyota as Australians bought more new cars in June than any month in the history of the Australian car industry. 

Car makers sold 140,058 vehicles in June and electric vehicles made up 23.4 per cent of total sales – compared with just 7.6 per cent last June, courtesy of blockbuster performances by BYD and Tesla.

BYD shocked the industry by posting 18,881 sales last month to bring its year-to-date total to 52,335.

The monthly result was just 243 vehicles behind market leader Toyota, which registered 19,124 sales. The Japanese brand typically sells roughly twice as many cars as its nearest competitor. 

Ford was third with 9181 sales, followed by Kia with 8005 and Hyundai with 7480.

BYD is now the second best selling brand in the country behind Toyota year-to-date, a remarkable achievement for a brand that launched in 2022. 

Tesla’s Model Y, which is also made in China, recorded a staggering 8072 sales in June – a number not seen since the Holden Commodore dominated sales in the late 90s – to secure top spot on the sales chart.

China has overtaken Japan as Australia’s leading source of vehicles. Australians bought 46,592 Chinese imports, compared with 27,098 from Japan.

Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Tony Weber was stunned by the result.

“I cannot explain it. It’s an extraordinary number,” he said.

He said that while the government’s generous FBT discount for electric vehicles and the fuel shortage was playing a part in the market shift to EVs, it was not the only factor.

“The FBT discount certainly helps, but I think there is a structural change in the market taking place in front of our eyes. Part of this is the impact of the war in the Middle East and the associated effects on liquid fuel prices, but I think there’s also a structural adjustment in the car market,” he said.

He said there had been a paradigm shift by consumers in relation to EVs.

“The Australian automotive market has shifted on its axis during the first months of 2026. This year is likely to represent a significant turning point for the Australian automotive industry,” Mr Weber said.

Weber said Australians were responding to the sharp pricing of Chinese vehicles

“Australian consumers have always been very concerned about price,” he said.

But he was surprised by the strength of demand, given the fact that a new car was such a “significant investment”.

“I find it difficult to comprehend that we sold over 140,000 cars in one month in the current cost of living crisis, as interest rates have increased three times this year,” he said.

The Ford Ranger was the second-highest selling model in June with 5999 sales, followed by the Toyota HiLux with 5175 sales, the BYD Sealion 7 with 4730 and the Toyota RAV4 with 4115.