Australian new car buyers are increasingly turning to hybrids rather than electric vehicles (EVs), with demand for fuel-saving electrified models driving another record month of sales. A total of 111,099 new vehicles were sold in Australia throughout May 2024, a 5.1 per cent improvement on last year’s result in the same month – a record at the time.
It’s also a significant boost on the 92,202 vehicles sold in April, with buyers flocking to showrooms ahead of the end of financial year. The largest growth in May came from hybrids, which recorded 16,218 sales for the month, a huge 113.4 per cent gain on the same month last year.
Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion. Plug-in hybrid sales also saw a big jump, up 73.6 per cent on 2023 with 1373 sales for the month, while EV sales also grew – however the 8974 sales represented an increase of just 10.
5 per cent. While this represented a turnaround from April where EV sales fell for the first time in more than two years, battery-powered vehicle sales increased by only a slim margin compared to the 7.4 per cent growth in the diesel segment, which recorded 34,479 sales through May.
Petrol power continues to be favoured by Australian car buyers, with 45,262 unleaded-fuelled vehicles sold last month, though this was the only segment with a decrease on 2023, down 13.5 per cent. New vehicle sales were also up in every state and territory bar the Northern Territory, which recorded an 8.
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