VFACTS August: Model Y closes on Ford Ranger as EVs outsell petrol vehicles

The Tesla Model Y was Australia's best-selling vehicle in August and now sits third for the year to date, within 1342 units of the Ford Ranger, as battery-electric vehicles outsold every other fuel type for the first time.

VFACTS recorded 100,939 sales in August, up 0.4 per cent on the same month last year. Tesla and Polestar don't report to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), instead submitting their numbers to the Electric Vehicle Council, and their combined 7821 deliveries lift the all-sources total to 108,760.

On VFACTS figures alone the RAV4 led August with 5470 sales. Count Tesla and the picture changes: Model Y finished on 6414, roughly 900 clear of the Toyota and comfortably ahead of the HiLux (4833).

Tesla was the biggest single reason the needle moved. The American brand delivered 7685 vehicles in August, up 162.6 per cent on July, with the Model Y alone accounting for 6414 of them. The Model 3 also returned to form on 1271 units, its first meaningful rebound after months of decline.

It's the third time this year the Model Y has led a month, after May and June, but the year-to-date table is where it gets interesting. Ranger sits on 32,796 for the year, HiLux on 32,161 and Model Y on 31,454 – a spread of under 1350 units across the three, with four months of reporting to go.

Ranger is the one moving in the wrong direction. Ford's ute fell 50.6 per cent year-on-year in August to 2440 units, dropping it to fifth for the month and behind the Toyota Prado (2475). On current trajectories, the Model Y needs an average of roughly 340 units a month more than the Ranger to finish 2026 as Australia's best-selling vehicle – something no electric car has done here.

Counting Tesla and Polestar, 27,078 battery-electric vehicles were delivered in August – roughly 1250 units clear of petrol (25,824), and enough to make electric the single biggest fuel type in the country for the first time. Diesel (23,608), long the default in a market built on utes and 4x4 wagons, finished third.

The FCAI put the all-sources BEV figure at 27,089 units, or 24.9 per cent of the new-vehicle market, describing it as the highest monthly BEV total ever recorded in Australia and a 171 per cent increase on August 2025.

Add hybrids (18,662) and plug-in hybrids (10,591) to the tally and 56,331 of the 108,760 vehicles sold last month had a plug or a battery pack – 51.8 per cent, and the first time electrified vehicles have taken a majority in a single month.

FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said the results pointed to a structural shift rather than a blip.

"The sustained level of BEV sales, together changing brand preferences, shows how quickly consumer choice and competition are reshaping Australia's new-vehicle market," Mr Weber said.

He added that charging infrastructure would remain critical to buyer confidence, particularly on highways, in regional areas and for those without access to home charging.

Toyota again led the brand standings with 19,712 sales and 19.5 per cent share, but the more instructive number sits below it. Five Chinese brands – BYD (8231), GWM (4870), MG (4767), Geely (4504) and Chery (4238) – combined for 26,610 sales, or 26.4 per cent of the VFACTS market, more than Toyota, and from brands that between them barely registered five years ago.

Geely's rise is the sharpest of the lot. The brand sold 4504 vehicles in August against 401 a year earlier, with the EX5 alone jumping 385.5 per cent to 1947 units. Zeekr's 7X arrived from nowhere to finish ninth outright on 1748 sales.

Kia (6500), Mazda (6203), Hyundai (5355) and Ford (4816) rounded out the top 10.

Ford's month was the ugliest of the established players. Its Ranger collapse dropped Australia's former best-seller out of the podium places entirely, while the Isuzu D-MAX fell 26.2 per cent to 1708 and the Toyota HiLux held flat at 4833. A single-month fall of that size in a nameplate that has led this market for years is more likely a supply story than a demand one, and a correction in September would put the calendar-year race back in Ford's hands.

Tesla's September is the other variable to watch. The brand traditionally loads deliveries into quarter-end months, which makes a strong August unusual and a very strong September likely. The Model Y L accounted for 3236 of the Model Y's 6414 August sales, so the long-wheelbase model's launch ramp is doing a lot of the work.

Four months out, Australia has a genuine three-way contest for its best-selling vehicle between two utes and an electric SUV – which would have read as a typo two years ago.

Best-selling models August 2026 (all sources)*

Best-selling models 2026 year to date (all sources)*

* Combines VFACTS data with Electric Vehicle Council figures for Tesla and Polestar, which do not report to the FCAI. Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger and Isuzu D-MAX totals include 4x2 and 4x4 variants.

Best-selling brands 2026 year to date (all sources)*

* Combines VFACTS data with Electric Vehicle Council figures for Tesla and Polestar, which do not report to the FCAI.

How the market broke down by fuel type in August 2026*

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