Deliveries of new plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) reached record highs in Australia last year, when 26,163 vehicles powered by both a petrol engine and externally chargeable battery were sold.
This represented a 100.2 per cent increase on 2023’s figures, but PHEVs still accounted for less than two per cent of the record 1,237,287 new vehicles delivered in 2024, accounting for the smallest market share of any propulsion type.
Factors such as the federal government’s fringe benefits tax (FBT) exemption and both state and territory subsidies were behind the rise in PHEV deliveries, as buyers opt for vehicles that can travel limited distances on electric power alone but also offer the peace of mind of a traditional engine as backup.
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The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has long been the leader in the segment, thanks in part to it being one of the first plug-in hybrids available in Australia, as well as the mid-size SUV’s overall popularity across its electrified and petrol-only powertrain lineup.
That changed last year, with the BYD Sealion 6 claiming the PHEV sales crown by just 72 vehicles, despite deliveries of the Chinese brand’s first PHEV to arrive in Australia only beginning in June.
It narrowly missed out on a spot in the top 20 sales chart in September, but managed to do so in December, rounding out the full year in 55th place overall – within just 200 deliveries of the battery-electric BYD Seal sedan, which was on sale for the full year.
BYD enters 2025 on a roll as it’s due to release its next PHEV, the Shark 6 ute, in the coming weeks, and reports it has taken thousands of orders for the ground-breaking dual-cab.
With the Sealion 6 vaulting to the top of the PHEV sales chart, the Outlander had to settle for second, though when combined with sales of petrol versions, it was the fifth-best selling vehicle overall.
Combined, the Sealion 6 and Outlander PHEV notched up 12,324 deliveries, or more than half of all new PHEVs registered in Australia last year.
The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV was the best of the rest, while the new-to-market Mazda CX-60 outsold the MG HS for fourth place.
Other interesting figures from the sales list include the fact that more than half of all now-axed Ford Escape vehicles delivered in 2024 were PHEVs, and almost half of the Cupra Formentors registered last year were plug-in variants.
At the other end of the scale, just 1.2 per cent of the 9791 Kia Sorentos delivered were PHEVs, though the company has previously pegged supply at about 10 examples per month – aligning with the 122 it sold.
Only two per cent of buyers of the BMW X3 – the German brand’s most popular model in Australia – opted for plug-in hybrid power, with just 68 examples of the X3 30e xDrive delivered. BMW shifted more than twice as many XMs, which costs in excess of three times as much.
The number of PHEV models on sale in Australia is set to grow in 2025, and utes are expected to help drive more sales, with the aforementioned BYD Shark 6 set to be joined by the Ford Ranger PHEV and GWM Cannon Alpha Hi4-T.
Best-selling PHEV models of 2024
| Model | 2024 PHEV sales | Overall model sales | % PHEV |
|---|---|---|---|
| BYD Sealion 6 | 6198 | 6198 | 100.0% |
| Mitsubishi Outlander | 6126 | 27,613 | 22.2% |
| Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross | 2368 | 9221 | 25.7% |
| Mazda CX-60 | 1481 | 4058 | 36.5% |
| MG HS | 882 | 4552 | 19.4% |
| Volvo XC60 | 872 | 1905 | 45.8% |
| Cupra Formentor | 598 | 1265 | 47.3% |
| Porsche Cayenne | 490 | 1829 | 26.8% |
| Audi Q5 | 351 | 2737 | 12.8% |
| Lexus NX | 351 | 6123 | 5.7% |
| Volvo XC90 | 313 | 856 | 36.6% |
| Range Rover Sport | 258 | 2206 | 11.7% |
| Mazda CX-80 | 243 | 685 | 35.5% |
| Mercedes-AMG C63 | 238 | 1943 (incl. C-Class) | 12.2% |
| Mercedes-Benz/AMG GLC | 227 | 4438 | 5.1% |
| Ford Escape | 196 | 374 | 52.4% |
| Land Rover Defender | 163 | 3209 | 5.1% |
| Volkswagen Touareg | 151 | 908 | 16.6% |
| BMW XM | 144 | 144 | 100.0% |
| BMW X5 | 140 | 3157 | 4.4% |
| Kia Sorento | 122 | 9791 | 1.2% |
| Alfa Romeo Tonale | 115 | 246 | 46.7% |
| Cupra Leon | 111 | 347 | 32.0% |
| Ferrari 296 | 107 | 107 | 100.0% |
| Range Rover | 89 | 685 | 13.0% |
| Peugeot 408 | 80 | 81 | 98.8% |
| BMW 3 Series | 76 | 2472 | 3.1% |
| Peugeot 3008 | 76 | 365 | 20.8% |
| Range Rover Evoque | 74 | 603 | 12.3% |
| BMW X3 | 68 | 3374 | 2.0% |
| Volvo S60 | 61 | 153 | 39.9% |
| BMW M5 | 43 | 614 (incl. 5 Series) | 7.0% |
| Audi Q8 e-tron | 41 | 619 | 6.6% |
| Jeep Compass | 40 | 493 | 8.1% |
| Range Rover Velar | 39 | 368 | 10.6% |
| Peugeot 308 | 38 | 150 | 25.3% |
| Peugeot 508 | 38 | 65 | 58.5% |
| McLaren Artura | 36 | 36 | 100.0% |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee | 24 | 645 | 3.7% |
| Ferrari SF90 | 21 | 21 | 100.0% |
| Land Rover Discovery Sport | 11 | 371 | 3.0% |
| Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door | 11 | 11 | 100.0% |
| Lamborghini Revuelto | 10 | 10 | 100.0% |
| Mini Countryman | 9 | 1878 | 0.5% |
| Porsche Panamera | 9 | 66 | 13.6% |
| Bentley Bentayga | 8 | 84 | 9.5% |
| Mercedes-Benz A-Class | 5 | 1997 | 0.3% |
| Mercedes-AMG GT coupe | 3 | 8 | 37.5% |
| Mercedes-Benz E-Class | 3 | 381 | 0.8% |
| Citroen C5 X | 2 | 39 | 5.1% |
| Bentley Flying Spur | 1 | 20 | 5.0% |
Best-selling PHEV brands of 2024
| Brand | 2024 PHEV sales |
|---|---|
| Mitsubishi | 8494 |
| BYD | 6198 |
| Mazda | 1724 |
| Volvo | 1246 |
| MG | 882 |
| Cupra | 709 |
| Land Rover/Range Rover | 634 |
| Porsche | 499 |
| Mercedes-Benz/AMG | 487 |
| BMW | 471 |
| Audi | 392 |
| Lexus | 351 |
| Peugeot | 232 |
| Ford | 196 |
| Volkswagen | 151 |
| Ferrari | 128 |
| Kia | 122 |
| Alfa Romeo | 115 |
| Jeep | 64 |
| McLaren | 36 |
| Lamborghini | 10 |
| Bentley | 9 |
| Mini | 9 |
| Citroen | 2 |
MORE: VFACTS 2024: New vehicle sales hit record high, but slump expected soon
