Australians have raced to secure electric vehicles during the Middle East war-driven fuel crisis, near-doubling sales to set a national record.
Motorists bought more than 15,800 new electric cars during March, according to figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries on Tuesday, while sales of petrol and diesel vehicles stalled.
Pure electric cars represented 14.6 per cent of all new-car sales during the month, growing from 7.5 per cent in March 2025.
The tally was the highest number of electric vehicles sold in Australia in a month.
The rush for battery-powered vehicles comes as fuel shortages challenge drivers around the nation following conflict in Iran, which has pushed the price of diesel beyond $3 a litre.
The charge for electric vehicles occurred despite a modest drop in new car sales of 3.3 per cent, chamber chief executive Tony Weber said, but he stopped short of calling it a permanent trend.
“It is too early to determine if this represents a structural shift in the market,” he said.
“More consumers are considering EVs due to the disruptions of fuel supply caused by the conflict in the Middle East, along with the review into the fringe benefits tax concessions for EVs.”
Tesla’s Model Y ranked as Australia’s third best-selling vehicle during March as a result of the sales surge and electric vehicles have doubled in popularity during 2026, rising by 115 per cent.
Sales of other low-emission cars also accelerated during March, with hybrid vehicle sales up by 6.7 per cent to almost 18,000 vehicles, while plug-in hybrid sales rose by 18.5 per cent compared to the same month in 2025.
By comparison, petrol vehicle sales slowed by 20.8 per cent during March, and diesel vehicles fell by 10.1 per cent.
If the trend towards low-emission vehicles was to continue, governments needed to boost investments in electric vehicle chargers, Mr Weber said.
“A long-term shift to EVs will require Australian governments to sharpen their focus on public charging infrastructure, particularly in regional areas and locations where home charging is not practical,” he said.
“Ensuring infrastructure keeps pace with consumer demand will be critical to enabling sustainable growth in EV adoption beyond short-term influences.”
The electric vehicle sales record also comes as the federal government reviews the Electric Car Discount and as it considers the introduction of a road-user charge to replace revenue that would have been collected by fuel excise.
Despite the emerging sales trend, the Ford Ranger ute again claimed the title of Australia’s best-selling vehicle for March, followed by the Toyota HiLux ute.
Toyota remained the top automotive brand in the nation, followed by Mazda, Kia, Ford and Hyundai.
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