Australia January 2026: EV share steadies as BYD consolidates market lead

January 2026 deliveries in Australia represent a clear advance in the country’s electrification trajectory while also illustrating how global competitive dynamics are now playing out locally. Out of 87,092 light vehicles registered, about 7,409 were battery-electric and 5,161 were plug-in hybrids, giving a combined electrified share close to 16%—a substantial year‑on‑year jump though marginally below December’s recent high. Chinese brands are driving a disproportionate share of that gain: BYD placed several models among the month’s best-sellers, with the Sealion 7 topping BEV registrations and the Atto family—including newly introduced lower-priced Atto 1 and Atto 2 variants—quickly adding meaningful volume. Early owner feedback on the Atto 1 highlights useful real-world range at an accessible price, offset by typical post-launch software and connectivity fixes that will test dealer service networks. Tesla’s January deliveries cooled, mirroring regional episodes where the company has ceded near-term share to aggressive-priced entrants; that pattern in Australia aligns with BYD’s surges in other markets and wider industry data showing Chinese OEMs expanding export footprints. The rising representation of plug-in hybrids signals consumer interest in transitional electrified options as petrol and diesel sales decline. Australia’s January mix therefore reflects a global competitive shift: manufacturers with rapid model cadence, price-competitive offerings and export readiness are translating broader supply growth into local market share. That shift raises immediate operational issues—availability, allocation and aftersales capacity—and strategic questions around brand perception and margins as export-oriented players scale. For legacy European and Japanese OEMs, the month serves as an early warning that where specification and price converge, share can change quickly unless incumbents accelerate product refreshes, revise channel economics and shore up service coverage. Policy continuity, incentive design and charging infrastructure rollout remain decisive variables that will either entrench the public’s move toward more affordable electrified choices or slow adoption if support and network build-out lag. In sum, January’s figures show consolidating momentum for electrified vehicles in Australia driven by affordability, export-enabled model breadth and an increasingly contested mid-volume segment rather than by premium-brand dominance.