BYD Sealion 7 surpasses Tesla Model Y to become Australia’s new best-selling electric car

With the Tesla Model Y soon to switch to a new model, it has allowed BYD to top the EV sales charts with its rivalling Sealion 7.

With the Tesla Model Y soon to switch to a new model, it has allowed BYD to top the EV sales charts with its rivalling Sealion 7.

A tumultuous month for electrified vehicle sales has seen BYD take over from Tesla as the new number one electric vehicle (EV) in Australia, as well as plug-in hybrid sales fall off a cliff now they are not part of the Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) exemption.

A disastrous April for Tesla – in part due to the Model Y now in runout ahead of an updated model arriving this month – saw sales drop 76 per cent compared to the same month last year, to just 500 deliveries.

The Tesla Model Y – Australia’s best-selling EV since 2023 – has been dethroned by the BYD Sealion 7, with the former relegated to eighth place on 280 sales while the latter notched 743 sales for the top spot.

The Tesla Model 3 meanwhile, achieved just 220 sales for 10th place.

Ahead of the Model Y, but behind the Sealion 7, was the MG4 (363) in second place, followed closely by the BYD Atto 3 (355), Kia EV5 (342), Kia EV3 (336), BYD Seal (325), and Geely EX5 (324).

Only 39 units separated second place and seventh in last month’s electric car sales chart.

Slotting in between the two Tesla models in ninth place was the MG ZS with 227 sales.

Overall, in April this year, Australia’s EV sales dropped 44.2 per cent compared to the same month in 2024, notching a total 6010 registrations according to VFACTS and Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) data.

However, it was plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) sales that have taken the biggest hit last month, shedding nearly 5000 sales in April compared to March – largely due to the powertrain’s removal of the FBT exemption.

While March’s PHEV sales figure was 6932 units, April’s figure was just 2601 – although that is still 95 per cent more than the same month last year.

Leading the PHEV pack again was the BYD Shark 6 ute (1293, down from 2810 in March), followed by the Sealion 6 (275).

The Mazda CX-60 (49), Lexus RX (46), and BMW X5 (44) took out the next three places, while the not-yet-on-sale Ford Ranger PHEV was 10th with 42 new registrations in the lead up to the car’s mid-year launch.

As for hybrid models, their popularity looks to be stagnating, with 14,288 sales last month compared with 15,194 of April 2024 – a 6 per cent drop.

Toyota continues to dominate the hybrid space, with the RAV4 (3801), Corolla (1630), Corolla Cross (1202), and Camry (841) taking out the top four spots, and the Yaris Cross (574) also in the Top 10 at seventh.

However, Hyundai is making a strong play against Toyota with the Tucson (699), Kona (615), and Santa Fe (363) in fifth, sixth, and eighth respectively.

Rounding out the Top 10 hybrid sales of April in ninth and 10th respectively was the Lexus NX (347) and Kia Sportage (340).

Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.

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