Much has been said of hybrids surging in popularity as electric vehicle (EV) growth cools, but plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) have been enjoying their moment, too.
From January to the end of September 2024, PHEV sales are up 120.5 per cent on the same period last year. That saw their growth outpace hybrids (up 87 per cent) and EVs (up 6.6 per cent).
This growth comes from a low base, however, and total PHEV sales of 15,546 pale in comparison to EVs (70,094) and hybrids (129,895).
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BYD Sealion 6
The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV remains Australia’s best-selling PHEV, but it faces a formidable foe in the new BYD Sealion 6. BYD has sold 3207 examples of the Sealion 6, its first PHEV in Australia, despite only launching it in June.
That meant the Chinese SUV outsold its Japanese rival in the June-September period, with a total of 2462 Outlander PHEVs being delivered to customers in that time.
It remains to be seen whether the Outlander PHEV will again be toppled in the sales charts, if not this year than next, like it was in 2022 by the MG HS.
Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV
That year, Mitsubishi was running out the previous-generation Outlander PHEV, and now this year MG is in the same position with its HS Plus EV which has fallen several spots.
While the Outlander PHEV is the best-selling PHEV, it accounts for 20 per cent of total Outlander sales.
There are other vehicles, however, where PHEV variants account for a larger share of a model’s sales. These include the Volvo XC60 (40.6 per cent), Cupra Formentor (52.4 per cent), Alfa Romeo Tonale (46.5 per cent) and Volvo S60 (41.4 per cent).
Volvo S60 T8 Recharge
| Model | PHEV sales (Jan-Sep) | Total model sales | % PHEV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitsubishi Outlander | 4438 | 21,249 | 20.9 |
| BYD Sealion 6 | 3207 | 3207 | 100.0 |
| Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross | 1944 | 7376 | 26.4 |
| Mazda CX-60 | 1193 | 9781 | 12.2 |
| Volvo XC60 | 624 | 1536 | 40.6 |
| MG HS | 533 | 2750 | 19.4 |
| Cupra Formentor | 431 | 823 | 52.4 |
| Porsche Cayenne | 379 | 1434 | 26.4 |
| Audi Q5 | 344 | 1856 | 18.5 |
| Lexus NX | 281 | 4539 | 6.2 |
| Volvo XC90 | 230 | 623 | 36.9 |
| Mercedes-Benz C-Class | 203 (AMG C 63) | 1583 | 12.8 |
| Ford Escape | 187 | 354 | 52.8 |
| Range Rover Sport | 180 | 1738 | 10.4 |
| Land Rover Defender | 108 | 2427 | 4.4 |
| Alfa Romeo Tonale | 99 | 213 | 46.5 |
| BMW XM | 99 | 99 | 100.0 |
| BMW X5 | 90 | 2334 | 3.9 |
| Cupra Leon | 83 | 259 | 32.0 |
| Mercedes-Benz GLC | 76 | 3218 | 2.4 |
| Peugeot 3008 | 76 | 344 | 22.1 |
| BMW 3 Series | 74 | 2052 | 3.6 |
| Volkswagen Touareg | 74 | 623 | 11.9 |
| Ferrari 296 GTB/GTS | 72 | 138 (incl. total two-door Ferrari sales) | 52.2 |
| BMW X3 | 65 | 2616 | 2.5 |
| Range Rover Evoque | 62 | 467 | 13.3 |
| Volvo S60 | 48 | 116 | 41.4 |
| Peugeot 408 | 46 | 47 | 97.9 |
| Range Rover | 43 | 550 | 7.8 |
| Peugeot 308 | 37 | 129 | 28.7 |
| Peugeot 508 | 35 | 62 | 56.5 |
| McLaren Artura | 29 | 63 (incl. total McLaren sales) | 46.0 |
| Range Rover Velar | 28 | 293 | 9.6 |
| Jeep Compass | 25 | 438 | 5.7 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee | 22 | 519 | 4.2 |
| Audi Q8 | 19 | 329 | 5.8 |
| Ferrari SF90 | 17 | 138 | 12.3 |
| Mercedes-AMG GT | 11 | 11 | 100.0 |
| Mini Countryman | 9 | 1148 | 0.8 |
| Bentley Bentayga | 5 | 47 | 10.6 |
| Land Rover Discovery Sport | 5 | 268 | 1.9 |
| Mercedes-Benz A-Class | 5 | 1625 | 0.3 |
| Kia Sorento | 3 | 7748 | 0.0 |
| Citroen C5 X | 2 | 36 | 5.6 |
| Mercedes-Benz E-Class | 2 | 294 | 0.7 |
| Bentley Flying Spur | 1 | 19 | 5.3 |
| Lamborghini Revuelto | 1 | 124 (incl. all Lamborghini two-door sales) | 0.8 |
| Porsche Panamera | 1 | 44 | 2.3 |
MORE: Australian EV sales: How they’re shaping up as 2024 nears its end
MORE: BYD Sealion 6: The Chinese SUV driving PHEV sales in Australia
