Those figures come from CarExpert’s tally, which adds Tesla and Polestar deliveries to the industry’s VFACTS data. Petrol came third on 23,605. In all, 107,493 new vehicles were sold, up 6.8 per cent on last October.
Diesel is hardly booming. Its sales were down 14.7 per cent on a year ago and petrol’s were down 35.9 per cent, while electric sales more than tripled, according to the NRMA. A year ago, electric cars made up 7.3 per cent of the market. Last month it was 23.1 per cent.
Sources: FCAI VFACTS and Electric Vehicle Council data via CarExpert, including Tesla and Polestar. Month-on-month changes are our calculations. Heavy commercial vehicles excluded.
Tesla explains most of the swing
Compare October with September and the picture is simpler. Tesla delivered 4,050 cars in October, down from the 5,654 we reported in our September sales report. That drop of 1,604 is twice the gap between diesel and electric.
Tesla’s deliveries tend to bunch up at the end of each quarter, so a quiet October after a big September is no surprise. The Model Y went from 4,476 sales to 3,105. Diesel itself barely moved, up 476 on September. Electric sales slipped by 1,442, and that was enough.
The HiLux is number one again
The Toyota HiLux led the month on 5,954, up 34 per cent on last October, CarSauce reported. The Ford Ranger, September’s winner, was second on 4,841. If you’re shopping for one, our HiLux SR5 buyer’s guide covers the new model.
- Toyota HiLux: 5,954
- Ford Ranger: 4,841
- Toyota RAV4: 4,718
- Tesla Model Y: 3,105
- BYD Sealion 7: 2,524
- Toyota Prado: 2,397
- Chery Tiggo 4 Pro: 2,178
- BYD Atto 2: 1,943
- BYD Shark 6: 1,843
- Geely EX5: 1,789
BYD sold 10,025 vehicles, up 153.2 per cent, and put three models in the top 10. Toyota still sold more than twice as many, with 20,649. Ford was third on 7,310, and Tesla’s 4,050 left it 11th.
The year so far
One month doesn’t settle much. Over the first 10 months of 2026, petrol is still the biggest seller on 293,298, ahead of diesel on 258,361 and electric on 205,436. December is the end of a quarter, so the next two sets of figures will show whether Tesla’s dip was only timing.
Weighing up fuels for your own car? Our petrol vs diesel running costs guide does the sums, and the Model Y vs Sealion 7 comparison covers the two best-selling electric cars.
Sales figures are from VFACTS and the Electric Vehicle Council as reported by CarExpert, CarSauce and the NRMA on 5 November 2026. Header image: Toyota Australia.
