Fuel prices in Australia reached highs earlier this year, yet sales of conventional fuel-efficient hybrids haven’t received the same bump as plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) or electric vehicles (EVs). A total of 104,864 hybrids reached Australian buyers in the first half of 2026 according to data supplied by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), up 11.9 per cent on the same period last year. In contrast, PHEVs rose by 111.9 per cent to 54,256 units, while EVs rose 119.8 per cent to 103,843 units.
Hampering hybrid growth were declines for market leader Toyota and its luxury subsidiary Lexus. Brands Toyota remains the dominant player in Australia’s hybrid market, but with 44,122 deliveries in the first half of 2026 it’s down 20.2 per cent – or 11,160 units – on the same period last year. Hyundai, in contrast, has narrowed Toyota’s lead, rising 60.8 per cent or 8324 units year-to-date.
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Kia has had even more impressive growth, rising 139.1 per cent on the same period last year to 10,168 units and knocking GWM out of third place. The Chinese brand is sitting in fourth place so far this year (7226 deliveries, up 29.3 per cent), followed by Honda (4840, up 33.6 per cent) and MG (3797, up 41.9 per cent). Lexus has dropped from fourth to seventh position, down 26.8 per cent to 3913 units, while Subaru has risen to eighth (3594, up 247.9 per cent). The top 10 was rounded out by Chery, which delivered 2537 vehicles after launching its first hybrids here late last year, and Nissan which rose 12.5 per cent to 2524 units.
Hybrid newcomer KGM delivered 104 electrified Torres and Actyon SUVs, with Maserati delivering 16 hybrids, Chevrolet just two Corvette E-Rays, and Renault recording a single delivery of its upcoming hybrid Symbioz.
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The Toyota RAV4 remains the hybrid market leader, with 14,894 deliveries; the other deliveries recorded for the RAV4 nameplate were of the new PHEV variant. In the first half of 2025, a total of eight of the top 10 best-selling hybrids were produced by Toyota Motor Corporation, with the other two being Hyundais. This year, however, GWM and Subaru had one hybrid each in the top 10, plus three from the Hyundai Motor Group. The Hyundai Tucson and Kona are selling particularly strongly, taking the second and third spots – up from fourth and fifth in the same period last year.
While the RAV4 leads the pack, Toyota’s Corolla and Corolla Cross models maintain near-total reliance on the hybrid powertrain, with 100 per cent of deliveries recorded as hybrids. The Corolla Cross hit 6867 units sold, while the Corolla Sedan managed 7111. The Yaris Cross follows a similar pattern, moving 4247 units. Kia’s Sportage is the next best-seller in the list, with 6707 hybrid units, while the Camry and Yaris Cross round out the top five.
