Toyota continued to dominate hybrid-car sales in Australia last year – but a number of rivals are also in the race. Here are the best-selling hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2022.
A record 121,000 ‘electrified’ vehicles were sold in Australia in 2022 – across hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric power – representing an increase of one-third compared to the previous year.
While electric cars may capture most of the headlines, hybrid vehicles are more popular in Australia, with 81,786 sales reported – compared to 33,410 electric vehicles, and 5937 plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).
Tesla and Toyota remain the leaders in their respective segments – the former representing almost three in five electric cars sold, and the latter nearly nine out of every 10 of hybrids sold.
As reported last week, if Toyota hybrid cars were a standalone brand, they would be the sixth-best seller overall. The 2022 result means Toyota has now sold a cumulative total of more than 315,000 hybrid vehicles in Australia over the past two decades.
While Toyota dominates the hybrid-car market – and accounts for the Top 7 best-selling hybrid vehicles locally last year – there is a growing number of other makes and models joining the competition.
That includes conventional hybrids and a range of plug-in hybrids – of which nearly 6000 were sold last year, up 76 per cent from the 3400 reported as sold last year.
Here is a breakdown of the top-selling hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles in Australia last year.
Hybrid car sales in Australia in 2022
Data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) reports 81,786 conventional hybrid (non-plug-in) vehicles were sold in Australia in 2022 – up 16 per cent on the previous year, when 70,466 were sold.
Toyota remains the market leader, selling a record 72,815 hybrids – up 12 per cent on the prior year, and accounting for 89 per cent of all conventional hybrid cars sold.
Hybrids accounted for 31.5 per cent of Toyota vehicles reported as sold last year – or 70 per cent of the 10 model lines on which hybrid power was available.
As a result, the six best-selling hybrid vehicles in Australia last year were all Toyotas: the RAV4 (26,547 sales), Corolla (17,585), Kluger (8413), Camry (7654), Yaris Cross (6394), C-HR (3517), and newly-launched Corolla Cross (1984).
The seventh-placed vehicle is built by Toyota’s luxury brand Lexus, with its NX mid-size SUV – attracting 1398 sales.
The top-selling conventional hybrid vehicle last year not built by Toyota or Lexus was the GWM Haval H6 mid-size family SUV from China, with 1194 sales – followed by the Kia Niro (1153), Subaru Forester (882), and smaller GWM Haval Jolion (755).
The vehicle with the highest share of hybrid sales – excluding cars available only as hybrids – was the Toyota Camry sedan (80.2 per cent), ahead of the Corolla Cross (77.4 per cent), RAV4 (76.2 per cent), Yaris Cross (75.8 per cent), and Kia Niro (72 per cent).
Among the Top 10, the percentage of Toyota RAV4, Corolla, Kluger, Yaris Cross SUV, Lexus NX, Kia Niro and Subaru Forester vehicles sold as hybrids increased in 2022 compared to 2021 – while it declined for the Toyota Camry (83.9 to 80.2 per cent) and Toyota C-HR (46.7 to 44.1 per cent).
But because C-HR sales increased in 2022 over the prior year, more C-HR hybrids rolled out of showrooms than 2021 (3520 in 2022 vs 3070 in 2021, rounded). Camry Hybrid sales fell by about 1500 cars, as the whole Camry range declined by 27 per cent.
It is worth noting the hybrid sales shares listed in the table apply to the full-year, for consistency – which can disadvantage some vehicles which added hybrid options part-way through the year.
These include the Haval H6 (hybrid launched in April, true sales share 20 per cent), Haval Jolion (September, true share 17 per cent), Honda HR-V (March, 11 per cent), Hyundai Santa Fe (November, 31 per cent), and Honda Civic (43 per cent).
The sales data also lists 113 Nissan X-Trail e-Power hybrids as sold – but these are believed to be dealer demonstrator or Nissan Australia media evaluation vehicles, as the hybrid X-Trail isn’t officially due on sale for a few more weeks.
Plug-in hybrid (PHEV) car sales in Australia in 2022
Sales of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in Australia increased by 76 per cent in 2022 compared to the prior year, to 5937 cars – but they remain dwarfed by conventional hybrid and purely-electric vehicle sales.
The best-selling PHEV of 2022 was the MG HS Plus EV, with 1554 sales – nearly 70 per cent more than the second-placed Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV (926 sales, up 304 per cent)
In 2021, the PHEV sales leader was the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (592 sales), just ahead of the MG HS Plus EV (580 sales), which launched in March 2021.
But a lack of stock between old and new models (the latter going on sale in August) – and a full year of sales for the MG – saw the Outlander PHEV fall to fifth, with 303 sales.
In third and fourth places overall were the Volvo XC60 Recharge PHEV and Mercedes-Benz GLC300e – after the two cars tied for third place in 2021.
But whereas sales of the Volvo grew 92 per cent in 2022 compared to the prior year, sales of the Mercedes-Benz only rose by 18 per cent, as stock of the outgoing model dries up ahead of the new model next year – which won’t offer a PHEV option.
The models with the highest share of plug-in hybrid sales are the Volvo XC90 Recharge PHEV (21.2 per cent), Mini Countryman Hybrid (19.6 per cent), Volvo XC60 Recharge PHEV (17.1 per cent), Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV (15.5 per cent), and Peugeot 508 PHEV (14.6 per cent).
The BMW X3 xDrive30e (622 per cent) saw the biggest growth in sales in 2022 compared to the year prior – however this growth came from a low base, as the vehicle only went on sale a few weeks before the end of 2021.
New hybrids and plug-in hybrids coming in 2023
Hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars coming to Australia this year include:
- Alfa Romeo Tonale plug-in hybrid (timing confirmed) (revealed) – late 2023
- BMW XM (pricing) (revealed) – first half of 2023
- Citroen C5 X plug-in hybrid (details) – second half of 2023
- New Hyundai Kona (revealed) – from mid-2023, hybrid power expected
- Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe five-seat PHEV (latest timing) – expected second half of 2023
- New Lexus RX (pricing) – first quarter of 2023
- Mazda CX-60 (pricing) – June 2023 with PHEV
- Nissan Qashqai e-Power hybrid (expected pricing) – expected early 2023
- Nissan X-Trail e-Power hybrid (pricing) – early 2023
- Peugeot 308 GT Sport Plug-in Hybrid (local details) – early 2023
- Subaru Crosstrek (local details) (revealed) – XV replacement due early 2023 with hybrid power
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