The Tesla Model 3 electric car outsold the Subaru Forester, Toyota Kluger and Kia Seltos in Australia in 2021.
The Model 3 is now shipping from Tesla's Shanghai plant and deliveries have been uninterrupted in 2021.
A few years ago, the idea of Tesla entering the top 20 Australian brands would have been ridiculed.
But that's exactly what happened in 2021. The California electric vehicle specialist finished the year with 12,094 sales, ranking 19th in total new car sales in Australia.
These figures apply exclusively to the Model 3 sedan. As previously reported, the larger Model S sedan and Model X SUV did not arrive in Australia last year due to production delays caused by the transition to updated versions of these models. The Model Y SUV will officially go on sale only this year.
Tesla's revenue means it has sold more vehicles than well-known European brands including Lexus (9290), Skoda (9185) and Volvo (9028).
The Model 3 was the 26th best-selling car in Australia last year, ahead of a number of popular models including the Subaru Forester and Outback, Isuzu MU-X, Toyota Kluger and Kia Seltos.
In October, we reported that there was a chance that the Model 3 could outsell the Toyota Camry, one of the oldest models in Australia and a model that has consistently been in the top 10 for years. However, the Camry found 13,081 homes last year (a 4.7% drop from 2020), meaning it outsold the Model 3 by 987 units.
Model 3 deliveries in 2021 have been relatively unhindered after Tesla switched deliveries of Australian models from a factory in Fremont, California to a facility in Shanghai, China.
The MG ZS EV became the second best selling electric vehicle in Australia last year.
Tesla was one of the best-selling Chinese vehicles in 2021, but has been outclassed by the MG ZS with 18,423 vehicles and the MG Light Hatch with 3 vehicles.
According to VFACTS, total battery-electric vehicle sales (excluding Tesla) rose 191% last year in Australia, albeit below baseline. This means that in 5149 2021 all non-Tesla electric models were found at home. Factor in the Tesla figure and that number goes up to 17,243.
The top 10 best-selling electric vehicles include models from both mainstream and premium brands.
Behind the Model 3 is the MG ZS EV in second place with 1388 sales for the year.
In third place was the best-selling Porsche Taycan with 531 units. The four-door sedan was the most popular model in the Porsche stable other than the SUV. It outsold the 911, Panamera and the Boxster and Cayman twins.
Last year, the Porsche Taycan found more buyers in Australia than the iconic 911 sports car.
Hyundai sold 505 units of its Kona Electric and came in fourth place, while the Mercedes-Benz EQA small SUV and Nissan Leaf hatchback came in fifth with 367 sales.
The Hyundai Ioniq Electric liftback finished in seventh place (338), ahead of the Mercedes-Benz EQC in eighth (298).
Rounding out the top ten is the Mini Electric hatchback (10) in ninth place and the all-electric version of the Kia Niro (291) in tenth.
Outside the top ten were Volvo XC10 Pure Electric (40), Hyundai Ioniq 207 (5) and Audi e-tron (172).
Please note that while Tesla is a member of the Federal Chamber of the Automotive Industry of Australia (FCAI), the highest body responsible for reporting monthly sales data, it is Tesla's global policy not to report sales data.
UPDATED: 01/02/2022
Please note that the original Tesla Australia 2021 sales figures provided to the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) were incorrect. This story has been updated with the correct details.
The most popular electric cars of 2021
| Ranging | Model | SALES |
| 1 | Tesla Model 3 | 12,094 |
| 2 | MG ZS EV | 1388 |
| 3 | Porsche Taycan | 531 |
| 4 | Hyundai Kona Electric | 505 |
| =5 | Mercedes-Benz EQA | 367 |
| =5 | Nissan Leaf | 367 |
| 7 | Hyundai Ioniq Electric | 338 |
| 8 | Mercedes-Benz EQC | 298 |
| 9 | mini electric sunroof | 291 |
| 10 | Kia Niro E.V. | 217 |
