√VFACTS December 2022: Hybrid cars set new sales record in Australia

Hybrid cars outsold electric vehicles by more than two-to-one in Australia last year. With more than 315,000 hybrids delivered over the past 20 years, their emissions reductions are equivalent to putting 95,000 electric cars on the road.

Sales of hybrid cars hit record highs in Australia last year amid a surge in sales of electric vehicles.

Market leader Toyota accounted for nine out of every 10 hybrid cars sold in Australia in 2022.

Such is Toyota’s dominance, if its hybrid models were a standalone brand they would have been the fifth-biggest selling marque in Australia ahead of the entire showroom line-ups of Hyundai and Ford last year.

Toyota has now delivered more than 315,000 hybrid cars in Australia over the past 20 years. By its calculations, the emissions reduction of Toyota hybrid vehicles are equivalent to putting 95,000 electric cars on the road.

Despite the record sales of hybrid vehicles, Toyota Australia maintains customers should continue to be offered a choice of petrol, diesel and electric options that best suit their needs – rather than forcing buyers to make the switch to solely-electric cars.

“We are committed to providing our customers with a diverse range of technologies that will help them on their journey to zero tailpipe emissions,” said Toyota Australia vice president, sales and marketing, Sean Hanley, who noted vehicle options needed to suit a range of motoring needs.

“In Australia, right now, plenty of people are towing caravans, plenty of people are using cars for leisure, or using cars for industry,” said Mr Hanley.

“(Electric cars) will suit some people, (hybrid cars) will suit some people, (hydrogen vehicles) will suit some people, we’re going to give them the choice.”

The Toyota RAV4 was the top-selling hybrid vehicle – and top-selling SUV – in Australia last year.

Wait times for the Toyota RAV4 typically range from 12 months to two years, though some customers have taken delivery within three to nine months of placing an order as buyers at the head of the queue pull out of the deal at the last minute.

Despite the rising popularity of hybrid vehicles in Australia, most of Toyota’s rivals have been slow to adopt the technology.

Hyundai and Kia have just launched hybrid versions of their family SUVs and have previously experimented with hybrid hatchbacks, but they are yet to enjoy the same sales success as market leader Toyota.

Chinese brand GWM Haval has recently introduced hybrid variants of two of its SUVs, though they don’t offer the same fuel-savings as Toyota’s hybrid system.

Hybrid cars introduced by Subaru and Mazda also fall short of fuel-miser status, with testing by Drive revealing negligible fuel savings.

Industry analysts say Toyota has helped establish the reputation of hybrid technology over 20 years, but new-car buyers are quickly discovering not all hybrids are created equally.

Toyota hybrids typically sip about half as much fuel as an equivalent petrol car.

Testing by Drive has found hybrids from Chinese brand Haval only trim about 25 per cent off the fuel consumption of an equivalent petrol car, while hybrids from Subaru and Mazda did not deliver any discernible savings in our real-world assessments.

Sales of plug-in hybrids – which can be driven between 30km and 50km on electric power alone before the petrol engine takes over – are yet to gain widespread market acceptance.

They require diligence when it comes to recharging their small battery packs. Owners who neglect to do this end up driving around in petrol mode, which is particularly thirsty because of the extra weight of the plug-in hybrid’s large battery pack and electric motor.

Hybrid vs Plug-In Hybrid vs Electric Car Sales in Australia 2022

Hybrid car sales: 81,786, up 16 per cent (7.6 per cent of total new-car market)
Electric car sales: 33,410, up 549 per cent (3.1 per cent of total new-car market)
Plug-in hybrid sales: 5937, up 76 per cent (0.5 per cent of total new-car market)