Top 10 selling plug-in hybrids in Australia in 2020
Luxury cars from Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Volvo are among the best-selling plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in Australia in 2020, according to annual sales figures collated by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.
Sales of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) grew 18 percent in 2020 against the backdrop of an overall market that slumped 16 percent due to the devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic.
But PHEVs – which can run for short distances on electricity before reverting to petrol backup – still make up just 0.2 percent of overall new-vehicle sales, which plunged to a 17-year low of 916,968 vehicles in 2020.
Electric Vehicle Council CEO Behyad Jafari said the 18 percent increase in PHEV sales was heartening given the turmoil that engulfed the new-car market in 2020.
See our report on overall EV and hybrid sales in Australia in 2020.
“Relative with the overall [market] performance it’s comforting there was a slight increase in a year when new vehicle sales fell,” said Jafari.
The EV Council chief also took aim at the lack of incentives and government policies to encourage the uptake of electrified vehicles, saying they had a key role to play in the fast-evolving automotive industry.
“There should be many, many more sales [of EVs and PHEVs] relative to how many cars are being sold in the country,” said Jafari, nominating 10 percent as an achievable share of electrified vehicle sales (remembering those “electrified” vehicles exclude petrol-only hybrids, which set a sales record in 2020).
Of the 1685 PHEVs sold in Australia in 2020 the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV was by far the best seller, accounting for 440 sales.
After that it was a trio of luxury offerings from Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Volvo that between them accounted for more than one in three PHEVs sold here in 2020.
Hyundai’s Ioniq – currently the only car sold as a regular hybrid, a PHEV and an EV – was fifth in the PHEV sales race; of 526 Ioniqs sold in Australia in 2020 just 110 were PHEVs (the Ioniq Electric EV is by far the dominant seller in the range).
Some significant new arrivals later in 2020 – including the Mercedes-Benz A250e and Volvo XC40 Recharge PHEV – did not finish as high as they otherwise might in a full year of sales.
In the last two months of the year, the XC40 Recharge was among the top-selling PHEVs in the country, outsold only by the Mitsubishi Outlander in November and December.
Sales of PHEVs in 2021 are likely to increase substantially with an imminent influx of new arrivals. See our comprehensive list of new PHEVs and EVs coming to Australia in 2021.
Top 10 best-selling PHEVs in Australia in 2020
| PHEV Make and Model | 2020 sales |
| Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | 440 |
| Mercedes-Benz GLC300e | 274 |
| Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid/Turbo S E-Hybrid | 199 |
| Volvo XC60 T8 | 120 |
| Hyundai Ioniq PHEV | 110 |
| BMW 330e | 91 |
| Mercedes-Benz C300e | 72 |
| Volvo XC40 Recharge PHEV | 67 |
| Volvo XC90 Recharge PHEV | 64 |
| Mini Countryman PHEV | 55 |
PHEV brands on sale in Australia in 2020
Breaking it down to brands Mitsubishi is still dominant in overall PHEV sales, its single Outlander PHEV model – and its relatively affordability – enouhg to beat other brands.
Bestween the four PHEVs it sells in Australia Mercedes-Benz was the second-biggest seller of PHEVs, followed by Volvo.
Porsche is a surprise fourth place, its Cayenne E-Hybrid and Turbo S E-Hybrid accounting for the vast majority of the 205 Porsche PHEVs sold in 2020.
Porsche edged out BMW, which has the broadest range of plug-ins on sale, including the i3 and i8 as well as PHEV versions of the 3, 5 and 7-Series.
| Make (number of PHEV models sold in 2020) | 2020 sales |
| Mitsubishi (1) | 440 |
| Mercedes-Benz (4) | 398 |
| Volvo (4) | 289 |
| Porsche (2) | 205 |
| BMW (7) | 171 |
| Hyundai (1) | 110 |
| Mini (1) | 55 |
| Land Rover/Range Rover (2) | 17 |
