Plug-in hybrids remain niche products in Australia’s new car market, with September sales figures showing they made up less than 2.5 per cent of all new vehicles delivered last month. However, this number could’ve been much lower if not for one of the newest – and most affordable – players in the game.

The BYD Sealion 6 only arrived in Australia in June, but it’s already on track to become the nation’s best-selling plug-in hybrid (PHEV) model for the year, and only narrowly missed out on a spot in the top 20 sales charts last month. 100s of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal.

Browse now . In September alone, 1111 Sealion 6s were delivered to Australian customers, among 2470 overall PHEV sales. Including the prior three months on sale, BYD has delivered 3207 examples to local buyers.

Without the Sealion 6, Australia’s PHEV sales in September 2024 would’ve only been 58 units more than the same month a year prior, with the 90 per cent increase in the segment almost entirely down to the SUV. Though the breakdown for PHEV sales of the Mitsubishi Outlander hasn’t yet been detailed, it’s likely the Sealion 6 is on track to pass – or already has passed – the Japanese plug-in SUV to claim the top spot in the segment for the year. For context, between January and June, Mitsubishi delivered 2422 Outlander PHEVs, accounting for about 17 per cent of overall Outlander sales, and 29.

5 per cent .