New car sales perk up overall, but EVs go backwards – despite heavy discounts

New vehicle sales totalled 12,571 in October, making it the second-strongest month of a tough 2024 and “only” 2.9% below the same month last year. But despite heavy discounting – with some models slashed to half price – sales of new electric vehicles (EVs) went backwards last month, according to Motor Industry Association figures.

A total of 648 new light passenger battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were registered during October, a quarter less than September’s 868 – and less than a third of the 2035 new BEVs sold in October 2023 when the $7015 Clean Car Discount was still in effect, and $76 per 1000km Road User Charges (RUCs) still on the horizon. The top-five-selling BEVs for October were the: 1: Ford Mustang Mach-E : 143.