Electric vehicles are displayed in front of a BYD 4S dealership in Canberra, Australia, on April 8, 2026. (Photo by Zhang Na/Xinhua)

CANBERRA, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Electric vehicle (EV) sales in Australia hit a record high in March amid rising fuel prices driven by the oil supply crisis.

According to official data released on Tuesday by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), battery EVs accounted for 14.6 percent of all new vehicle sales in Australia in March, up from 7.5 percent in March 2025.

The FCAI said it represents a new record-high monthly market share for EVs in Australia.

Tony Weber, chief executive of the FCAI, said in a statement that more Australians are considering a shift to EVs due to the disruption to fuel supply caused by the conflict in the Middle East.

The Australian Institute of Petroleum said that the national average price for unleaded petrol hit a record-high of 2.53 Australian dollars (about 1.75 U.S. dollars) per liter in the week to March 29, prior to federal, state and territory governments cutting the sales tax on fuel for three months.

Weber said that the automotive industry would welcome a sustained shift to EVs, but warned that it would require Australian governments to boost the availability of public charging infrastructure.

"Ensuring infrastructure keeps pace with consumer demand will be critical to enabling sustainable growth in EV adoption beyond short-term influences," he said.

The FCAI said in March that China became the leading source of new vehicles in Australia for the first time in February, ending the Japanese automotive industry's 28-year domination of the market.

The data released on Tuesday revealed that leading Chinese manufacturers BYD, GWM and Chery sold a combined 44,155 new vehicles in Australia through the first three months of 2026, up from 26,403 in the same period in 2025. ■

Electric vehicles are displayed in front of a BYD 4S dealership in Canberra, Australia, on April 8, 2026. (Photo by Zhang Na/Xinhua)

An electric vehicle, which has just been sold, charges at a dealership before delivery in Canberra, Australia, on April 8, 2026. (Photo by Zhang Na/Xinhua)

Electric vehicles are displayed in front of a GWM 4S dealership in Canberra, Australia, on April 8, 2026. (Photo by Zhang Na/Xinhua)