Electric car brand Tesla snared 4 per cent of Australia’s total new vehicle sales in February in a larger market that shows signs of slowing as cost-of-living pressures build.

But the Australian love affair with high-powered utes is still strong, with the Ford Ranger ute the No.1 selling model in February with 4473, followed by the Toyota Hi-Lux ute with 3939, the Tesla Model 3 with 2671 and Mazda CX-5 SUV with 2600.