The rising tide of Chinese cars in Australia is reflected in the latest results from showrooms across the country.

Chinese-made vehicles ranked second, beaten only by Japan, in the official VFacts sales scores for January 2026.

The result comes as four Chinese brands – BYD, GWM, Chery and MG – continued to sit in the Top 10 brands.

The overall result at the start of the year was barely ahead of 2025, reflecting stagnation in demand despite a growing number of new brands and ongoing pressure from the Federal government – through efficiency penalties and a new $60 million incentive for electric cars from Kia and Hyundai – to change buying habits.

A total of 87,092 vehicles were delivered in January, with Toyota continuing its predictable reign as Australia’s favourite brand but with its share of the market down from 21.2 per cent to 16.4 per cent. But the company reported strong orders and a continuing lack of stock, which saw its RAV4 only rated tenth for the month.

Overall EV demand is still poor, at just 8.4 per cent of January sales, with plug-in hybrids continuing the rapid improvement from 2025.

“We are seeing fewer petrol vehicles sold and rapid growth in plug-in hybrids,” said the chief executive of the FCAI, Tony Weber.

On the Chinese front, Weber said there had been a 68.6 per cent growth in sales numbers, a result which eclipsed Thailand despite its large scale production of top selling pick-up trucks led by the Ford Ranger.

TOP 10 BRANDS – JANUARY 2026
1. Toyota
2. Mazda
3. Kia
4. Ford
5. Hyundai
6. BYD
7. GWM
8. Chery
10. MG

TOP 10 SELLERS – January 2026
1. Ford Ranger
2. Toyota HiLux
3. Mazda CX-5
4. Chery Tiggo 4 Pro
5. Mitsubishi Outlander
6.  Ford Everest
7. Hyundai Kona
8. Isuzu D-Max
9. Haval Jolion
10. Toyota RAV4

(Source: Vfacts)