Aussies love a Toyota. And it’s not just about air-conditioning that can turn a car into a refrigerator in double-quick time.
Everything about Brand T works for everyday motoring in Australia and the proof is delivered in waiting times for the HiLux and LandCruiser that can top three months and stretch closer to a year – or more – for its top selling RAV4.
When it comes to number crunching, the best reflection of consumer sentiment is delivered each month in the VFacts sales total compiled by the motor industry’s peak body in Canberra. The annual figures are even more interesting.
Toyota dominates and in 2025 it was the only carmaker to achieve a six-figure result – 239,863 deliveries, compared to 94,399 for the runner-up – to stretch its unbroken run as #1 brand to 23 years. But even the T-badge was not immune from massive competition, with its yearly total down by 0.6 per cent from 2024.
But what about the rest? Which are the proven stalwarts, the up-and-comers, and the fading stars? Are the Chinese brands the new heroes, how many people are really buying battery-electric cars, and what about hybrids?
Based on showrooms in 2025 there is a lot to unpack.
Behind Toyota, Ford was next-best on sales and ahead of Mazda, Kia, Hyundai and Mitsubishi.
But those results are not a true reflection of popularity, as Kia is running ahead of Hyundai despite the relative failure of its all-new Tasman pick-up, and Mitsubishi could not match the results of 2024.
Japanese brands in general lost buyers, with Mitsubishi, Subaru, Nisssan and Suzuki all seeing double-digit declines in their support.
But they were not alone.
MG, once the darling of the price-driven Chinese arrivals, reported 18.4 per cent fewer sales in 2025. And it’s small SUV, the ZS, lost its spot in the Top 10 sellers for the first time in five years.
The Chinese winners were led by GWM and BYD, which finished the year in seventh and eighth spot on the sales totals. Both are making big efforts to ‘Australianise’ their vehicles, doing everything from local suspension tuning to developing specific mechanical packages – GWM brought a diesel-engined Tank 300 four-wheel drive – and putting plenty of emphasis on pick-ups.
On that front, the Ford Ranger was best of the utes in 2025 for the third straight year. It’s now cemented in the blue oval hero spot that was filled by the Falcon for many decades.
What about electric cars?
Despite the best efforts of Federal and State governments, with various incentives and the three of cash penalties under the New Vehicle Emission Standards legislation, the predicted ‘second wave’ of converts has not arrived and sales are well below the targets needed for Canberra to satisfy its green ambitions.
Still, sales were up by 13.1 per cent and the total number of battery cars topped 100,000 for the first time.
On the brand front, the big winners were BYD, Zeekr and Kia, and Tesla was a massive loser. Just as Elon Musk’s car company lost its global EV leadership to BYD in 2025, its sales total went down by 25 per cent in Australia in ’25.
The other big showroom development in 2025 was the massive rise in hybrid sales. Toyota is only bringing hybrids to Australia and many brands are pushing hard with plug-in hybrids – some Chinese brands call them ‘super hybrids’ – which can take plug-in power from the grid to provide as much as 120 kilometres of pure EV running for daily commuting.
So 2025 is done and the numbers have been crunched, but what about 2026?
Everything points to continued domination by pick-up trucks and family SUVs, more emphasis on hybrids, and a stronger push by ambitious Chinese brands.
But it’s still too early to pick winners from the Chinese arrivals – there are questions about quality, reliability, service and back-up – despite the tantalising prospect of a comprehensive price fight through the coming year.
Australian New-Car Sales 2025
1. Toyota 239,863
2. Ford 94,399
3. Mazda 91,923
4. Kia 82,105
5. Hyundai 77,208
6. Mitsubishi 61,198
7. GWM 52,805
8. BYD 52,415
9. Isuzu Ute 42,297
10. MG 41,298