Deliveries of new vehicles in Australia slipped into the red again last month, amid a decline in sales of utes and electric cars – yet every model in the Top 10 was a ute or SUV.
New motor vehicles sales hit the brakes again in Australia last month – for the seventh time in nine months – as the charts were topped for a record eighth month in a row by the Toyota RAV4 SUV.
February 2025 new-vehicle sales tallied 96,710, according to data published by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries and Electric Vehicle Council.
It is down 7.9 per cent on the prior year’s 105,023, the all-time February record – but it is still the second-best February on record, ahead of the previous record of 96,443 vehicles set in 2016.
MORE: Australian new-car sales in February 2024 – VFACTS records smashed again
Sales are down for the second month in a row – after a small uptick in December 2024 – and seventh in nine months, the first streak of that length since mid-2021.
While the Reserve Bank of Australia cut interest rates for the first time since 2020 last month, they remain at their highest levels since 2012 – so the slump in demand for new cars is far from out of the woods.
If the year-to-date decline of 5.4 per cent over January and February remains steady at the end of the year, 1.17 million new vehicles would be reported as sold – in line with forecasts by Toyota, the country’s top-selling new-car brand.
MORE: Australian new-car sales to decline in 2025 after record 2024 – Toyota
It is down from last year’s record 1.24 million new-vehicle sales, despite the arrival of a wave of new, predominantly-Chinese brands over the coming year.
Deliveries to private buyers were down 12.2 per cent last month – and businesses were down 3.9 per cent – though these are FCAI figures that include Tesla and Polestar in 2024 sales, but not 2025, which is sourced from the EVC.
The year-on-year slump last month would have been closer to 10 per cent without the start of sales reporting for the BYD Shark 6 ute, which clocked 2026 sales across February, and deliveries from January that were not reported until the month after.
But it was the Toyota RAV4 that was again Australia’s top-selling new car, reporting 4405 deliveries – up 54.9 per cent – ahead of the Ford Ranger (4040, down 24.5 per cent) and Toyota HiLux (3616, down 17.9 per cent).
Toyota has predicted increased competition in the ute market may see new entrants steal sales from the existing top sellers, allowing an SUV to lead the annual charts in the coming years for the first time.
Fourth place was claimed by the new Toyota Prado, reporting 2723 sales, up 101.5 per cent to outsell its Ford Everest rival (1207, up 14 per cent) by more than two to one.
Toyota remained the top-selling new-car brand, reporting 18,832 deliveries – down 2.8 per cent, due in large part to the slump in HiLux sales.
It was followed by Mazda, reporting 19.7 per cent growth to 8797 sales thanks to increases of 13.1 per cent for its top sellers, the CX-5 mid-size and CX-3 city SUVs.
Ford slid to fourth, allowing Kia to claim third position off the back of strong Sportage SUV sales, up 24.5 per cent for the month to become the nation’s ninth-best-selling new vehicle.
There were almost three Chinese brands in the Top 10, with BYD finishing 11th on 3281 deliveries behind seventh-placed GWM (3753) and eighth-placed MG (3739).
It’s understood to be one of the first times – if not the first – GWM has overtaken its close MG emerging-brand rival in Australia.
Sales of electric cars were down 43.8 per cent for the month – and 36.6 per cent year-to-date – led by a 71.9 per cent fall for Tesla.
The Tesla Model 3 is down a staggering 81.4 per cent, with 668 deliveries reported last month compared to 3593 a year prior, the first full month of customer hand-overs for the updated version.
Despite the slump, the Model 3 still managed to be the country’s top-selling sedan in February 2025, ahead of the Toyota Camry (483) and Mazda 6 (170), plus just 56 BYD Seals.
In contrast, hybrids were up 34.7 per cent for the month, plus a 346.1 per cent surge for plug-in hybrids, with one month left to run on a lucrative Fringe Benefits Tax exemption for PHEVs.
Data below supplied by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) and Electric Vehicle Council (EVC), and compiled by Alex Misoyannis.
TOP 10 CARS IN February 2025
| Rank | Model | Volume February 2025 | Change year-on-year |
| 1 | Toyota RAV4 | 4405 | up 54.9 per cent |
| 2 | Ford Ranger | 4040 | down 24.5 per cent |
| 3 | Toyota HiLux | 3616 | down 17.9 per cent |
| 4 | Toyota Prado | 2723 | up 101.5 per cent |
| 5 | Mitsubishi Outlander | 2385 | up 4.4 per cent |
| 6 | BYD Shark 6 | 2026 | N/A |
| 7 | Isuzu D-Max | 2022 | down 31.2 per cent |
| 8 | Mazda CX-5 | 1932 | up 13.1 per cent |
| 9 | Kia Sportage | 1927 | up 24.5 per cent |
| 10 | Hyundai Kona | 1889 | up 84.5 per cent |
TOP 10 CAR BRANDS IN February 2025
| Rank | Brand | Volume February 2025 | Change year-on-year |
| 1 | Toyota | 18,832 | down 2.8 per cent |
| 2 | Mazda | 8797 | up 19.7 per cent |
| 3 | Kia | 6707 | up 9.2 per cent |
| 4 | Ford | 6337 | down 12.9 per cent |
| 5 | Mitsubishi | 6119 | down 4.6 per cent |
| 6 | Hyundai | 5995 | up 5.1 per cent |
| 7 | GWM | 3753 | up 8.5 per cent |
| 8 | MG | 3739 | down 16.4 per cent |
| 9 | Nissan | 3559 | down 46.2 per cent |
| 10 | Subaru | 3511 | down 7.7 per cent |
Passenger cars: Top Three in each segment in February 2025
| Micro | Kia Picanto (484) | Fiat/Abarth 500 (49) | |
| Light < $30k | MG 3 (1066) | Mazda 2 (473) | Suzuki Swift (298) |
| Light > $30k | Mini Cooper (202) | Hyundai i20 (137) | Audi A1 (54) |
| Small < $40k | Toyota Corolla (1561) | Mazda 3 (1173) | Hyundai i30 (872) |
| Small > $40k | MG 4 (451) | Volkswagen Golf (241) | Mercedes-Benz A-Class (162) |
| Medium < $60k | Toyota Camry (483) | Mazda 6 (170) | Skoda Octavia (73) |
| Medium > $60k | Tesla Model 3 (668) | BMW 3 Series (162) | Mercedes-Benz C-Class (110) |
| Large < $70k | Skoda Superb (14) | Citroen C5 X (1) | |
| Large > $70k | BMW 5 Series (85) | Mercedes-Benz E-Class (26) | Mercedes-Benz E-Class () |
| Upper Large > $100k | Porsche Panamera (15) | Mercedes-Benz S-Class (9) | BMW 7 Series (3) |
| People Movers | Kia Carnival (897) | Hyundai Staria (84) | Ford Tourneo (40) |
| Sports < $80k | Ford Mustang (376) | Mazda MX-5 (71) | Subaru BRZ (62) |
| Sports > $80k | Mercedes-Benz CLE (78) | BMW 2 Series coupe/convertible (63) | BMW 4 Series coupe/convertible (61) |
| Sports > $200k | Porsche 911 (33) | Aston Martin, Ferrari sports cars (19) | Lamborghini, Mercedes-AMG sports cars (11) |
SUVs: Top Three in each segment in February 2025
| Light SUV | Mazda CX-3 (1509) | Toyota Yaris Cross (975) | Suzuki Jimny (710) |
| Small SUV < $45k | Hyundai Kona (1889) | MG ZS (1720) | GWM Haval Jolion (1306) |
| Small SUV > $45k | Volkswagen T-Roc (477) | BMW X1 (342) | Toyota C-HR (316) |
| Medium SUV < $60k | Toyota RAV4 (4405) | Mitsubishi Outlander (2385) | Mazda CX-5 (1932) |
| Medium SUV > $60k | Tesla Model Y (924) | Mazda CX-60 (462) | Lexus NX (460) |
| Large SUV < $80k | Toyota Prado (2723) | Ford Everest (1207) | Kia Sorento (905) |
| Large SUV > $80k | Land Rover Defender (316) | BMW X5 (205) | Range Rover Sport (170) |
| Upper Large SUV < $120k | Nissan Patrol (522) | Toyota LandCruiser wagon (292) | Kia EV9 (34) |
| Upper Large SUV > $120k | Lexus GX (91) | BMW X7 (69) | Mercedes-Benz GLS (40) |
Utes and vans: Top Three in each segment in February 2025
| Vans < 2.5t | Volkswagen Caddy (82) | Renault Kangoo (33) | Peugeot Partner (28) |
| Vans 2.5t-3.5t | Toyota HiAce van (1039) | Ford Transit Custom (258) | Hyundai Staria Load (216) |
| 4×2 Utes | Toyota HiLux (517) | Isuzu D-Max (429) | Ford Ranger (258) |
| 4×4 Utes < $100k | Ford Ranger (3782) | Toyota HiLux (3099) | BYD Shark 6 (2026) |
| Utes > $100k | Ram 1500 (224) | Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (199) | Ford F-150 (155) |
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