Toyota HiLux deliveries were down the least of the Top Three best-selling new cars last month, helping it pip the Ford Ranger at the top of the charts in a declining market.
The Toyota HiLux was Australia’s top-selling new car for the first time in almost two years last month, amid the eighth decline in monthly vehicle deliveries in the past year.
And sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles fell by 62 per cent compared to the prior month – although they are still up 95 per cent year-on-year – as a lucrative tax break for the fuel-efficient vehicles ended on April 1.
Data published by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries today reports 90,614 new vehicles as delivered in Australia last month, plus a further 702 Tesla and Polestar deliveries reported by the Electric Vehicle Council.
It brings the new-car sales total for last month to 91,316 – down 6.1 per cent on the prior year, the third decline this year after 1.7 per cent growth in March.
It remains the third-best April on record – just behind 2021’s 92,347 sales – and well ahead of the five-year pre-pandemic April average of 82,168.
Since the start of the year, sales are down 3.6 per cent – on track for about 1.19 million new-vehicle deliveries by New Year’s Eve.
Toyota remained the country’s top-selling new-vehicle brand, with 19,380 deliveries – down 6.7 per cent – ahead of second-placed Ford, which is down a more significant 15.2 per cent (to 7334 sales).
Mazda in third led Kia and its sibling Hyundai, while there were two Chinese brands in the Top 10, GWM and BYD – the latter up 127 per cent – alongside a resurgent Nissan from Japan.
Not present in the Top 10 was MG, which was down 17.9 per cent last month to place 11th, down on its typical finishing position of seventh or eighth.
The Toyota HiLux leads the monthly sales race for the first time since September 2023, with its highest sales since October 2024 – just 90 deliveries ahead of the second-placed Ford Ranger, and about 300 sales ahead of the Toyota RAV4.
HiLux sales were down 12 per cent last month, but the Ranger was down 28 per cent, and the RAV4 was down 35 per cent.
It means there is now a gap of just 353 vehicles at the top of the year-to-date sales race – the RAV4 still leading the Ranger – after the former recorded a strong start to the year following the Ford’s chart-topping 2024 sales run.
Further down the charts are two large four-wheel-drives – the Ford Everest and Toyota Prado – split by just one sale, ahead of the Isuzu D-Max ute.
The biggest losers in April sales were plug-in hybrids, with demand for the fuel type down 62 per cent compared to March 2025, when customers rushed to take advantage of a Fringe Benefits Tax exemption ending after March 31.
BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid ute deliveries fell from 2810 in March, to 1293 in April, while the BYD Sealion 6 dropped from 790 to 275.
In total, 2601 plug-in hybrids were reported as sold last month – still up 95.4 per cent on the same month the prior year, but down 62.5 per cent on March 2025.
Electric car sales were down 44.2 per cent last month compared to April 2024, fed by a slump from Tesla, which recorded just 500 deliveries last month – down 76 per cent.
It saw stock of the outgoing Model Y SUV run out in April ahead of the first deliveries of the new Model Y this month, but a similar 76 per cent drop in Model 3 sales year-on-year also drove its low performance.
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 April 2025
| Rank | Model | Volume April 2025 | Change year-on-year |
| 1 | Toyota HiLux | 4121 | down 12.2 per cent |
| 2 | Ford Ranger | 4031 | down 27.6 per cent |
| 3 | Toyota RAV4 | 3808 | down 35 per cent |
| 4 | Ford Everest | 2234 | down 6.9 per cent |
| 5 | Toyota Prado | 2233 | up 1198 per cent |
| 6 | Isuzu D-Max | 2107 | down 11.5 per cent |
| 7 | Kia Sportage | 1701 | up 0.1 per cent |
| 8 | Toyota Corolla | 1660 | down 20.8 per cent |
| 9 | Nissan X-Trail | 1615 | up 32.5 per cent |
| 10 | Mazda CX-5 | 1607 | down 1.4 per cent |
TOP 10 CAR BRANDS IN April 2025
| Rank | Brand | Volume April 2025 | Change year-on-year |
| 1 | Toyota | 19,380 | down 6.7 per cent |
| 2 | Ford | 7334 | down 15.2 per cent |
| 3 | Mazda | 6573 | down 10 per cent |
| 4 | Kia | 6303 | down 5.3 per cent |
| 5 | Hyundai | 5547 | up 7 per cent |
| 6 | Mitsubishi | 4212 | down 20.7 per cent |
| 7 | GWM | 3874 | up 16.3 per cent |
| 8 | Nissan | 3690 | up 27 per cent |
| 9 | Isuzu Ute | 3330 | down 21.8 per cent |
| 10 | BYD | 3207 | up 127 per cent |
Passenger cars: Top Three in each segment in April 2025
| Micro | Kia Picanto (491) | Fiat/Abarth 500 (28) | |
| Light < $30k | MG 3 (568) | Mazda 2 (387) | Toyota Yaris (260) |
| Light > $30k | Mini Cooper (138) | Hyundai i20 N (84) | Mini Aceman (65) |
| Small < $40k | Toyota Corolla (1660) | Hyundai i30 (790) | Mazda 3 (696) |
| Small > $40k | MG 4 (363) | Volkswagen Golf (210) | BMW 1 Series (191) |
| Medium < $60k | Toyota Camry (843) | BYD Seal (325) | Mazda 6 (144) |
| Medium > $60k | Tesla Model 3 (220) | BMW 3 Series (170) | Mercedes-Benz C-Class (91) |
| Large < $70k | Skoda Superb (7) | Citroen C5 X (0) | |
| Large > $70k | Mercedes-Benz E-Class (78) | BMW 5 Series (55) | Porsche Taycan (17) |
| Upper Large > $100k | Porsche Panamera (8) | Mercedes-Benz S-Class (5) | BMW 7 Series, Lexus LS, Rolls-Royce sedans (4) |
| People Movers | Kia Carnival (811) | Hyundai Staria (92) | Ford Tourneo (72) |
| Sports < $80k | Ford Mustang (566) | Subaru BRZ (66) | Mini Convertible (49) |
| Sports > $80k | BMW 2 Series coupe/convertible (88) | Mercedes-Benz CLE coupe/convertible (78) | BMW 4 Series coupe/convertible (49) |
| Sports > $200k | Porsche 911 (42) | Ferrari sports cars (13) | Aston Martin sports cars (11) |
SUVs: Top Three in each segment in April 2025
| Light SUV | Mazda CX-3 (1053) | Toyota Yaris Cross (834) | Suzuki Jimny (685) |
| Small SUV < $45k | Hyundai Kona (1605) | MG ZS (1587) | GWM Haval Jolion (1423) |
| Small SUV > $45k | BMW X1 (571) | Volkswagen T-Roc (375) | Kia EV3 (336) |
| Medium SUV < $60k | Toyota RAV4 (3808) | Kia Sportage (1701) | Nissan X-Trail (1615) |
| Medium SUV > $60k | BMW X3 (497) | Lexus NX (462) | Mercedes-Benz GLC (455) |
| Large SUV < $80k | Ford Everest (2234) | Toyota Prado (2233) | Isuzu MU-X (1223) |
| Large SUV > $80k | BMW X5 (393) | Land Rover Defender (350) | Range Rover Sport (194) |
| Upper Large SUV < $120k | Toyota LandCruiser wagon (1022) | Nissan Patrol wagon (541) | Land Rover Discovery (37) |
| Upper Large SUV > $120k | BMW X7 (116) | Lexus GX (91) | Lexus LX (71) |
Utes and vans: Top Three in each segment in April 2025
| Vans < 2.5t | Volkswagen Caddy (56) | Peugeot Partner (26) | Renault Kangoo (14) |
| Vans 2.5t-3.5t | Toyota HiAce van (972) | Ford Transit Custom (208) | Hyundai Staria Load (178) |
| 4×2 Utes | Toyota HiLux (612) | Isuzu D-Max (455) | Ford Ranger (255) |
| 4×4 Utes < $100k | Ford Ranger (3776) | Toyota HiLux (3509) | Isuzu D-Max (1652) |
| Utes > $100k | Ram 1500 (226) | Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (156) | Chevrolet Silverado HD, Toyota Tundra (76) |
The post Australian new-car sales in April 2025: Toyota HiLux back on top as PHEVs nosedive appeared first on Drive.