September 2025 new car sales: EVs and 4WDs lead Australia’s market rebound

• Toyota LandCruiser and Ford Ranger continue to lead the pack
• Four 4WDs feature in top 10 sales for September
• Chinese brands and EVs prove popular 

The Australian new car market continued its steady momentum through September, with four-wheel drives and EVs driving strong sales across the country.

Combined figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries and the EV Council this week reveal a total of 106,891 vehicles were sold nationally in the month of September. That figure represents a seven per cent increase on the corresponding period in 2024, and the fifth month of new car sales growth in 2025.

With 942,956 vehicles sold so far this year, 2025 sales are almost line ball with the equivalent year-to-date tally in 2024, itself a record-breaking year.

Once again it was the Toyota HiLux (5047) and Ford Ranger (4867) which continued their respective strongholds on first and second place in the monthly sales rankings. Coming in third following a strong rebound in sales was the recently updated Tesla Model Y SUV, which accrued 3927 registrations.

From there on, the popular four-wheel-drive segment showed some resurgence, with the Ford Everest, Toyota LandCruiser, Isuzu MU-X and Toyota Prado all featuring in the top 10 sales.

Not surprisingly, EV demand also held steady thanks to continued popularity among models like the BYD Sealion 7, while the Toyota RAV4 and Chery Tiggo 4 Pro helped drive continued growth in the mid-size SUV brigade. Meanwhile, plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) recorded 4491 sales or 4.4 per cent of the market in September.

In some respects, the September sales reflected two sides of the coin in Australia’s new car demand: there were compelling sales for more traditional vehicles, plus strong appetite for newer technologies and brands, particularly those from China.

Toyota was once again the market leader with sales of 18,318 during September, followed by Ford (8300), Kia (7330), Mazda (7034) and Hyundai (6501). That said, China’s rise as a source of new vehicles continued through September. It made up the second largest source market for the month, behind Japan.

The top 10 makes in September 2025 were: 

Toyota (18,318) 
Ford (8300) 
Kia (7330) 
Mazda (7034) 
Hyundai (6501) 
BYD (5084) 
GWM (4945) 
Mitsubishi (4737) 
Tesla (4663) 
MG (4011)

Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Tony Weber argued more could be done around EV uptake in Australia.

“There is no shortage of battery electric vehicles on the market in Australia. With more than 100 BEVs and more than 50 PHEVs available, manufacturers have worked hard to provide Australians with high-quality electric vehicles. What is needed now is a stronger focus on encouraging demand, in particular a focus on public recharging infrastructure,” he said.  

Top 10 best-selling vehicles in September 2025