Soaring SUV sales

SUVs now account for nearly two thirds of the Australian new car market, according to the latest figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.

While the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger utes again claimed the top two spots in May 2025, SUVs dominate the broader market, outselling the light commercial category by nearly three to one from January to May (293,794 versus 108,274) while just 66,472 traditional passenger vehicles, such as sedans and hatches, left showrooms.

In fact, seven of the top 10 sellers during May 2025 were SUVs, with the Isuzu D-Max (2643 sales) joining the HiLux (4952 sales) and Ranger (4761 sales) as the only other ute on the list.

It’s largely business as usual in the various SUV size segments, with the Toyota RAV4 SUV (4003 sales) claiming the title the top-selling SUV. Despite falling from 5517 sales in May 2024, it still sold almost double the number of its nearest rival, the Mazda CX-5, which saw a slight rise to 2264 sales for May.

There were also some notable aberrations. The Chery Tiggo Pro 4 has stormed the ‘small SUV under $45,000’ category, its 1725 sales for May putting it behind only the Hyundai Kona (1951) on the charts. Meanwhile, the Mitsubishi Outlander slipped from 2500 to 1396.

Fans of the Toyota LandCruiser Prado, a large 4x4 SUV, continue to buy up the brand-new fifth generation in droves, its sales jumping from just 90 during May 2024 to 2732 in May 2025, and it has shifted more than 2000 units per month since its December 2024 launch.

Not far behind is the evergreen Ford Everest, which also saw an impressive sales leap from 2110 in May 2024 to 2368 for May 2025.

After endless launch delays, the revamped Ford Mustang is firmly back on top of the ‘sports cars under $90,000’ category, moving 720 units in May 2025 and nearly 2500 since the start of the year.

Consumers appear to have well and truly backed off from pure EVs. Between January and May 2024, Aussies bought 40,636 electric vehicles, while just 23,585 were sold in the same period for 2025.

By contrast the hybrid market continues to swell, with 78,391 sold year-to-date in May 2025 compared to 66,277 for the same period in 2024.

Top selling vehicles in May 2025