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New-vehicle sales slump year on year, yet hybrid sales continue to rise
Australia’s new-car sales results for May 2025 have arrived, revealing a 4.7 percent decrease on May 2024’s 114,812 car figure.
Sales are nonetheless resilient, with 109,425 unit sales reported through the Federal Chamber of Automobile Industries (FCAI) and Electric Vehicle Council (EVC), making it the second-best May on record.
Electric vehicle sales rebounded in May, with 10,065 EVs rolling out of showrooms, a small increase compared to the month’s result in 2024. It’s a positive showing for battery electrics, which have been struggling so far this year.
As we’ve seen in the past, the bump in deliveries can be traced to a new Tesla model, in this case, the Model Y.
Correction note: This story previously asserted EV sales had fallen compared to last May. With all sales figures in, the story has been updated to show EV sales are up.
Hybrids soared in popularity, with both plug-in (PHEV) and full hybrids (HEV) both in the green.
Some 17,089 HEV sales and 3,081 PHEV sales headlined the new-vehicle sales report, outlining a positive year-on-year growth of 18.3 percent and whopping 208.1 percent growth, respectively.
Note that fringe benefit tax for PHEVs, which incentivised many to purchase a plug-in vehicle, ended on April first. Consequently, PHEV sales in May were lower than March 2025’s stunning 6,932 figure.
Toyota once again takes the title of Australia’s most popular car brand for the month, shifting an impressive 23,576 vehicles – 22.4 percent of all vehicles sold in the month of May.
Meanwhile, Ford outsold Mazda with a total of 8464 vehicles to Mazda’s 7845. Mazda will cling to its second-place position for YTD sales, with Ford nipping at the heels by a deficit of 2340 cars – closing the gap by 619 sales since April.
| Manufacturer | Year-to-date sales |
|---|---|
| Toyota | 100,753 |
| Mazda | 39,537 |
| Ford | 37,197 |
| Kia | 32,940 |
| Hyundai | 30,541 |
| Mitsubishi | 28,043 |
| GWM | 19,725 |
| MG | 17,778 |
| Nissan | 17,136 |
| Isuzu | 16,731 |
Toyota’s RAV4 remains a strong seller in Oz, snagging the title of Australia’s most popular passenger model and third-most popular nameplate for May. RAV4 sales figures are forecast to remain strong once the new, sixth-generation line-up releases to market later this year.
The title of Australia’s most popular car continues to be a two-horse race between the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger. This month, it was the HiLux that took the crown with 4952 sales, beating the Ranger’s 4761 sales.
| Make / Model | May 2025 sales |
|---|---|
| Toyota HiLux | 4952 |
| Ford Ranger | 4761 |
| Toyota Rav4 | 4003 |
| Tesla Model Y | 3580 |
| Toyota Landcruiser | 3046 |
| Toyota Landcruiser Prado | 2732 |
| Isuzu D-Max | 2643 |
| Ford Everest | 2369 |
| Mazda CX-5 | 2264 |
| Hyundai Kona | 1951 |
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