Australia’s best-selling SUVs in September 2021: RAV4 destroys the competition and Patrol emerges as a surprise hit

From the brawny Toyota Prado to the petite Kia Stonic, Australian’s just can’t enough of SUVs and this month was no exception.

The month of September 2021 reconfirmed Australia’s love for the Toyota RAV4 as the midsize SUV took the crown as Australia’s best-selling SUV for the second month in a row.

Despite being plagued with wait times of around nine to 10 months on average for the popular hybrid variants, the RAV4 still managed to secure 3390 sales in September – almost 1000 more than in the same month last year.

Toyota RAV4 Edge 2021 khaki rear end — Despite extensive customer wait times the Toyota RAV4 is still Australia’s best-selling SUV

As of September, total SUV sales are up 32.6 percent this year when compared to 2020. Growth that was only bested by the light commercial vehicle segment (such as dual-cab utes) with a 36 percent rise.

In 2021, over 416,275 SUV sales have been attributed to more than half of the 816,140 total sales recorded across all categories. By the year’s end, the latter figure should hit 1.1million if it continues to outperform 2020 at the current rate.

These figures, courtesy of the FCAI, show a resilient appetite for new cars and SUVs despite a limited and inconsistent supply of vehicles amid global semiconductors shortages and much of Australia still enduring lockdown.

Mazda CX-5 Maxx Sport 2021 front — The Mazda CX-5 was down on sales when compared to September last year but still sold well overall

The RAV4 had a strong lead on its nearest competitor, the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado large SUV, which recorded 2173 sales this month following a subtle update earlier this year.

In third place, the Mitsubishi ASX small SUV recorded 1489 sales, only slightly edging out the Hyundai Tucson (1416), and Mazda CX-5 (1415) midsize SUVs, the latter of which took the top spot back in July and is due for a facelift early next year.

The recently launched second-generation Isuzu MU-X large SUV has been gaining momentum, becoming the sixth most popular SUV this month with 1297 sales, and is unlikely to falter after the seven-seater clocked a five-star ANCAP score last month.

Isuzu MU-X 2022 ANCAP rear 3/4 crash — Isuzu MU-X has been selling well and was recently given a five-star safety rating by ANCAP

Not far behind was the Toyota Kluger in seventh place (1266), which has proved a popular option due, in part, to its all wheel drive hybrid option.

While technically a high-riding wagon, the Subaru Outback (1162) is classified as a large SUV and nabbed eighth position after ANCAP branded it the safest vehicle they had ever tested earlier in September.

Following suit was the MG ZS (1161) and Mazda CX-30 (1078) small SUVs and the Mitsubishi Outlander midsize SUV (1043) which is currently in runout mode and due to be replaced in November.

The 12th most popular SUV in September was the Ford Everest, which hasn’t been as successful as the closely related Ranger ute but is still a hit with adventure-seeking Australian families that need seven seats.

Ford Everest ARB — The Ford Everest has maintained popularity with adventure-seeking families

The Volkswagen Tiguan midsize SUV, encompassing the regular five-seat and seven-seat Allspace versions, nabbed 13th place with 845 sales. The Tiguan will likely see a boost earlier next year when the Allspace is replaced with the facelifted model.

Bringing up the rear in 14th and 15th place was the Subaru XV (779) and Forester (777), with the latter set to be replaced by the facelifted version in November.

Kia’s latest ad campaign for the Stonic small SUV appears to have resonated with buyers, recording 721 sales in September in its first year on sale, followed by the MG HS midsize SUV in 17th place and with 702 sales.

Nissan Patrol 2019 sand — The Nissan Patrol recorded 700 sales, a 270 percent increase over its September 2020 result

With stock of the Toyota Land Cruiser 200 Series now all but gone and the replacement facing extensive delays the Nissan Patrol has picked up the tab, recording 700 sales – a nearly 270 percent increase over its results this time last year.

The Hyundai Kona (691) and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (689) small SUVs rounded out the list, with the latter now available with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain that we reviewed recently.

As we do every month, we’ve covered the sales results of all new vehicles in a separate article.