Top 10 selling car brands – 2023
- Toyota – 215,240
- Mazda – 100,008
- Ford – 87,800
- Kia – 76,120
- Hyundai – 75,183
- Mitsubishi – 63,511
- MG – 58,346
- Tesla – 46,116
- Subaru – 46,114
- Isuzu Ute – 45,341
The Tesla Model Y was the best-selling electric vehicle in Australia in 2023. Image: Supplied
Toyota RAV4 is the top-selling SUV for 2023
The Toyota RAV4 continued its sales dominance from 2022, but its lead was diminished, as it topped the next best selling SUV, the MG ZS by just 369 units.
Seven of the top ten best-selling cars for 2023 were SUVs, which now represent 55.8 per cent of vehicle sales in Australia, up by 104,830 sales from last year. Medium SUVs remain the most popular segment for drivers with five out of the top ten selling vehicles in this category.
Best-selling small, medium and large SUVs in Australia in 2023
- SUV Small < $45K: MG ZS, Mazda CX-30, GWM Haval Jolion
- SUV Small > $45K: Volvo XC40, BMW X1, Audi Q3
- SUV Medium < $60K: Toyota RAV4, Mitsubishi Outlander, Mazda CX-5
- SUV Medium > $60K: Tesla Model Y, Lexus NX, Audi Q5
- SUV Large < $70K: Toyota Prado, Ford Everest, Isuzu Ute MU-X
- SUV Large > $70K: Land Rover Defender, BMW X5, Lexus RX
The Toyota RAV4 was the best-selling SUV in Australia in 2023. Image: Supplied
Ford Ranger is the top-selling ute in Australia for 2023
The seven year sales reign of the Toyota Hilux was ended in 2023 as the Ford Ranger became the country’s top selling Ute and vehicle.
The three best selling vehicles in the country were utes. Ford Ranger sold 63.356 units followed by the Toyota Hilux at 61,111 and Isuzu Ute D-Max with 31,202 sales. Demonstrating the increased popularity and flexibility of 4×4 dual cab utes, 4×4 models outsold two wheel drive models by more than 6:1 in 2023.
Best-selling 4×2 and 4×4 utes in Australia in 2023
- 4×2 utes: Toyota HiLux, Isuzu Ute D-Max, Ford Ranger
- 4×4 utes: Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux, Isuzu Ute D-Max
How many EVs were sold in Australia in 2023?
2023 was the biggest year on record for electric vehicles with 87,217 fully electric vehicles sold, representing 7.2 per cent of all sales. Combined with plug-in hybrids and hybrids, the electric segment accounted for 16.2 per cent of new vehicles sold.
Showing exceptional growth, Tesla’s EV only line up of the Model 3 and Model Y made up 52.8 per cent of all fully electric sales.
Relative newcomer BYD quickly established itself as a serious player in Australia’s EV market with combined sales of its Atto 3, Dolphin and Seal models reaching 12,438 units – growth of 488.6 per cent. Last year BYD overtook Tesla to become the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer.
Find out more about: EVs coming to Australia in 2024
Where are Australia’s best-selling cars, utes and SUVs being made?
Toyota’s continued dominance of the Australian market has kept Japan at the top of the list with 345,071 vehicles sourced from Japan, the total including vehicles from Mazda, Mitsubishi and Subaru.
Most of Australia’s dual cab utes including the best selling Ford Ranger, are imported from Thailand which sent 264,253 vehicles to our shores last year to place second.
Making the biggest impact in the market were the Chinese manufacturers, who topped sales of Korean sourced vehicles for the first time in 2023, placing them third. 193,433 Chinese made vehicles were sold last year, an increase of 57.5 per cent on 2022 to make up 15.9 per cent of all cars sold here.
Australia’s best-selling cars by country of origin
- Japan – 345,071
- Thailand – 262,253
- China – 193,433
- Korea – 161,614
- Germany – 56,850
Top 10 selling car models in 2023
- Ford Ranger – 63,356
- Toyota Hilux – 61,111
- Isuzu Ute D-Max – 31,202
- Toyota RAV4 – 29,627
- MG ZS – 29,258
- Tesla Model Y – 28,769
- Toyota Landcruiser – 26,449
- Mitsubishi Outlander – 24,263
- Mazda CX-5 – 23,083
- Hyundai Tucson – 21,224
Sales grow in 2023 for Ford, MG, Tesla, Subaru and Isuzu Ute
Top ten brands seeing sales growth in 2023 included Ford, which increased its sales volume by 33 per cent to 87,800 units, driven almost exclusively by its strong sales of Ranger and its Ranger-based SUV, the Everest. It was Australia’s third best-selling brand with an increased market share of 7.2 per cent (up from 6.2 per cent).
Sister brands, Kia (76,120) and Hyundai (75,183) placed fourth and fifth in market respectively, with a slight decrease in sales for Kia (-2210) and slight increase for Hyundai (1838).
Mitsubishi (63,511) fell from fifth place to sixth place in the market, it’s market share reduced from 7.1 per cent to 5.2 per cent, a definite reflection of the decline in sales of the Mitsubishi Triton (-10,795) ahead of the introduction of the next-gen Triton next month.
MG increased its sales by 17.7 per cent, thanks to the popularity of its affordable ZS SUV which at 29,258 sales was the country’s fifth best-selling vehicle and second best-selling SUV behind the Toyota RAV4. Sales were also given a boost by the arrival of the impressive MG4 EV which chalked up 3134 sales in its first year on sale.
Tesla posted impressive growth in Australia on the back of a two model line up, with total sales up 135.4 per cent to 46,116 units. The Tesla Model Y (28,769) was Australia’s sixth best-selling car, while the Model 3 (17,347) increased sales by 59.5 per cent to become the country’s best-selling medium car with 50 per cent of the segment.
Australian market stalwart, Subaru saw 28 per cent growth in its sales, its 46,114 sales made up largely of its range of small and medium SUVs including the newly introduced Crosstrek, and placing it in 9th place.
Rounding out the top ten brands in Australia was Isuzu Ute, which achieved total sales of 45,341, up 28.4 per cent for sales of its two models, the Isuzu Ute D-Max and Isuzu MU-X.
