It’s no surprise that the most popular car brand in Australia is Toyota (215,240) which sold more than twice the number of cars of second place Mazda (100,008), but with the global chip shortage relinquishing its grip on the local car market and dealers holding onto inventory to bolster their end of year results, we also saw the total number of cars sold in Australia increase by 12.5% year-on-year for 2023.
The total number of cars sold in Australia for 2023 is 1,216,780 vs. 1,081,429 in 2022.
Most Popular Car Brands in Australia at a Glance
These are the most popular car brands in Australia as provided by VFACTS.
| Brand | Sales 2023 | Sales 2022 | Variance YoY |
| 1. Toyota | 215,240 | 231,050 | -6.8% |
| 2. Mazda | 100,008 | 95,718 | 4.5% |
| 3. Ford | 87,800 | 66,628 | 31.5% |
| 4. Kia | 76,120 | 78,330 | -2.8% |
| 5. Hyundai | 75,183 | 73,345 | 2.5% |
| 6. Mitsubishi | 63,511 | 76,991 | -17.5% |
| 7. MG | 58,346 | 49,582 | 17.7% |
| 8. Tesla | 46,116 | 19,594 | 135.4% |
| 9. Subaru | 46,114 | 36,036 | 28.0% |
| 10. Isuzu UTE | 45,341 | 35,323 | 28.4% |
RELATED: You’re probably wondering which car brands own who? We’ve worked that out too.
1. Toyota
Total number of sales in 2023: 215,240
While the Toyota HiLux lost its place to the Ford Ranger as the top-selling can in Australia, it still managed to bring in the numbers with 61,111 sales across 4×2 and 4×4 models. The poster child of waitlists, the Toyota RAV4, also saw a sales dip of -15% with 29,627 vs. 34,845 last year. This could be attributed to several factors, but our money is on the introduction and growing popularity of the new Toyota Corolla Cross with 7,932 total sales vs. 2,563 last year (209.5% increase).
Most Popular Toyota Models in Australia
- HiLux: 61,111
- RAV4: 29,627
- LandCruiser: 26,449
- Prado: 20,710
- Corolla: 19,986
Check it out More Toyota articles
2. Mazda
Total number of sales in 2023: 100,008
The Mazda CX-5 continues its mid-size SUV sales dominance and retains the title of the most popular Mazda in Australia for 2023. This year saw a 14.7% sales decrease for the model as sales for the next most popular model in the lineup, the CX-3, continue to climb (15,776 vs. 11,907 last year). We’d expect these numbers to grow for both models as updated CX-5 models hit our shores In 2024. Meanwhile, the Mazda BT-50 ute range saw marked improvements in sales for a combined 17,526 figure courtesy of further supply.
Most Popular Mazda Models in Australia
- CX-5: 23,083
- BT-50: 17,526
- CX-3: 15,776
- CX-30: 13,115
- Mazda3: 9,079
Check it out More Mazda articles
3. Ford
Total number of sales in 2023: 87,800
The bell rang for Ford Australia this year as the Ranger became Australia’s number-one-selling vehicle for the first time. Numbers for the model were up significantly with 63,356 sales across the line-up. They didn’t just sneak into the lead either, beating the Toyota HiLux by 2,245 units. Of course, these numbers are significantly bolstered by fleet purchases and clearly Ford won the contracts race for utes. The platform-shared Ford Everest also saw a 46.1% increase in sales to 15,071. Sadly, we lost a few favourites along the way with Fiesta and Focus sales terminated as new full-size pick-up trucks entered the fold, specifically the outstanding F-150 we reviewed late last year. They’ve already sold 145 F-150s as of December 2023.
There’s cause for concern for Ford’s electric model line-up with their Ford Mustang Mach-E achieving just 51 sales on the year marked by significant price reductions of up to $7,000 towards the end of the year.
Most Popular Ford Models in Australia
- Ranger: 63,356
- Everest: 15,071
- Transit Custom: 2,843
- Escape: 2,336
- Puma: 2,027
Check it out More Ford articles
4. Kia
Total number of sales in 2023: 76,120
Although it saw a sales decrease of 16.2% the highly-awarded Kia Sportage once again tops the list as the top-selling Kia in Australia with 15,747 sales. In a surprising turn of events, the Seltos regained its position as the preferred small/ medium SUV in the line-up, besting the Stonic by a few thousand sales. In fact, the Stonic fell out of the top 5 entirely with a sales decrease of 18.4%. It’s now beaten by the much larger Sorento, and of all things, Kia’s game-changing Carnival Mini Van which became the second top-selling Kia in the country with 11,312 sales.
Most Popular Kia Models in Australia
- Sportage: 15,747
- Carnival: 11,312
- Seltos: 10,473
- Sorento: 8,366
- Picanto: 7,706
Check it out More Kia articles
5. Hyundai
Total number of sales in 2023: 75,183
The Hyundai i30 has continued to take it to the Toyota Corolla as it now holds the crown as the top-selling hatch-back in Australia. While sales decreased 2.6% year-on-year for the model, it’s a two-horse race between the two brands as the Golf continues to fall from the perch with less than 4,000 sales. Both the Santa Fe and Tucson helped make up significant ground on their Korean cousins in Kia with significant sales increases. The new Santa Fe cracked into the top-10 best selling cars in Australia and we’d expect that sales success story to continue throughout 2024.
It’s worth mentioning that Hyundai and Kia are both managing their sales success without a dual-cab ute on the market.
Most Popular Hyundai Models in Australia
- Tucson: 21,224
- i30: 20,626
- Kona: 11,183
- Venue: 6,152
- Santa Fe: 6,033
Check it out More Hyundai articles
6. Mitsubishi
Total number of sales in 2023: 63,511
It was a tough year for Mitsubishi who saw a return to normalcy after experiecing an outstanding 2022. Details about the updated Triton dual-cab ute rolled out throughout the year and pushed customers elsewhere. We saw this in the sales decrease with -16.5% for the 4×2 and -42.7% for the top-selling 4×4. The outdated line-up story continued for the Pajero Sport who’s sales dropped 37.2% to 5,547 on the year. In fact, only two Mitsubishi models saw increases: Outlander up 24.1% to 24,263 and Eclipse Cross up 30.4% to 7,786.
Most Popular Mitsubishi Models in Australia
- Outlander: 24,263
- Triton: 16,641
- ASX: 9,176
- Eclipse Cross: 7,786
- Pajero Sport: 5,547
Check it out More Mitsubishi articles
7. MG
Total number of sales in 2023: 58,346
Chinese-owned SAIC Motor Corporation brought MG to Australia only a few years ago, however, the brand has made a name for itself with the cheapest new cars on the road in Australia. All cars are feature-packed and the top-selling MG ZS starts from just over AU$20,000 drive-away so it’s easy to see why they’re continuing to sell in droves with a 30.2% sales increase on the year. We had a chance to drive the MG ZS EV, although we’ve yet to jump into the base model to make a worthy comparison. New additions to the MG line-up in the MG4 (3,134) and MG5 (2,398) proved sales success stories and after driving the all-electric MG4 at launch it’s easy to see why.
Most Popular MG Models in Australia
- ZS: 29,258
- MG3: 15,430
- HS: 8,126
- MG4: 3,134
- MG5: 2,398
8. Tesla
Since it began sharing sales data with the FCAI, Tesla has been the electric vehicle manufacturer to beat in Australia. Their sales for 2023 were, quite frankly, ridiculous. For a brand with only two cars, they managed to slot their Model Y into the top 10 selling cars in Australia with 28,769 sales representing a 230% increase. Even the outgoing Model 3 sold 17,347 units. We’d expect this two-horse race to get closer as more people get their hands on the updated Tesla Model 3 we drove late last year. It’s far in a way the best value-for-money EV on sale in Australia.
Total number of sales in 2023: 46,114
- Model Y: 28,769
- Model 3: 17,347
9. Subaru
Total number of sales in 2023: 46,114
Subaru continues to chug away with sales in the Australian market with sales up significantly for the year at 28.0%. While some loath at the new design of the WRX it continues to be a sales magnet with a further increase of 14.7% on top of the 89.7% increase it saw last year. The Subaru Forester continues to be the leader for the brand with 16,381 sales on the year (an increase of 54%) followed by the Subaru Outback (12,903) and Crosstrek (8,991).
Interestingly, the Subaru BRZ continues to outsell the Toyota GR86 with 1,573 sales vs. the Toyota’s 1,144. We prefer the design of the BRZ and we feel the market does too.
Most Popular Subaru Models in Australia
- Forester: 16,381
- Outback: 12,903
- Crosstrek: 8,991
- WRX: 2,743
- Impreza: 2,081
Check it out More Subaru articles
10. Isuzu Ute
Total number of sales in 2022: 35,323
The Isuzu D-Max continues to be the people’s choice in the dual-cab ute market and it’s easy to see why. It’s a great-looking vehicle, the 4JJ engine is a gem, and the price is competitive with most on the market. The brand saw large sales increases in 2023 amounting to 45,341 vehicles vs. 35,323 in the prior year.
Most Popular Isuzu Ute Models in Australia
- D-Max: 31,202
- MU-X: 14,139
Check it out More Isuzu Ute articles
Chinese-made Competition Increases
Competition amongst car brands in Australia has never been hotter. And while Japanese-made cars (Toyota, Mazda, Subaru, and Mitsubishi) continue to be the most popular amongst buyers (345,071 sales), we’re beginning to see an increasing dominance from Chinese-made brands (MG, Haval, BYD, GWM, LDV, Polestar, and Volvo) and the competition they’re bringing to market with feature-packed cut-price alternatives.
Chinese-made cars saw a further 57.5% increase (193,433 total cars) over their 61.1% sales increase last year (122,845 total cars). To reiterate, Chinese-made car sales in Australia have nearly tripled in three years (76,262 sold in 2021). As we predicted last year, Chinese-made car sales have surpassed Korean-made cars (161,614 sold in 2023, an increase of only 1.5%).
Your FAQs Answered
Toyota is Australia’s most popular car brand for 2023 having sold 215,240 cars. This is more than double second place Mazda, who sold 100,008.
Ferrari sold 215 cars in Australia in 2023. This is an increase of 5.9% in 2022 when they sold 203 cars.
Out of the 10 highest-selling car brands in Australia for 2022, Mitsubishi’s sales declined the most with a 17.5% decrease year-on-year due to an aging model line-up.
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