Australian new-car sales in January 2026: BYD surge, Toyota stumble keeps VFACTS up

Sales of new motor vehicles in Australia narrowly avoided a second consecutive January decline – up just 0.1 per cent – following a downturn in Toyota deliveries amid a shortage of RAV4 stock.

The 4114 fewer Toyotas reported as sold in January 2026 compared to a year prior – and declines for other established brands – were outweighed by 8014 additional Chinese-made cars, according to Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries and Electric Vehicle Council data.

More than half of those – 4326 vehicles – were BYDs, though January 2025 was a particularly slow month for the brand due to biosecurity delays at Australian ports this time last year.

February 2026's growth may not be as staggering as last month's 641 per cent, as January 2025's figures lack 450 Shark 6 utes that were not reported until a month later, due to an "administrative error".

Still, the surge in Chinese cars means total reported sales of new vehicles last month were up 0.1 per cent, from 87,625 in January 2025 to 87,753 in January 2026.

It is the smallest year-on-year change in Australian new-car sales in more than a decade, and is the fifth month of – albeit slim – growth for the market.

It is despite a 22.3 per cent slump for Toyota (14,310 sales), led by a massive 65.4 per cent decline in RAV4 deliveries as stock of the current model dwindles ahead of the new generation's arrival in April.

And sales may slow even further in February and March, as the final stock of the outgoing RAV4 is sold – and there will be no more shipments until the new model arrives in six to eight weeks' time.

Toyota HiLux ute sales also slipped last month – down 15.2 per cent year-on-year, to 2800 vehicles – as more examples of the new model launched in early December roll into showrooms.

Despite declines for its usual two best-sellers, the Japanese car giant remained the country's most popular new-car brand last month, well clear of second-placed Mazda (7692) and Kia (6600), pushing Ford to fourth (6116).

Hyundai (5856) was the only brand in the Top Five to record growth, up 6.9 per cent thanks to Kona small SUV sales 41.4 per cent higher than this time last year.

Four Chinese brands again finished in the Top 10: BYD in sixth (5001), GWM in seventh (4509), Chery in ninth (3780), and MG in 10th (3123).

Splitting the group was Mitsubishi in eighth position, recording the sharpest decline of the Top 10 – down 23.5 per cent to 4347 vehicles – amid a 91 per cent fall for the ASX small SUV, after the new, more expensive model's arrival last year.

The Ford Ranger (3403) topped the models chart after recording its third consecutive annual win in 2025, though its January result was down 20 per cent on the prior year.

The slip for the RAV4 pushed it to 10th place – just 22 sales ahead of the 11th-placed Toyota Corolla – but the HiLux held onto second position ahead of the Mazda CX-5, which surged 22.3 per cent to 2289 sales, despite a new-generation model on the horizon.

A 119 per cent surge for the Chery Tiggo 4 small SUV allowed it to claim fourth, as one of two Chinese cars in the Top 10, joining the GWM Haval Jolion (1789) in ninth.

Absent from the Top 20 brands – let alone the Top 10 – was Tesla, which reported just 501 sales last month to finish 24th, due to what is likely a shortage of stock after a solid December.

January 2025 was also slow for the brand – due to a wind-down in old Model Y sales – so its 32 per cent year-on-year slump is only a difference of 238 vehicles.

Electric vehicles clocked up 7409 sales last month – up 93.3 per cent year-on-year – to account for 8.4 per cent of the market.

It is thanks to brands that aren't Tesla, including 1171 BYD Sealion 7s, 562 BYD Atto 2s, and 418 Zeekr 7Xs, none of which were available this time last year.

Hybrid sales increased by 2 per cent, despite the slide in Toyota RAV4 deliveries, while plug-in hybrids were up 170 per cent.

Data below supplied by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) and Electric Vehicle Council (EVC).

Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner

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