Deliveries of new vehicles broke another record last month – despite slumps for top Japanese brands – thanks to a surge in Chinese car sales.
The Toyota HiLux led the RAV4 and Ford Ranger to become Australia's most popular new vehicle last month, in a record July for new-car sales buoyed by best-ever deliveries of Chinese cars.
Data published by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) and Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) reports 104,244 new vehicles as sold in Australia last month, beating the previous July record of 102,181 set last year by 2 per cent.
It is only the third month of year-on-year growth so far in 2025, which means the new-vehicle market is still down 0.9 per cent over the first seven months of the year, on 728,374 deliveries against 2024's 735,278.
All five Japanese brands in the Top 10 – Toyota, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Isuzu and Subaru – have sold fewer vehicles so far this year than by this time last year, and all bar Isuzu were down last month.
But sales of Chinese cars have surged, up 33.1 per cent last month and 22.6 per cent year-to-date, compared to the same periods last year.
China is close to overtaking Thailand as Australia's second-biggest source of new cars – just 599 vehicles split the nations last month (19,997 vs 20,596) – after surpassing South Korea for the first time three years ago.
Two Chinese brands placed in the Top 10 last month – GWM and BYD – with record Chery sales placing it within 120 sales of 10th-placed Subaru, though MG has slumped to 12th from its usual sixth or seventh-placed position.
Toyota remained the top-selling new-car brand last month, however, reporting 21,722 deliveries – down 4.3 per cent on its 22,705 tally this time last year.
Mazda followed in second (7452, down 12.1 per cent), narrowly ahead of Kia in third (7402, up 11.8 per cent), helped by the first mass customer deliveries of its new Tasman ute (683).
Ford finished fourth, which saw a 20 per cent slump for its popular Ranger ute (to 3930) outweigh a 12.2 per cent gain for its Everest SUV (to 2425).
BYD sales were up 158 per cent last month compared to July 2024 – reporting 4607 deliveries – though June 2025's high result of 8156 could not be matched.
Leading the top-selling models table was the Toyota HiLux on 4676 deliveries, beating the Toyota RAV4 on 4415 sales – up from 2421 and ninth place in June 2025, thanks to improved stock of the popular SUV.
The pair of Toyotas was followed by a pair of Fords – the Ranger ute and Everest 4WD SUV – ahead of the Isuzu D-Max (2351 sales, down 0.8 per cent).
The Toyota Prado recorded a staggering 11,038 per cent year-on-year sales increase to finish sixth, as only 21 examples were delivered in July 2024 in the lead-up to the new model, which clocked up 2339 sales last month.
A Chery vehicle finished in the Top 10 for the first time – the Tiggo 4 small SUV, on 2065 deliveries – as one of only two Top 10 finishers without a Toyota, Ford or Hyundai badge.
Only one traditional 'passenger car' finished in the Top 20, let alone the Top 10: the Toyota Corolla in eighth, on 1963 deliveries.
Sales of electric cars grew by 7.1 per cent last month – from 6743 to 7219 vehicles – but are still down 5.7 per cent year-to-date.
As reported by Drive this morning, Tesla deliveries slumped last month – from 4589 in June 2025 to 917 in July 2025, placing it 22nd for the month – due to a gap in arrivals of its just-updated Model Y SUV.
It allowed the US car giant to be overtaken by BYD's battery-electric range, including 1427 sales of the BYD Sealion 7 mid-size SUV alone.
Data below supplied by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) and Electric Vehicle Council (EVC).
| Rank | Model | Volume July 2025 | Change year-on-year |
| 1 | Toyota HiLux | 4676 | down 1.5 per cent |
| 2 | Toyota RAV4 | 4415 | down 25.6 per cent |
| 3 | Ford Ranger | 3930 | down 20 per cent |
| 4 | Ford Everest | 2425 | up 12.2 per cent |
| 5 | Isuzu D-Max | 2351 | down 0.8 per cent |
| 6 | Toyota Prado | 2339 | up 11,038 per cent |
| 7 | Chery Tiggo 4 Pro | 2065 | New model |
| 8 | Toyota Corolla | 1963 | down 27 per cent |
| 9 | Hyundai Tucson | 1914 | up 18 per cent |
| 10 | Hyundai Kona | 1903 | up 29.5 per cent |
TOP 10 CAR BRANDS IN July 2025
| Rank | Brand | Volume July 2025 | Change year-on-year |
| 1 | Toyota | 21,722 | down 4.3 per cent |
| 2 | Mazda | 7452 | down 12.1 per cent |
| 3 | Kia | 7402 | up 11.8 per cent |
| 4 | Ford | 7279 | down 6.1 per cent |
| 5 | Hyundai | 6687 | up 11.1 per cent |
| 6 | Mitsubishi | 4983 | down 12.9 per cent |
| 7 | GWM | 4721 | up 42.2 per cent |
| 8 | BYD | 4607 | up 158 per cent |
| 9 | Isuzu Ute | 3986 | up 4.3 per cent |
| 10 | Subaru | 3264 | down 9.4 per cent |
Passenger cars: Top Three in each segment in July 2025
| Micro | Kia Picanto (607) | Fiat/Abarth 500 (30) | |
| Light < $30k | MG 3 (484) | Suzuki Swift (326) | Toyota Yaris (292) |
| Light > $30k | Mini Cooper (181) | Hyundai i20 (119) | Volkswagen Polo (87) |
| Small < $45k | Toyota Corolla (1963) | Hyundai i30 (893) | Mazda 3 (844) |
| Small > $45k | Audi A3 (326) | Volkswagen Golf (296) | Mercedes-Benz A-Class (240) |
| Medium < $60k | Toyota Camry (1156) | BYD Seal (273) | Skoda Octavia (68) |
| Medium > $60k | Tesla Model 3 (362) | BMW 3 Series (155) | Polestar 2 (141) |
| Large < $70k | Skoda Superb (17) | Citroen C5 X (0) | |
| Large > $70k | BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class (38) | MG IM5 (18) | BMW i5 (15) |
| Upper Large > $100k | Mercedes-Benz S-Class (9) | Porsche Panamera (8) | BMW 7 Series (6) |
| People Movers | Kia Carnival (1240) | Hyundai Staria (100) | Ford Tourneo (54) |
| Sports < $90k | Ford Mustang (429) | Toyota GR86 (94) | Mazda MX-5 (83) |
| Sports > $90k | Mercedes-Benz CLE (101) | BMW 2 Series coupe/convertible (79) | BMW 4 Series coupe/convertible (66) |
| Sports > $200k | Porsche 911 (77) | Mercedes-AMG GT (19) | Ferrari sports cars (17) |
SUVs: Top Three in each segment in July 2025
| Light SUV | Mazda CX-3 (1293) | Toyota Yaris Cross (958) | Hyundai Venue (655) |
| Small SUV < $45k | Chery Tiggo 4 (2065) | Hyundai Kona (1903) | GWM Haval Jolion (1687) |
| Small SUV > $45k | BMW X1 (554) | Toyota C-HR (506) | Volkswagen T-Roc (458) |
| Medium SUV < $60k | Toyota RAV4 (4415) | Hyundai Tucson (1914) | Mitsubishi Outlander (1869) |
| Medium SUV > $60k | Tesla Model Y (555) | Lexus NX (552) | Mercedes-Benz GLC (536) |
| Large SUV < $80k | Ford Everest (2425) | Toyota Prado (2339) | Isuzu MU-X (1635) |
| Large SUV > $80k | Land Rover Defender (429) | BMW X5 (254) | Mercedes-Benz GLE (232) |
| Upper Large SUV < $120k | Toyota LandCruiser wagon (1406) | Nissan Patrol wagon (508) | Kia EV9 (25) |
| Upper Large SUV > $120k | Lexus GX (106) | BMW X7 (90) | Lexus LX (72) |
Utes and vans: Top Three in each segment in July 2025
| Vans < 2.5t | Volkswagen Caddy (78) | Peugeot Partner (37) | Renault Kangoo (9) |
| Vans 2.5t-3.5t | Toyota HiAce van (741) | Hyundai Staria Load (246) | Ford Transit Custom (242) |
| 4x2 Utes | Toyota HiLux (676) | Isuzu D-Max (533) | Mazda BT-50 (244) |
| 4x4 Utes < $100k | Toyota HiLux (4000) | Ford Ranger (3696) | Isuzu D-Max (1818) |
| Utes > $100k | Ram 1500 (281) | Chevrolet Silverado HD (148) | Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (144) |
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
