Australia’s new-car sales set another record in March, with a total of 111,617 vehicles sold, according to the Federal Chamber of Automobile Industries (FCAI) and the EV Council.
Plug-in hybrid vehicles led the sales surge, seeing a 380 percent increase compared to the same month last year. This trend mirrors February’s results, as buyers rushed to purchase before the end of the FBT exemption for PHEVs on April 1. While electric vehicle (EV) sales dropped compared to 2024, the decrease wasn’t as significant as the FCAI had suggested. Taking into account Tesla and Polestar, battery-powered vehicles accounted for 7.5 percent of the market, with 8,385 units sold.
FCAI CEO Tony Weber’s statement that “demand for EVs is weak” comes as The Australian reports that the federal opposition plans to remove emissions fines under the New Vehicle Efficiency Standards (NVES) if elected.
Best-Selling Brands in March 2025
Toyota claimed the top spot in new-car sales for March, followed by Ford and Mazda. Mazda, however, is still leading year-to-date sales over Ford. Kia narrowly surpassed Mitsubishi, with Hyundai in fifth place. Chinese automaker GWM posted its best sales month ever, reaching 4,393 units, securing a solid seventh place overall. Meanwhile, BYD recorded 4,811 sales in March, potentially breaking into the top 10 by the end of the year.
Nissan showed improvement in March, though MG still leads year-to-date sales. Subaru remained in the top 10 for year-to-date results, though BYD is quickly catching up.
Top-Selling Vehicles in March 2025
The Ford Ranger ute outperformed the Toyota RAV4 in March, taking the top-selling spot. However, the RAV4 still leads year-to-date sales (13,802 vs. 13,226). Toyota’s reliable Hilux secured third place, followed by the Mitsubishi Outlander, which saw strong sales due to the soon-to-expire FBT exemptions, with over a third of Outlander sales being PHEV models.
The Toyota Prado ranked fifth, on track for a record-breaking year with projections of over 30,000 units sold.
Another standout was the BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid ute, which made a strong debut with 2,810 sales in its third month on sale. This impressive result came with just one variant, unlike most vehicles ahead of it. The key question is whether the Shark 6’s success will continue after plug-in hybrid incentives end, with the answer likely to appear in next month’s sales data.
The Ford Everest large SUV had a strong month, while the Isuzu D-Max ute experienced a slower performance. The MG ZS and Hyundai Kona also posted steady sales, with the Kona offering a mix of petrol, hybrid, and electric options, rounding out the top 10 for March.
