The Numbers Are In, And Aussies Are Officially Still Ute Obsessed

• For the second year running, the Ford Ranger has claimed the title of ‘Australia’s most popular car’, once again beating the Toyota HiLux that has previously enjoyed first place for seven years.
• The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries released its VFACTS report for 2024, revealing data about cars sold in Australia in another record-breaking year for automotive sales.
• While the number of cars sold reflected an all-time high of 1,220,607 units, the overall increase was modest with just a 0.3% jump compared to 2023.

Before 2023, the last time a Ford was the highest-selling car in Australia was all the way back in 1995. Now, the American auto titan can boast a second year on the top step with the Ford Ranger ranking as the best selling of all new cars in Australia for 2024, once again beating the Toyota HiLux — and this time by a wide margin.

In 2023, the Ranger outsold the HiLux by just 2,245 units (63,356 units and 61,111 units respectively), but in sales fell off a cliff (comparatively speaking) in 2024. While the Ranger sold slightly fewer units at 62,593, the HiLux sold nearly 10 times fewer units with just 53,499 cars driving out of dealerships in 2024: an eyebrow-raising decline from the best-selling HiLux year in 2022, when 64,391 units were sold.

Half of the top 10 best-selling cars in Australia in 2024 sold fewer units compared to 2022, but models that sold better included the Toyota RAV4 (the second highest for the year), Mitsubishi Outlander, Toyota LandCruiser, Ford Everest, and Toyota Corolla.

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The models with the biggest growth from 2023 were the RAV4 which sold 58,718 units compared to 29,627; the Everest which sold 26,494 units compared to 15,071; and the Corolla selling 24,027 units compared to 19,986.

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Despite the HiLux struggling, Toyota was the best-selling automaker in Australia for the full year thanks to impressive growth by the RAV4 and the Corolla, as well as a jump by the LandCruiser. Ford and Mazda were the next best-performing automakers in 2024, with the biggest growth in the top 10 brands being Mitsubishi (up by 17.4%), GWM (up by 17.5%), and Nissan (up by 15%).

In the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries report for 2023, FCAI boss Tony Weber offered words of caution heading into 2024, explaining that “cost-of-living pressures and increased interest rates will impact the market, and we anticipate a challenging 2024.”

While the industry did set another record in 2024, it was extremely modest growth and Weber is even more bearish thanks to slowing sales numbers in the latter half of last year. He cites continued cost of living pressures, interest rates, and the growth of consumer interest in low-emission vehicles.

“Customers are also increasingly making choices regarding environmental outcomes and the associated total cost of ownership of moving to low emissions technologies,” said Tony Weber via Driving Enthusiast.

“So, while the sales of battery electric vehicles are lower than expected, this is offset to a degree by an increasing number of buyers turning to hybrid and plug-in hybrid models which make up 14.1 per cent and 1.9 per cent of the total market respectively.”

Australia’s Top 10 Best-Selling Automakers In 2024:

1. Toyota: 241,296 (+12.1% on 2023)
2. Ford: 100,170 (+14.4%)
3. Mazda: 95,987 (-4.0%)
4. Kia: 81,787 (+7.4%)
5. Mitsubishi: 74,547 (+17.4%)
6. Hyundai: 71,664 (-4.7%)
7. MG: 50,592 (-13.3%)
8. Isuzu: 48,172 (+6.2%)
9. Nissan: 45,284 (+15.0%)
10. GWM: 42,782 (+17.5%)

Australia’s Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In 2024:

1. Ford Ranger: 62,593 (down from 63,356 in 2023)
2. Toyota RAV4: 58,718 (up from 29,627)
3. Toyota HiLux: 53,499 (down from 61,111)
4. Isuzu D-Max: 30,194 (down from 31,202)
5. Mitsubishi Outlander: 27,613 (up from 24,263)
6. Toyota LandCruiser: 27,186 (up from 26,449)
7. Ford Everest: 26,494 (up from 15,071)
8. Toyota Corolla: 24,027 (up from 19,986)
9. Mazda CX-5: 22,835 (down from 23,083)
10. MG ZS: 22,629 (down from 29,258)

Australia’s Top 10 Best-Selling Utes In 2024:

1. Ford Ranger: 62,593
2. Toyota HiLux: 53,499
3. Isuzu D-Max: 30,194
4. Mitsubishi Triton: 18,077
5. Mazda BT-50: 15,164
6. Toyota LandCruiser 70: 11,929
7. Nissan Navara: 10,063
8. Volkswagen Amarok: 8,400
9. GWM Ute: 8,163
10. LDV T60/T60 EV: 6,330

Australia’s Top 10 Best-Selling Cars ($200,000+) In 2024:

1. Porsche 911: 783 (+40.3%)
2. Ferrari coupe/convertible: 185 (-14.0%)
3. Lamborghini coupe/convertible: 165 (+3.8%)
4. McLaren coupe/convertible: 95 (+11.8%)
5. Aston Martin coupe/convertible: 91 (+11.0%)
6. Bentley coupe/convertible: 79 (-24.8%)
7. Chevrolet Corvette Z06: 72 (+999%)
8. Mercedes-Benz SL: 41 (-35.9%)
9. Maserati coupe/convertible: 26 (+23.8%)
10. BMW 8 Series: 25 (-54.5%)