A rush to buy plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) before closing the Fringe Benefit Tax has pushed March's Australian car sales figures up compared to last year.
Australia’s new car market has found some green shoots in March, with last month's 111,617 total sales recorded a 1.6 per cent up on the same month last year.
Leading the charge was the BYD Shark 6, which notched 2810 sales after its second month of reporting and placing it sixth overall.
Ahead of the Shark 6 was the Ford Ranger – once again Australia’s favourite new car for the month – with 4932 sales, a decrease of 12.9 per cent over the same month last year.
This relegated the Toyota RAV4 to second place with 4321 recorded sales (down 14.8%) in March, but overall, the mid-size hybrid SUV is still ahead with a 13,802-unit tally year-to-date.
Despite a global delay in hybrid production due to a shortage of components, Toyota Australia said it will not have an impact on local deliveries, putting it in prime position to once-again take the top-selling crown come the end of the year.
Third place went again to the Toyota HiLux (4081, up 2.2%), while the Prado also put in a strong showing with 2871 sales (up 543.7% thanks to a new-model launch) for fifth place.
Splitting the two Toyotas in fourth position was the Mitsubishi Outlander – helped by a PHEV powertrain and the FBT exemption – with 3005 sales, up 8.7 per cent.
It is still unclear if enough Mitsubishi Outlander PHEVs were sold last month to beat the Shark 6, but traditionally the hybrid powertrain has accounted for only around 25 per cent of overall sales.
In seventh place was the Ford Everest, notching 2100 sales (down 7.2%), followed by the Isuzu D-Max ute, dropping a noticeable 15.3 per cent to 2088 units.
Rounding out the Top 10 was the MG ZS and Hyundai Kona, with 2020 (down 1.3%) and 2011 (up 25.1%) sales respectively, although the Nissan X-Trail, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson and Mazda CX-5 were close behind with 1945 (down 10%), 1847 (down 12.6%), 1831 (up 22.7%), and 1734 (down 18.7%) sales each.
As for electric vehicle (EV) sales, the Tesla Model Y was the most popular again with 1725 sales, down 11 per cent but also in runout ahead of a new model changeover.
With the first quarter of 2025 done, the RAV4 continues to lead on year-to-date sales (13,802), but only ahead by 576 from the Ranger.
HiLux and Prado are positioned in third and fourth with 10,999 and 8441 sales respectively, while the D-Max is well out of Top 3 contention in sixth position with 6196.
However, it is the mid-size SUV that is emerging as a strong favourite, with the Mitsubishi Outlander (7480), Kia Sportage (5600), Mazda CX-5 (5538) filling in fifth, seventh, and eighth place.
Rounding out the year-to-date Top 10 is the Hyundai Kona and Ford Everest, although the BYD Shark 6 is a close 11th with 4836 sales.
TOP 10 CARS IN March 2025
| Rank | Model | Volume March 2025 | Change year-on-year |
| 1 | Ford Ranger | 4932 | down 12.9 per cent |
| 2 | Toyota RAV4 | 4321 | down 14.8 per cent |
| 3 | Toyota HiLux | 4081 | up 2.1 per cent |
| 4 | Mitsubishi Outlander | 3005 | up 8.7 per cent |
| 5 | Toyota Prado | 2871 | up 543.7 per cent |
| 6 | BYD Shark 6 | 2810 | N/A |
| 7 | Ford Everest | 2100 | down 7.2 per cent |
| 8 | Isuzu D-Max | 2088 | down 15.3 per cent |
| 9 | MG ZS | 2020 | down 1.3 per cent |
| 10 | Hyundai Kona | 2011 | up 25.1 per cent |
Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
