Australia’s auto sales hit over 100,000 in September, with China powering the EV boom and becoming the country’s second-largest car source.
Car sales in September outpaced last year by 5.1%, with 101,992 new vehicles hitting the road – nearly 5,000 more than in September 2024.
Despite the strong month, 2025 is still lagging behind, with year-to-date sales down 1.4% compared to 2024.
China surged to become Australia’s second-largest source of new cars in September, driven largely by its electric vehicle dominance, accounting for more than three-quarters (77.5%) of all battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales in 2025.
EVs keep climbing, with BEVs grabbing 11.3% of September sales and nudging their annual share to 8.1%. Plug-in hybrids weren’t far behind, taking 4.4% for the month and 4.2% year-to-date.
Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries CEO Tony Weber called the results a promising start for EV adoption but underscored the need to broaden EV appeal beyond the initial wave of buyers.
“What is needed now is a stronger focus on encouraging demand, in particular public recharging infrastructure,” Mr Weber said.
“More needs to be done to give mainstream buyers the confidence to consider EVs in the future. We need to move EV ownership beyond early adopters to mainstream Australians if we are to deliver the ambitious transition that the Government is seeking.”
Under the National Electric Vehicle Strategy, the Australian government aims to cut fossil fuel dependence and fast-track the path to net-zero emissions.
The strategy is backed by state and territory commitments like Queensland’s target for 50% of new passenger vehicle sales to be zero emissions by 2030 and 100% by 2036.
Top 10 most popular cars in September 2025
- Toyota HiLux – 5,047 sales
- Ford Ranger – 4,867
- Ford Everest – 2,558
- Toyota RAV4 – 2,554
- Toyota Land Cruiser – 2,101
- Chery Tiggo 4 Pro – 2,048
- Isuzu Ute D-Max – 1,989
- BYD Sealion 7 – 1,887
- Toyota Prado – 1,885
- Haval Jolion – 1,881
Toyota took the top spot in September, leaving Ford and Kia trailing behind with a hefty lead of over 10,000 vehicle sales and almost a 10-point advantage in market share.
