Ford Ranger Crowned Australia’s Favourite Car For Third Year Running

• New data released about the Australian automotive industry reveals the Ford Ranger is once again the country’s best-selling car – beating out the Toyota RAV4 and HiLux.
• Despite ongoing cost-of-living pressures, sales of new cars remained strong, dipping slightly to 1,209,808 units sold compared to the 2024 record of 1,220,607.
• The data also reveals a rapid growth in the sale of plug-in hybrids, which saw a jump of more than 130% as a category.

For the team at Ford Australia, 2023 was a big year thanks to the Ford Ranger overtaking Toyota’s HiLux as Australia’s best-selling car. This success continued (by a wider margin) in 2024, and according to newly published data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries’ (FCAI) VFACTS report, the Ranger managed to successfully retain its title in 2025.

Last year, Ford sold a total of 56,555 Ranger units, and remarkably, the HiLux wasn’t even in second place. Instead, it was overtaken by its sibling, the Toyota RAV4, which sold 51,947 units, while the HiLux found itself in third place, selling a total of 51,297 units. Rounding out the top five were the Ford Everest (26,161) and the Toyota Prado (26,106).

Despite the Ranger occupying the throne for a third consecutive year, Toyota recorded another great year as Australia’s favourite automotive brand – for the 24th year running, might we add – with 239,863 vehicles sold. That equates to about 19.8% of the total market. The rest of the top five best-selling car brands included Ford (94,399), Mazda (91,293), Kia (82,105), and Hyundai (77,208).

One of the more interesting details from the VFACTS report was the explosion of interest in plug-in hybrids, which jumped a massive 130.9% (53,484 units) compared to 2024. Other hybrids also enjoyed a decent year, increasing sales 15.3% to a total of 199,133 units sold, while battery electric vehicles struggled relatively (despite more than 100 models now being available in Australia)… and only saw an increase of 13.1% to 103,269 units sold.

“Many consumers are choosing hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles as a practical transition toward lower emissions,” said FCAI chief executive Tony Weber via statement. “While the industry is investing heavily in battery electric technology, uptake ultimately depends on consumer readiness and the availability of reliable public recharging infrastructure.”

Weber continued regarding battery electric vehicles: “The growth of battery electric vehicle market share has been anaemic, increasing by 1.1 percentage points over the past two years, well below earlier projections.”

Australia’s Top 10 Best-Selling Automakers (2025)

1. Toyota: 239,863 (-0.6%)
2. Ford: 94,399 (-5.8%)
3. Mazda: 91,923 (-4.2%)
4. Kia: 82,105 (+0.4%)
5. Hyundai: 77,208 (+7.7%)
6. Mitsubishi: 61,198 (-17.9%)
7. GWM: 52,809 (+23.4%)
8. BYD: 52,415. (+156.2%)
9. Isuzu Ute: 42,297 (-12.2%)
10. MG: 41,298 (-18.4%)