Can BYD be stopped? Chinese giant locks into second place on the sales charts ahead of Mazda, Ford, Kia and Hyundai as Operation Target Toyota continues

Andrew Chesterton

Contributing Journalist

3 min read

BYD has finished second in Australia's new-car sales race for the second consecutive month, delivering more vehicles than long-standing household names like Ford, Kia, Hyundai and Mazda, and trailing only Toyota in terms of total sales.

It's a stunning result for the Chinese brand, which this time last year delivered 3225 vehicles. In May 2026, that number shot up to 154 per cent to 8211 sales.

Leading the charge this month was the BYD Sealion 7, of which 1583 found homes, followed by the Shark 6, with 1244 sales. There is success right across BYD's lineup, though, with the Sealion 8, Sealion 6, Atto 2 and Atto 1 all delivering around 800 units.

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For some perspective, though, there is still a long climb to topple Toyota, with the Japanese giant delivering around twice as many vehicles as BYD, with 16,342 deliveries in May. The recently refreshed HiLux (4005 sales) and RAV4 Hybrid (3865 sales) are leading the charge, but the Camry, Corolla, Corolla Cross, Hiace and LandCruiser family all delivered more than 1000 units last month.

Rounding out the top five last month were Ford (7195 sales), Hyundai (7007 sales) and Kia (6761 sales). Tesla (6433), Mazda (5698), GWM (4660), Chery (4401) and MG (3872) rounded out the top 10.

The model list tells a different story, though, with the Tesla Model Y finishing in first place with 5605 sales, followed by the Ford Ranger (4474 sales), HiLux (4005), RAV4 (3865), Hyundai Kona (2291). In fact, BYD doesn't have a model in the top 10, which is rounded out by the Hyundai Tucson, Jaecoo J5, Chery Tiggo 4 pro, Isuzu D-Max and the Ford Everest.

The other big story this month is that, of 100,206 new vehicles purchased last month, some 20 per cent were EVS – the biggest monthly share on record – while vehicles with some sort of electrification accounted for 46 per cent of all sales.

“The shift is particularly evident in the SUV segment, where consumer preferences are changing rapidly. Today’s SUV buyer is increasingly choosing hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric options,” says FCAI chief executive Tony Weber.

Top 10 vehicles May, 2026

ModelSalesChange %
Tesla Model Y5605+56
Ford Ranger4476-6.0
Toyota HiLux4005-19.1
Toyota RAV43865-3.4
Hyundai Kona2291+17.4
Hyundai Tucson2287+27.5
Jaecoo J52172N/A
Chery Tiggo 4 Pro2123+23
Isuzu D-MaX1916-27.5
Ford Everest1876-20.8

Top 10 car brands May, 2026

MakeSalesChange %
Toyota16,342-30.7
BYD8211+154.6
Ford7195-15
Hyundai7007+4.5
Kia6761-2.1
Tesla6433+65
Mazda5698-27.4
GWM4660+9.1
Chery4401+59.7
MG3872+18.4
Andrew Chesterton

Contributing Journalist

Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold. But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul. And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard. When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House. But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others. More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will. Note: The author, Andrew Chesterton, is a co-owner of Smart As Media, a content agency and media distribution service with a number automotive brands among its clients. When producing content for CarsGuide, he does so in accordance with the CarsGuide Editorial Guidelines and Code of Ethics, and the views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
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