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Patience is a virtue! The average Australian delivery wait time for a new car in January 2022 was 3.5 times longer than it was two years ago amid delays

According to Price My Car, the Kia Sorento has the longest average delivery wait time of any new model on sale in Australia.

Looking to buy a new car in Australia but struggling to find one with a reasonable delivery wait time? You’re not alone, as pandemic-related delays have gripped the automotive industry for the better part of two years. But now we have a better idea of exactly how patient you must be.

According to data published by local car pricing advice website Price My Car, January 2022 was the first month since November 2020 that the average delivery wait time for a new car decreased over the prior month, with June 2020 the previous example.

That said, the average delivery wait time for a new car in January 2022 was still 126 days, just three days shorter than the prior month. Comparatively, at the start of the pandemic in January 2020, it stood at ‘just’ 36 days, meaning it has increased 3.5 times in two years.

Of course, the protracted delivery wait times have been caused by the pandemic, with supply down, largely due to the well-documented global semiconductor shortage, and demand up as commuters look towards personal transport amid the health crisis.

In January 2022, Western Australia (157 days) faced the longest average delivery time, in front of South Australia (148), Victoria (127), Queensland (126), New South Wales (124), Tasmania (113), Northern Territory (108) and Australian Capital Territory (95).

As far as individual brands and models are concerned, it’s worth noting Price My Car’s data is averaged out on a model-by-model – not variant-by-variant – basis, meaning several of the following delivery wait times are skewed by particular variants, so contact a dealer if you’re after a specific quote.

Brand-wise, Jaguar (218 days), Volvo (199), Isuzu (184), Toyota (180), Kia (173), Volkswagen (164), Audi (157) and Nissan (131) had the longest average delivery wait times in January 2022, while Peugeot (42), MG (60), Jeep (63), LDV (65), Haval (68), Mazda (75), BMW (84) and Lexus (95) had the shortest.

The Toyota Kluger has the shortest average delivery wait time of any new model on sale in Australia, according to Price My Car. The Toyota Kluger has the shortest average delivery wait time of any new model on sale in Australia, according to Price My Car.

For the models, the Kia Sorento large SUV (274 days) had the longest average delivery wait time in January 2022, ahead of the Toyota RAV4 mid-size SUV (258), Kia Carnival people mover (255), Ford Mustang sports car (236), Kia Seltos small SUV (225), Nissan Patrol upper-large SUV (224), Volkswagen Tiguan mid-size SUV (221) and Volvo XC40 small SUV (221).

The Toyota Kluger large SUV (46 days) had the shortest delivery wait time in January 2022, outpacing the Mazda CX-3 light SUV (56), Mazda CX-30 small SUV (56), Mazda CX-9 large SUV (67), Kia Picanto micro hatchback (73), Ford Ranger ute (74), Mazda CX-5 mid-size SUV (76) and Nissan X-Trail mid-size SUV (79).

For reference, Price My Car sourced its data from 32,883 new-car quotes and orders created and placed since January 2019. Again, all the aforementioned average delivery wait times should be used as a guide given they’re not provided on a variant-by-variant basis.