Toyota tumbles, China dominates, petrol plummets and we abandon US-style pickups like the Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado as Australia's best selling vehicles revealed

The Australian new-car sales race is off to a bizarre start to 2026, with the usually bulletproof Toyota taking a significant hit in January, while other once-robust segments continue to shrink.

All up, some 87,092 vehicles found homes across Australia, about line-ball with the same month last year (sales were up just 0.3 per cent). But the big shift isn't in the number of vehicles we bought, it's where we bought them from.

In January 2025, some 12,018 of the vehicles sold in Australia were imported from China, putting the country third on the list behind Thailand and Japan. Last month, that number was 20,260, with China leapfrogging ute-heavy Thailand to take second position. Interestingly, China was only 2683 sales off taking first place from Japan.

Not helping the Land of the Rising Sun's position last month was a rare drop in form from Toyota, with the auto giant recording a 22.3 per cent drop in sales compared to the same month last year, with just 14,310 vehicles delivered. The brand tells us limited stock of the outgoing RAV4 and the arrival of the new HiLux, currently offered in limited trims, played a significant role.

Toyota said the brand was holding significant orders for the new RAV4 due in March, and for the recently launched HiLux.

The result was still enough to see Toyota hold onto first place in the marque sales race, ahead of Mazda (7692 sales), Kia (6600 sales), Ford (6116 sales) and Hyundai (5856 sales) – though Ford and Mazda both also recorded year-on-year falls.

Another emerging trend in 2026 is the death of the pure-petrol engine, down 14 per cent, and comprehensively replaced by hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles.

Elsewhere, 4X4 utes continued their decline, despite a heap of new entrants in the segment, with the category down almost three per cent year on year. In fact, only the GWM Cannon Alpha and Mitsubishi Triton recorded year-on-year growth. Segment heavyweights the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux both fell more than 18 per cent year on year.

2026 Toyota RAV4 (EU)

It's worse news in the jumbo pickup truck segment, with sales of the Ram 2500 and Toyota Tundra (though both with comparatively small sales figures of 90 and 63 units respectively) the only bright spots. The Silverado fell more than 25 per cent, the Ram 1500 fell 15.6 per cent and the Ford F-150 plunged a massive 44.8 per cent, all year on year. All up, the segment dropped 13 per cent compared to the same month last year.

Finally, the top-selling models in Australia in January were the Ford Ranger (3403 sales), the Toyota HiLux (2800 sales), Mazda CX-5 (2289 sales), Chery Tiggo 4 Pro (2234 sales) and the Mitsubishi Outlander (1975 sales).

“January’s figures show a market that is stable, with Australians continuing to purchase vehicles that meet their needs for work, family and lifestyle,” said FCAI chief executive, Tony Weber.

"A decline in petrol vehicles of 14 per cent in January sales highlights a gradual shift in buyer preference towards electrified technologies, particularly hybrids and plug-in hybrids.

“We are seeing fewer petrol vehicles sold and rapid growth in plug-in hybrids, while uptake of hybrid and battery electric vehicles is more stable."

Best selling cars, January 2026
 

Best Selling brands, January 2026