Australians purchased 108,606 new vehicles during March, a decrease of 0.9 per cent on the same period in 2024, which was the best ever March result.
Sales of Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles (PHEV) during March were 380 per cent up on 2024, reflecting the impact of the removal of the Commonwealth Government’s FBT exemption for these vehicles from 1 April.
While overall sales are strong, the electric vehicle (EV) transition is not progressing at a pace likely to meet the long-term targets under the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).
EVs represented just 4.9 per cent of total sales reported to FCAI, compared with 9.5 per cent in March 2024 and 6.8 per cent in March 2023 (noting that two non-FCAI EV brands are yet to publicly report their March 2025 sales).
“We are at a critical point in transitioning to a lower-emission vehicle fleet. But the reality is clear: Australian families and businesses are not shifting in large numbers to EVs,” FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said.
“While the supply of EVs is increasing, now with 89 models available in Australia, the demand for EVs is weak. The early adopters have acted but the rest of the vehicle-buying public has not followed.
“This is consistent with a number of other advanced markets around the world.
“The Australian automotive industry has long advocated for an ambitious and achievable emissions standard. Once again, questions must be asked about the Government’s modelling and in particular their assumptions about consumer acceptance of new low-emissions technologies.”
Top 5 Models
- Ford Ranger – 4,932 sales (down 12.9 per cent on March 2024)
- Toyota RAV4 – 4,321 sales (down 14.8 per cent)
- Toytoa Hilux – 4,081 sales (up 2.2%)
- Mitsubishi Outlander – 3,005 sales (up 8.7 per cent)
- Toyota Prado – 2,871 sales (up 534.7)
Top 5 Brands
- Toyota – 57,797 sales (up 1.4 per cent on March 2024)
- Mazda – 25,119 sales (up 0.8 per cent)
- Ford – 21,399 sales (No change)
- Kia – 19,734 sales (up 0.6 per cent)
- Mitsubishi – 19,065 sales (No change)
Source: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries
3 April 2025