Market Insight: 2023 vs 2024 best sellers

AUSTRALIA’S record new car sales year did not arrive without its share of changes.

While stalwart favourites remained en vogue, several models departed the top of the sales charts in 2024, changing the new-vehicle landscape considerably.

Ford remained on top of the ladder, its Ranger light commercial utility range holding close to the same number of sales as in 2023. Overall, Ford sold 62,593 examples of the Ranger in 2024, down 1.2 per cent on the preceding year (63,356).

Last year’s second-biggest seller, the Toyota HiLux light commercial utility, slipped to third place at the end of the 2024 calendar year, down 12.5 per cent to 53,499 units (from 61,111).

It was overtaken by the Toyota RAV4 medium SUV, which finished the year up 98.2 per cent to 58,718 units (from 29,627), having placed fourth outright in 2023.

A distant fourth position went to the Isuzu D-Max. The popular workhorse clocked up 30,194 unit sales in 2024, down 3.2 per cent from 2023 (31,202) when it placed third.

In fifth place was the Mitsubishi Outlander medium SUV, leaping from seventh in 2023, courtesy of a 13.8 per cent sales increase to 27,613 units.

From sixth position onward, changes to new car sales between 2023 and 2024 were more pronounced.

Last year, the Tesla Model Y exited the top 10, the Ford Everest large SUV taking the sixth position previously occupied by the all-electric crossover. The Everest achieved 26,494 sales for the 2024 calendar year, up 75.8 per cent on its 2023 tally of 15,071 deliveries.

It was a similar story for seventh-placed Toyota Corolla, which did not appear in the 2023 top 10 table. In 2024, the small passenger car range achieved sales of 24,027 units, up 20.2 per cent on the year prior (19,986).

Eighth place for 2024 went to the long-serving Mazda CX-5 medium SUV with total sales of 22,835 units. While the CX-5 fell 1.1 per cent from its 2023 position (23,083 units), it did manage to hold fast to the third-last rung of the top 10 ladder.

Moving closer to the bottom end of the top 10 sales chart was the MG ZS in ninth position – down from fifth place in 2023 as the old model made way for the new. MG’s small SUV achieved sales of 22,629 units across 2024, down 22.7 per cent on 2023 (29,258).

Last, but by no means least, we the Kia Sportage ended 2024 in 10th place. Having not appeared in the 2023 top 10, the Sportage medium SUV ousted the Toyota LandCruiser Prado to nab the final spot with 22,210 sales (up 41.0 per cent from 2023's result of of 15,747 units).

The sales shift from 2023 to 2024 might be subtle, but it certainly shows a number of changes.

In 2023, light commercial utilities took the top three places on the sales charts, a trend interrupted this year by exceptionally strong sales of the Toyota RAV4.

Overall, six of the Top 10 sales positions in 2024 were held by SUVs, one less than in 2023. Light commercial vehicle positions remained unchanged at three, with Small segment passenger cars adding to the tally with one (up from zero the year prior).

Whether the market will continue to evolve across 2025 is anyone’s guess. With the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard and economic headwinds pushing against thirsty utes and the potential for another record new-vehicle sales year, it is likely that a shift to more economical and affordable models will alter the charts once more.

We look forward to next January’s VFACTS figures to see just how the year begins.

Top model sales 2023 v 2024*:

*Data supplied courtesy of VFACTS.