Australia’s VFACTS new-vehicle market recorded 102,924 sales in September 2026, up 0.9 per cent compared with the same month last year.

Electric Vehicle Council figures for Tesla and Polestar added 5,854 battery-electric vehicle sales for September.

VFACTS year-to-date sales sit at 914,312, effectively level with the 914,439 vehicles recorded at the same point in 2025.

The September result was shaped by stronger SUV and passenger-car demand, weaker light commercial sales, and another lift in electrified powertrains.

Battery-electric vehicles from all sources accounted for 24.2 per cent of the market in September, compared with 11.3 per cent in September 2025.

Plug-in hybrid sales rose 122.7 per cent year-on-year, while hybrid sales increased 20.7 per cent.

Petrol sales fell 36.2 per cent and diesel sales declined 18.4 per cent.

Across 2026 so far, battery-electric vehicles represent 18.9 per cent of the total market, up from 8.1 per cent at the same stage of 2025.

FCAI Acting Chief Executive Dianne O’Hara said Australian buyers were shifting across a wider range of drivetrains.

“Australian motorists are embracing a broader range of powertrains, following greater model choice offered by manufacturers and growing competition,” Ms O’Hara said.

“The changes seen throughout this year are continuing.
Many consumers are making practical decisions and selecting from the range of available technologies that best meet their needs,” Ms O’Hara said.

Ford Ranger leads combined model ranking, Toyota tops brands

The Ford Ranger was Australia’s top-selling model in the combined VFACTS and EVC September ranking with 5,062 sales.

The Toyota RAV4 placed second with 4,624 sales, while the Tesla Model Y moved into third with 4,476 sales once EVC data was included.

The Toyota HiLux followed on 4,455 sales, ahead of the BYD Sealion 7 on 2,687, Chery Tiggo 4 Pro on 2,059 and GWM Haval Jolion on 2,018.

Toyota led the combined manufacturer leaderboard with 17,682 sales, ahead of BYD on 8,191 and Ford on 7,592.

Kia ranked fourth with 5,901 sales, followed by Mazda with 5,702 and Tesla with 5,654.

The result continues the sales pattern seen through 2026, including the brand and EV shifts CarSauce covered in the June VFACTS figures.

Tesla recorded 5,654 sales across its two EVC-reported models in September.

The Model Y accounted for 4,476 sales, up 14.0 per cent year-on-year, while the Model 3 recorded 1,178 sales, up 60.1 per cent.

Polestar recorded 200 sales for the month, led by the Polestar 4 on 114 sales and Polestar 2 on 76.

The Polestar 3 recorded six sales, while the Polestar 5 recorded four.

Together, Tesla and Polestar EVC figures were up 19.5 per cent year-on-year and formed part of the broader September EV result rather than a separate market ranking.

SUVs remained the largest vehicle type with 65,116 VFACTS sales, up 6.1 per cent year-on-year.

Passenger vehicles rose 6.3 per cent to 13,796 sales.

Light commercial vehicles fell 13.2 per cent to 20,627 sales, while heavy commercial vehicles declined 12.6 per cent to 3,385.

Within SUVs, medium SUVs recorded 29,955 sales, up 28.5 per cent year-on-year, while large SUVs fell 18.1 per cent to 11,101.

China was the largest source country for new vehicles sold in September, supplying 35.5 per cent of the market.

Japan supplied 22.5 per cent, Thailand 17.3 per cent and South Korea 9.6 per cent.

Victoria recorded 27,529 sales, up 3.5 per cent, while New South Wales remained the largest state market by volume with 31,038 sales, down 0.8 per cent.

Queensland recorded 22,153 sales, up 1.0 per cent, while Western Australia recorded 11,305 sales, down 1.6 per cent.

For the broader new-vehicle market, September closed with a small year-on-year gain, but the mix of vehicles sold continued to move away from petrol and diesel-only powertrains.