Dual-cab disaster! Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max ute sales plummet as Australia's new-car market stumbles in January

EV sales are "remarkably low", overall vehicle sales are dropping, and ute sales across our most popular brands have plummeted as Australia's new-car market gets off to a shaky start in January.

Official data from Australia's Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) has today revealed a total 86,804 vehicles were sold across January – down 3.3 per cent on the same month in 2024.

More worryingly for automakers, though, is that January's result continues a weak run across the second half of 2024.

Interestingly, Australia's once-untouchable dual-cab utes were among the hardest hit, with Ford Ranger sales dropping 10 per cent compared to January 2023, while the Toyota HiLux (-19.3 per cent) and Isuzu D-Max (-17.9 per cent) recorded even bigger falls. Thought to be fair, the result was still enough to secure spots two, three and six on the sales charts respectively.

All up, Australia's light commercial vehicle segment fell 10.5 per cent in January.

The FCAI has continued its war of words against the fully electric space, warning that "consumers are turning away from EVs", with sales of BEVs accounting for just 4.4 per cent of sales – the lowest number since October 2022.

"Sales of battery electric vehicles were remarkably low and based on data from all sources," said FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber.

"This is a major concern because consumers are turning away from EVs at the time the Commonwealth Government has introduced the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).

"The Government needs to reconsider the steps it can take to build consumer confidence in EVs, otherwise their ambitious NVES targets will not be met."

Not all EV brands (like Tesla and Polestar) report their numbers through the FCAI, but figures from the Electric Vehicle Council seem to confirm a flatlining in some EV demand.

Tesla, for example, sold 739 vehicles in January 2025, down more than 33 per cent on the 1107 vehicles it managed in the same month last year. Polestar delivered just 82 vehicles, down a significant 45 per cent on the 150 it managed in Jan 2024. It should be pointed out though that both brands are set to be buoyed by new product.

The FCAI's figures, which exclude those brands, paint a similar picture, recording 3011 EV sales in January, down 38.5 per cent on the same month in 2024.

Meanwhile, Toyota remains Australia's biggest car brand, and by some margin, recording some 18,424 sales in January. Mazda finished second, with 8322 sales, followed by Ford (6830 sales), Kia (5720 sales) and Mitsubishi (5681 sales).

In terms of models, the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid finished at the top of the pile, with 5076 sales, followed by the Ford Ranger (4254 sales) Toyota HiLux (3302 sales) and Toyota Prado (2847 sales). The Mitsubishi Outlander, Isuzu D-Max, Mazda CX-5, Kia Sportage, Ford Everest and Mazda CX-3 rounded out the top 10.