September 2026 car sales: Ford and Toyota back on top

The Ford Ranger shot back to the top of the Australian sales charts in September 2026, edging out the Toyota RAV4 and Tesla Model Y to claim pole position.

Ford’s perennially popular ute sold 5062 units for the month of September according to the latest VFACTS report, a four per cent increase over the same month in 2025.

It had a comfortable margin over the second-placed Toyota RAV4 (4624), while the Tesla Model Y completed the podium with 4476 sales.

Toyota continues to dominate the Australian automotive market by an enormous margin, selling 152,944 vehicles from January to September 2026 – nearly double its closest rival, BYD, on 76,614 sales year to date.

But the telling statistic is the trend in volume year on year, with Toyota dropping from 181,809 sales at the same time last year, while BYD has increased from 37,923.

Examining the top ten models for September 2026 tells the same story, with all Chinese marques that made the list on the ascent, while the traditional manufacturers all recorded a drop in sales compared to September 2025.

This is in large part due to the ongoing interest in electric vehicles, driven by relentlessly high fuel prices resulting from the Iran conflict.

"Australian motorists are embracing a broader range of powertrains, following greater model choice offered by manufacturers and growing competition,” said acting chief executive for the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, Dianne O’Hara.

The Tesla Model Y remains Australia’s bestselling EV, with its 4476 sales up from 3927 in September 2025 according to the Electric Vehicle Council.

While Ford had the top-selling vehicle for September, it is still running third in overall sales to BYD, which appears to have cemented itself permanently in the silver medal spot.

The rising star in recent months has been Geely. It went from a mere 461 sales in September 2025 to 4473 in September 2026 and remained the tenth-biggest selling marque overall in this report. 

Top 10 Car Brands by Sales in Australia – September 2026

Top 10 Car Models by Sales in Australia – September 2026