Australia may be falling out of love with 4x4 utes

New sales figures suggest fewer Australian buyers are stepping up into four-wheel drive utes.

Monthly data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) this week shows 4x4 ute sales are down more than 10 per cent year-to-date, despite a recent upward trend from the likes of Ford and Toyota.

The popular Ford Ranger 4x4 rose from 3431 sales in April to 4051 in May, while sales of Toyota HiLux 4x4s jumped to 3685 in May, compared to 2535 in the month prior.

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However, year-on-year figures show the off-road ute segment is down 18 per cent so far in 2026, with Australia's overall new-vehicle market down 4.5 per cent in the same period.

May 2025 saw Australians buy a total of 101,358 cars, SUVs, and light commercial vehicles – compared to 96,844 last month.

While Toyota has been Australia’s favourite auto brand for 23 years in a row, 2016 was the first year the HiLux took the crown as the nation's best-selling vehicle – before the Ford Ranger beat it out for the top spot in 2023 and every year since.

The popularity of utes in this country has resulted in both legacy and newcomer brands investing large sums to play in the segment.

Between 2016 and 2021, Ford wrote cheques for more than $3 billion to develop the current-generation Ranger in Australia.

Kia has also devoted considerable resources to create and market its first ute, the Tasman – however, it has so far failed to meet sales expectations, despite the model being designed to appeal to local buyers.

Chery is planning to launch its first ute, a diesel plug-in hybrid dual-cab with off-road capabilities, in late 2026, in an effort to compete with other PHEV utes such as the GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV, BYD Shark 6, and Ford Ranger Hybrid.

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