VFACTS March 2026: Market down but EV sales jump, Kia and BYD enter top three

Strong electric vehicle (EV) sales weren’t enough to offset an overall drop for the Australian new-car market last month.

Per sales data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) and the Electric Vehicle Council, a total of 108,703 vehicles were delivered in March 2026, down 2.6 per cent on March 2025.

EV sales soared by 88.9 per cent to 15,839 units, representing 14.6 per cent of the total market. This represented a new record for EV sales, with the next highest month for market share being February 2026 at 11.8 per cent.

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“It is too early to determine whether this represents a structural shift in the market. More consumers are considering EVs due to the disruption to fuel supply caused by conflict in the Middle East, along with the review into the fringe benefits tax concession for EVs,” said FCAI chief executive Tony Weber.

“The automotive industry would welcome a sustained shift to EVs, given its substantial investment in bringing more than 100 EV models to the Australian market and the industry’s efforts to meet ambitious NVES targets.

“A long-term shift to EVs will require Australian governments to sharpen their focus on public charging infrastructure, particularly in regional areas and locations where home charging is not practical."

Hybrid sales increased by 6.7 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to 17,953 units, while plug-in hybrid (PHEV) sales rose 18.5 per cent to 8215 units. These powertrain types accounted for 16.5 per cent and 7.6 per cent of the market, respectively.

Sales of petrol-powered vehicles slumped by 20.8 per cent to 34,694 units, while diesels fell 10.1 per cent to 28,364 units.

Overall, the market was down for the second month in a row this year, after being essentially flat in January.

Brands

The top three looked very different in March.

Toyota remained in the top spot, despite a 19.3 per cent drop in sales, largely fuelled by the changeover to a new RAV4 plus double-digit drops for core models like the Corolla, Kluger, Yaris Cross and Prado.

Neither Mazda nor Ford sat in second spot. Instead, Kia took the silver with 7320 deliveries. It managed this feat despite its sales being essentially flat – strong sales for the EV3 (461, up 147.8 per cent) and K4 (784, up 70.8 per cent) helped offset double-digit declines for the stalwart Sorento and Sportage.

BYD also finished in its highest spot ever, with 7217 deliveries – up 50 per cent thanks to the arrival of new models like the Atto 1, Atto 2 and Sealion 8, and the continued strength of the Sealion 7 (up 243.8 per cent to 1970 deliveries). These offset a drop for the Shark ute (down 53.2 per cent to 1314 deliveries).

Mazda, Ford and Hyundai weren’t far behind BYD and Kia – indeed, just 341 deliveries separated second-place Kia from sixth-place Hyundai.

The top 10 was rounded out by GWM, Mitsubishi, MG and Chery. Nissan sat just outside of the top 10 in 11th spot, despite a bumper month for the X-Trail (2438 deliveries, up 25.3 per cent).

Models

The Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux nevertheless topped the sales charts, though the electric Tesla Model Y scored a podium finish.

Perhaps the greater surprise was the Nissan X-Trail, which leapfrogged all of its mid-size SUV rivals to become the fourth-best selling model in Australia last month – its highest top-10 finish in its current generation, albeit not quite its highest sales number ever.

The Hyundai Kona managed to fend off its trio of cut-price Chinese small SUV competitors: the Chery Tiggo 4, GWM Haval Jolion and MG ZS.

The Toyota Prado managed to push past the Ford Everest again in the large SUV segment, albeit only to the tune of 45 deliveries, while the Mitsubishi Triton is edging closer to taking the title of Australia’s third-best selling ute back from the Isuzu D-Max.

Traditionally Australia’s best-selling SUV, the Toyota RAV4 only just cracked the top 20 as the Japanese brand transitions to a new-generation model.

Segments

• Micro cars: Kia Picanto (539), Fiat/Abarth 500 (26)
• Light cars: MG 3 (563), BYD Atto 1 (488), Mazda 2 (282)
• Small cars under $45,000: Toyota Corolla (1259), Kia K4 (784), Mazda 3 (702)
• Small cars over $45,000: MG 4 (451), Audi A3 (188), Mercedes-Benz A-Class (184)
• Medium cars under $60,000: Toyota Camry (1197), Tesla Model 3 (667), BYD Seal (337)
• Medium cars over $60,000: BMW 3 Series (182), Mercedes-Benz C-Class (148), Audi A5 (102)
• Large cars under $70,000: Skoda Superb (17)
• Large cars over $70,000: MG IM5 (45), Volvo ES90 (26), Mercedes-Benz E-Class (24)
• Upper large cars: Mercedes-Benz S-Class (8), BMW 7 Series (7), BMW i7 (3), Porsche Panamera (3)
• People movers under $70,000: Kia Carnival (977), Hyundai Staria (104), Ford Tourneo (34)
• People movers over $70,000: Volkswagen ID. Buzz (106), Volkswagen Multivan (37), Mercedes-Benz V-Class (22)
• Sports cars under $90,000: Ford Mustang (239), Mazda MX-5 (90), Subaru BRZ (69)
• Sports cars over $90,000: BMW 2 Series Coupe (116), BMW 4-Series two-door range (56), Mercedes-Benz CLE (38)
• Sports cars over $200,000: Porsche 911 (66), Ferrari two-door range (13), Aston Martin two-door range (12)

• Light SUVs: Mazda CX-3 (1161), Suzuki Jimny (751), Toyota Yaris Cross (723)
• Small SUVs under $45,000: Hyundai Kona (2316), Chery Tiggo 4 (2258), GWM Haval Jolion (2013)
• Small SUVs over $45,000: BMW X1/iX1 (507), Kia EV3 (461), Volvo XC40/EX40 (316)
• Medium SUVs under $65,000: Tesla Model Y (2818), Nissan X-Trail (2438), Mitsubishi Outlander (2318)
• Medium SUVs over $65,000: Zeekr 7X (679), BMW X3/iX3 (594), Kia EV5 (587)
• Large SUVs under $80,000: Toyota Prado (1850), Ford Everest (1805), Isuzu MU-X (1358)
• Large SUVs over $80,000: Land Rover Defender (553), BMW X5 (285), Lexus RX (230)
• Upper large SUVs under $120,000: Toyota LandCruiser (1123), Nissan Patrol (478), Denza B8 (66)
• Upper large SUVs over $120,000: BMW X7 (113), Lexus GX (92), Lexus LX (81)

• Small vans: Volkswagen Caddy (77), Peugeot Partner (47), Renault Kangoo (14)
• Medium vans: Toyota HiAce (1226), Hyundai Staria Load (257), Ford Transit Custom (186)
• 4×2 utes: Toyota HiLux (531), Isuzu D-Max (520), Ford Ranger (222)
• 4×4 utes: Ford Ranger (4230), Toyota HiLux (3636), Mitsubishi Triton (1702)
• Large pickups: Ford F-150 (270), Ram 1500 (181), Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (172)

Sales by category

Includes Tesla and Polestar sales.

Top segments by market share

Includes Tesla and Polestar sales.

Sales by region

Excludes Tesla and Polestar sales.

Sales by buyer type

Excludes Tesla, Polestar and heavy commercial sales.

Sales by fuel or propulsion type

Excludes heavy commercial sales.

Sales by country of origin

Includes Tesla and Polestar sales.

MORE: VFACTS February 2026: Sales of EVs, Chinese cars up in slow Australian new-car market

MORE: VFACTS January 2026: Australia’s new-vehicle market up… just