Cracks beginning to show: Slow electric car sales and cost-of-living pressure hurts new car market but BYD Shark 6 proves popular

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New-car sales results are in for February and the cracks are starting to show in the market. 

Data provided by the federal chamber of automobile industries (FCAI) in its VFACTS report reveals only 94,933 new cars were sold in February, down 9.6 percent on last year driven by shrinking passenger and electric vehicle sales  — EVs are down 37 percent. 

It’s not all doom and gloom, though, with plug-in hybrid vehicles exploding in popularity by 346 percent, mainly thanks to booming sales from Chinese brand BYD.

Not to say the status quo has been totally disrupted. Toyota still ruled the roost in February with 18,832 sales followed by Mazda (8797) and Kia (6707).

Ford’s third position overall is looking precarious, its 6337 sales in February put it behind Kia for the month; the incoming Tasman ute could put the hurt on Ford. Mitsubishi rounded out the top five in Feb with 6119 sales. 

Tesla does not report its sales to the FCAI but EV Council sales results show a huge drop in sales to 1592 from 5665 last year.

FCAI chief executive Tony Weber noted slow electric car sales sitting out of sorts with the new strict emissions targets. He also blamed cost-of-living pressures for the shrinking new-car market.

“We are now two months into the Government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, and while the supply of battery electric vehicles has risen dramatically, consumer demand has fallen by 37 per cent this year compared with the first two months of 2024,” said Weber.

Australia’s most popular new cars in February

The Toyota RAV4 continued its charge with 4405 sales and a solid first spot in February, setting the family SUV — which is due to be replaced next year — up for first place honours in 2025. 

A little way behind at 4040 sales was the Ford Ranger ute, followed by the Toyota HiLux. The Toyota Prado 4×4 was one of two very new models in the top 10 with an impressive 2723 sales in February, followed by the Mitsubishi Outlander mid-size SUV. 

The big upset to the dual cab status quo was the success of the BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid ute. 

Executives at importer EV Direct have been talking a big game but this proves — at least initially — there’s huge demand for this vehicle. It secured 2026 sales and sixth place with only one variant. 

Then came the usual array of utes and family SUVs including theIsuzu D-Max (2022), Mazda CX-5 (1932) and Kia Sportage (1927).

Blurring the lines between small and medium SUVs seems to be paying off for the new Hyundai Kona, which managed an impressive 1889 sales. 

Most popular brands year-to-date in 2025 

1. Toyota — 37,256
2. Mazda — 17,119
3. Ford — 13,167
4. Kia — 12,427
5. Mitsubishi — 11,800
6. Hyundai — 11,473
7. MG — 7479
8. GWM — 7186
9. Nissan — 6594
10. Subaru — 6435

Most popular cars in February 2025

1. Toyota RAV4 — 4405
2. Ford Ranger — 4040
3. Toyota HiLux — 3616
4. Toyota Prado — 2723
5. Mitsubishi outlander — 2385
6. BYD Shark 6 — 2026
7. Isuzu D-Max — 2022
8. Mazda CX-5 — 1932
9. Kia Sportage — 1927
10. Hyundai Kona — 1889