The latest Motor Vehicle Census figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show that there were 18.8 million registered motor vehicles in Australia as at January 2017 – 400,000 more than the same point 12 months prior.
“The 2017 Motor Vehicles Census shows that the registered national fleet grew by 2.1 percent from last year to 18.8 million registered vehicles,” Michaela Cook, the ABS Director of Transport and Tourism, said.
“Diesel vehicles remain a popular choice in 2017, with 313,551 (8.1 percent) more diesel vehicles registered than in the previous year.”
The 12 most popular car brands in Australia
So what are our most populous car brands? Well according to the data, the top 10 are as follows.
Source: ABS Motor Vehicle Census
Australia has a clear favourite when it comes to passenger vehicles, and that brand is Toyota. The Japanese company took out top spot with nearly 3 million registered vehicles. As you can see, pretty much all of the big brands you’d expect (Holden, Ford, Mazda, Hyundai) all feature prominently, selling more than a million vehicles each over the past year.
Iconic Aussie brands Holden and Ford both sold fewer cars this year – the only manufacturers in the top 12 to do so. This likely reflects the recent end to the Commodore and Falcon models being Australian-made, and a general trend towards customers buying smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. Interestingly, the top 12 car brands remain completely unchanged from 2016, suggesting Aussies are pretty set when it comes to our trusted car brands.
Rounding out the top 30 are these brands (in order from 11th to 30th):
- BMW (348,414)
- Mercedez (336,457)
- Kia (331,135)
- Suzuki (277,177)
- Audi (176,838)
- Jeep (167,395)
- Lexus (102,093)
- Peugeot (86,586)
- Volvo (81,354)
- Land Rover (77,345)
- Renault (48,999)
- Chrysler (38,338)
- Daihatsu (36,586)
- Porsche (36,434)
- Range Rover (36,233)
- Jaguar (29,496)
- Daewoo (28,017)
- Skoda (27,189)
- Alfa Romeo (24,686)
- Other (250,490)
Australians clearly love their new vehicles, and the last thing you want is for your brand-new Hilux to be scratched, dented or rear-ended. This makes car insurance a must-have for new car buyers.
If you’re considering car insurance policies, the comparison table below displays some of the policies currently available on Canstar’s database for a 30-39 year old male seeking cover in NSW without cover for an extra driver under 25. Please note the table is sorted by Star Rating (highest to lowest) followed by provider name (alphabetical) and features links direct to the providers’ website. Use Canstar’s car insurance comparison selector to view a wider range of policies.
The costs of running a car
In addition to the purchase price of a vehicle, the ongoing running costs are an important consideration for drivers! RAA’s annual vehicle running costs survey calculates the costs of owning and operating a vehicle across its entire lifetime. This including the financing costs of the whole price on the vehicle, depreciation, registration, licensing and insurance, as well as ongoing costs such as fuel, tyres, servicing and usual repairs.
The results below were collected in June 2016 and are based on an annual distance travelled of 12,000km over a 5 year ownership period. The following vehicles were found to be cost-effective to run in their respective categories:
Road Cars
| Micro Cars | $/week |
|---|---|
| SUZUKI CELERIO 5D HATCHBACK 998 cc 5 SP MANUAL | $95.55 |
| MITSUBISHI MIRAGE ES 5D HATCHBACK 1193 cc 5 SP MANUAL | $107.10 |
| Light Cars | |
| MAZDA2 NEO 5D HATCHBACK 1496 cc 6 SP AUTOMATIC | $122.91 |
| SUZUKI SWIFT GL 5D HATCHBACK 1372 cc 4 SP AUTOMATIC | $124.68 |
| Small Cars | |
| KIA CERATO S 5D HATCHBACK 1999 cc 6 SP AUTO SEQ SPORTSHIFT | $133.01 |
| MAZDA3 NEO 5D HATCHBACK 1998 cc 6 SP AUTOMATIC | $146.01 |
| Medium Cars | |
| SKODA OCTAVIA 110 TSI AMBITION 5D HATCHBACK TURBO 1395 cc 7 SP AUTO DIRECT SHIFT | $172.42 |
| TOYOTA CAMRY ATARA S HYBRID 4D SEDAN 2494 cc CONTINUOUS VARIABLE | $177.13 |
| Large Cars | |
| HOLDEN COMMODORE EVOKE VF II 4D SEDAN V6 2997 cc 6 SP AUTOMATIC | $208.62 |
| FORD FALCON ECOBOOST FG X 4D SEDAN TURBO 4 1999 cc 6 SP AUTOMATIC | $218.56 |
| People Mover | |
| HONDA ODYSSEY VTi 4D WAGON 2356 cc CONTINUOUS VARIABLE | $203.35 |
| HYUNDAI iMAX 4D WAGON INLINE 4 2359 cc 4 SP AUTOMATIC | $222.53 |
SUVs, 4WDs and Utes
| SUV Small | |
|---|---|
| FORD ECOSPORT AMBIENTE 4D WAGON 1498 cc 6 SP AUTOMATIC | $155.03 |
| MAZDA CX-3 NEO (FWD) 4D WAGON 1998 cc 6 SP AUTOMATIC | $155.23 |
| SUV Medium | |
| MAZDA CX-5 MAXX (4×4) 4D WAGON 2488 cc MPFI 6 SP AUTOMATIC | $182.78 |
| FORD KUGA AMBIENTE (AWD) 4D WAGON TURBO 4 1499 cc TMPFI 6 SP AUTOMATIC | $190.22 |
| SUV Large | |
| SUBARU OUTBACK 2.0D 4D WAGON DIESEL TURBO 1998 cc CONTINUOUS VARIABLE | $218.09 |
| FORD TERRITORY TX (RWD) 4D WAGON 3984 cc MPFI 6 SP AUTOMATIC | $218.57 |
| SUV All-Terrain | |
| MITSUBISHI PAJERO SPORT GLX (4×4) 4D WAGON DIESEL TURBO 4 2442 cc 8 SP AUTOMATIC | $239.06 |
| TOYOTA FORTUNER GX 4D WAGON DIESEL TURBO 4 2753 cc 6 SP AUTOMATIC | $246.70 |
| 2WD Utility | |
| HOLDEN UTE VF II UTILITY V6 3565 cc 6 SP AUTOMATIC | $199.21 |
| FORD FALCON FG X UTILITY INLINE 6 3984 cc 6 SP AUTO SEQ SPORTSHIFT | $201.50 |
| 4WD Utility | |
| MITSUBISHI TRITON GLX (4×4) DUAL CAB UTILITY DIESEL TURBO 4 2440 cc 5 SP AUTOMATIC | $221.09 |
| NISSAN NAVARA RX (4×4) NP300 DOUBLE CAB UTILITY DIESEL TURBO 4 2298 cc 7 SP AUTOMATIC | $232.08 |
| Electric | |
| NISSAN LEAF 5D HATCHBACK ELEC 1 SP AUTOMATIC | $255.69 |
| MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER PHEV HYBRID 4D WAGON 1998 cc 1 SP AUTOMATIC | $257.68 |
Source: http://www.raa.com.au/carcosts
It’s clear that when it comes to running costs, weight is king – the smaller and lighter your car, the less fuel it will use and the less money you’ll typically spend each week.
The difference in running costs between the ends of the market can be huge: a small car such as the Mazda 3 cost $146 per week, whereas even the most economical Ford Falcon (a large car) cost $219 per week; in other words, the large car was 50 per cent more expensive to run than the small car! Whilst large cars can provide a swathe of useful benefits, it’s definitely worth thinking about which type of car best suits your lifestyle.
If you’re considering selling your car and buying one that’s cheaper to run, you’ll definitely want to make sure your car insurance is affordable as well. To see which car insurance products were rated by Canstar as Outstanding Value, check out our comparison tables.
About William Jolly
William was previously a Finance Journalist within the Editorial team at Canstar and was responsible for producing content across all things banking, wealth and insurance. He had a passion for analysing complex financial product information and presenting it in a clear way to give consumers the knowledge to help take greater control of their finances. Will studied a degree in Business Management at UQ.
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