VFACTs July 2025: Ranger knocked off top spot by HiLux

The Toyota HiLux flipped the script in July, replacing the Ford Ranger as the best-selling vehicle in Australia.

A total of 4676 Toyota HiLux units landed in driveways last month, placing the venerable ute above the RAV4, Ranger, Everest and D-MAX on the monthly charts. It’s an incredible feat considering the bones of the HiLux date back to 2015, despite facelifts and updates in the years since.

Overall sales for the Ranger (4×4 and 4×2 combined) dipped to 3930 units in July – a 20.0 per cent drop compared to July 2024. Looking only at the 4×4 charts, Toyota shifted 4000 HiLuxes and Ford sold 3696 Rangers.

The Kia Tasman continues to be in its infancy on the sales charts, with the launch of the vehicle taking place toward the end of July. Still, a total of 653 4×4 variants and 30 4×2 variants were registered for the month. However, August VFACTS results will provide a much clearer picture. The same can be said for the LDV Terron 9, with 102 sales secured since its recent launch.

Taking a look at the budget-focused brands, GWM appears to have taken a strong grip on that segment, with a substantial 870 Cannon 4x4s sold in July and 258 Cannon Alphas. It’s an impressive result, especially when putting it side by side with the JAC T9 (102 sales), KGM SsangYong Musso (155 sales) and LDV T60 (316 sales).

Toyota continues to dominate the sales charts, ending July with 21,722 sales – well ahead of its nearest rivals: Mazda (7452), Ford (7249) and Kia (7402). Year-to-date, Toyota has shifted 142,700 new vehicles, securing a commanding 20 per cent share of the market. In comparison, Mazda sits at 56,394, Ford at 54,579 and Kia at 48,152.

To put that in perspective, five of the 10 best-selling vehicles in Australia in July wore a Toyota badge: HiLux, RAV4, Prado, LandCruiser 300 and Corolla.

Continuing a familiar trend, the passenger vehicle segment is down 19.3 per cent compared to the same time last year, while both the SUV (+11.5 per cent) and light commercial (LCV) (+3.3 per cent) categories saw growth. Digging deeper, the PU/CC 4×4 segment rose 7.4 per cent for the month.

Plug-in hybrid vehicles are also enjoying a purple patch, with sales up 183 per cent year-to-date compared to 2024.

Until the Ranger PHEV arrives, the BYD Shark remains the poster child for PHEVs on the 4×4 charts. In July, a total of 1233 Sharks were sold, down from the 2993 sales registered in June. So far this year, a total of 11,657 Sharks have been sold in Australia. On the flipside, EV sales remain sluggish, accounting for less than eight per cent of new vehicle sales so far this year.

In total, 103,097 vehicles were sold in July – the strongest July on record.