September 2026 VFACTS: Chinese brands claim half the top 10 as battery electric sales edge out petrol

A modest month with big undercurrents

Australia's new-vehicle market edged higher in September, with VFACTS recording 102,924 deliveries, up 0.9 per cent on the corresponding month last year. AutoTalk reports that year to date the market sits at 914,312 units, down just 127 deliveries on the same period of 2025. Beneath the flat headline, the composition of the market shifted sharply: Chinese brands filled half of the VFACTS top 10 and every one of them grew, while every established rival in that group went backwards. ¹

GoAuto's analysis, by Matt Brogan, notes that the reporting distinction matters: neither Tesla nor Polestar is included in the VFACTS count, so adding the 5854 combined Tesla and Polestar registrations reported separately to the Electric Vehicle Council lifts the broader September market to 108,778 vehicles. CarExpert, published via PerthNow, puts that combined market 1.8 per cent higher than September 2025. ²³

Brand standings: Toyota leads, BYD surges, Chinese newcomers climb

Toyota retained a comfortable lead among VFACTS-reporting brands with 17,682 September sales, down 3.5 per cent, AutoTalk reports. BYD was second on 8191, up 61.1 per cent, ahead of Ford on 7592 (down 8.5 per cent), Kia on 5901 (down 19.5 per cent) and Mazda on 5702 (down 18.9 per cent). GWM took sixth on 5212, up 5.4 per cent, ahead of Hyundai on 5073 (down 22.0 per cent), MG on 4635 (up 15.6 per cent), Geely on 4473 and Chery on 4205 (up 21.8 per cent). ¹³

CarExpert reports that BYD not only finished ahead of third-placed Ford for the month but holds a comfortable lead in year-to-date sales, which should see it finish second for a calendar year for the first time - a notable position for a brand that was only properly launched in Australia around four years ago. ²

Geely's result reflects a line-up that barely existed a year ago: AutoTalk reports it recorded just 461 sales in September 2025, and its EX5 was the seventh best-selling model in the market for the month. Several established brands fell harder outside the top 10, with Subaru down 42.6 per cent to 2009, Mitsubishi down 41.5 per cent to 2769, Suzuki down 39.3 per cent to 1049, Volkswagen down 36.9 per cent to 1599, Audi down 32.6 per cent to 971 and Nissan down 30.0 per cent to 2028. Brands that recorded nothing in September last year added a further 2279 sales between them, led by GAC on 1101, Xpeng on 615 and Denza on 385, while Zeekr rose from 120 sales a year ago to 2050. ¹

When EVC data is included, GoAuto reports Tesla's 5654 deliveries would place it sixth overall, between Mazda and GWM, continuing a strong 2026 recovery: the EVC reports 41,705 Tesla deliveries year to date, with combined Tesla and Polestar sales 76.9 per cent higher than the first nine months of 2025. CarExpert attributes the resurgence partly to the new Model Y L and notes that among the top 10 brands, only Tesla and the Chinese marques posted year-on-year sales increases. ²³

Model rankings and the Tesla caveat

On the VFACTS-only count, GoAuto reports the Ford Ranger regained first place with 5062 deliveries, ahead of the Toyota RAV4 on 4624 and the Toyota HiLux on 4455. The BYD Sealion 7 followed with 2687 registrations, ahead of the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro (2059), GWM Haval Jolion (2018), Geely EX5 (2008), Toyota LandCruiser Prado (2006), Isuzu D-Max (1866) and MG ZS (1805). ³

Adding Tesla's registrations changes the picture: GoAuto reports the Model Y recorded 4476 September deliveries - 76 per cent of all Tesla and Polestar sales - which would rank it third overall behind only the Ranger and RAV4 and narrowly ahead of the HiLux, pushing the MG ZS out of the combined-market top 10. The Ranger's result is a substantial rebound from August, when just 2440 were registered and the Model Y comfortably topped the market with 6414 deliveries. CarExpert notes that not a single passenger car finished in the September top 20, which comprised 16 SUVs and four utes, including nine Chinese-built vehicles. ²³

Battery electric edges out petrol for a second month

VFACTS recorded 20,433 battery electric sales for September across passenger, SUV and light commercial categories, AutoTalk reports, with petrol the largest single powertrain on the VFACTS count at 26,018 sales, down 36.2 per cent, and diesel next on 25,173, down 18.4 per cent. Adding the 5854 Tesla and Polestar volumes reported to the EVC puts battery electric on 26,287, marginally ahead of petrol for the month. CarExpert quantifies the margin at 269 sales, giving BEVs a 24.2 per cent share, and notes EV sales rose 117.7 per cent year on year while petrol fell 36.2 per cent and diesel fell 18.4 per cent. ¹²

The FCAI puts battery electric at 24.2 per cent of the September market on an all-sources basis, more than double the 11.3 per cent share of September 2025; year to date the FCAI has BEVs at 18.9 per cent of the market against 8.1 per cent at the same point last year. Plug-in hybrid sales rose 122.7 per cent for the month and hybrids rose 20.7 per cent. GoAuto notes BEVs have held a share above 24 per cent for a second consecutive month, following August's record 24.9 per cent, and argues the shift points to a structural realignment of the market rather than a short-term spike. The EVC says BEV uptake is broadening geographically, with every state and territory recording significant year-to-date growth in Tesla and Polestar registrations, ranging from 45.7 per cent to 113.3 per cent. ¹²³

"Australian motorists are embracing a broader range of powertrains, following greater model choice offered by manufacturers and growing competition," FCAI acting chief executive Dianne O'Hara said, a quote carried by both AutoTalk and GoAuto, which adds her further remark that many consumers are making practical decisions and selecting the technologies that best meet their needs. ¹³

Segment and sourcing shifts

SUVs accounted for 63.3 per cent of September sales on 65,116 deliveries, up 6.1 per cent against 60.2 per cent a year ago, with medium SUVs carrying most of that growth, up 28.5 per cent to 29,955, AutoTalk reports. Light commercials fell 13.2 per cent to 20,627, with their share dropping to 20.0 per cent from 23.3 per cent; four-wheel drive utes were down 13.1 per cent to 16,045 and heavy commercials fell 12.6 per cent to 3385. Passenger vehicles rose 6.3 per cent to 13,796, with the light segment more than doubling to 3708. Private buyers carried the month on 51,239 sales, up 3.6 per cent, while business was flat at 39,209 and the light commercial decline was sharpest among private buyers, down 21.6 per cent. ¹

China was the largest source country, supplying 36,504 vehicles, or 35.5 per cent of the market, up 74.2 per cent year on year, AutoTalk reports, ahead of Japan on 23,133 (down 13.0 per cent), Thailand on 17,800 (down 15.2 per cent) and Korea on 9892 (down 21.5 per cent). GoAuto frames the same data as China ahead of Japan on 22.5 per cent, Thailand on 17.3 per cent and South Korea on 9.6 per cent. This continues a trend documented earlier in the year: RACQ reported in March 2026 that the FCAI recorded 221,699 Chinese-made cars sold in 2025, about 18 per cent of new vehicle sales, swelling to 252,928 including Tesla and Polestar, and that non-Chinese brands including Tesla, Volvo, Kia and Mini increasingly source Australian-delivered models from China. ¹³⁵

Context: a decade-long reshaping of the order

September's result extends changes already visible in 2025. RACQ, citing market analyst Mike Costello of Cox Automotive Manheim, reported in March 2026 that roughly one in five new cars sold in Australia last year was Chinese branded, that Chinese brands and their share had grown roughly tenfold since 2019, and that 22 Chinese brand names from 11 companies were then on sale here. It also reported that 2025 saw GWM, BYD and MG cement themselves in the top 10 at the expense of prominent brands including Nissan, Subaru and Volkswagen. ⁵

That caution from the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association, quoted by RACQ in March, that the real test for the newcomers is long-term vehicle support given average Australian ownership of more than 10 years, sits alongside September's data showing the pressure on incumbents has only intensified. September's figures point the other way from recent United States market commentary - CBT News reported in September 2026 that Chinese automakers face significant barriers to US entry including tariffs - underlining how distinctive the Australian market's openness to Chinese brands has been. ⁴⁵