Top 20 best-selling cars of 2023

2023 was a stellar year for new-car sales with 1,216,780 vehicles being handed over to Aussie consumers, comfortably surpassing the previous record of 1,189,116 units set pre-COVID in 2017.

Every month we bring you a breakdown of the market and which vehicles are proving the most popular, but for the uninitiated some of the data can be tricky to get your head around, which is why we thought we’d compile a quick list of Australia’s 20 best-selling vehicles last year.

After 28 years, Ford finally returned to the top of the Aussie sales charts in 2023 with the new-generation Ranger, which knocked the Toyota HiLux from its perch after seven years thanks in large part to its gutsy diesel V6 and class-leading homegrown platform.

The fallen king still managed a comfortable second place in 2023, but there’s little doubt the Toyota HiLux will come back swinging this year and especially in 2025, when the next-generation ute is released.

The Isuzu D-MAX has always had a reputation of dependable reliability and rugged charm and the current model builds on these fundamentals with very competitive road manners, capability and value – all things that more ute buyers are realising.

It’s possible the Toyota RAV4 could’ve crashed the Thai-built ute party atop last year’s sales podium by swiping third spot from the D-MAX with even a whiff of freer supply – especially when it comes to the Hybrid line-up that remains one of the most in-demand vehicles of the decade – but in the end it narrowly remained the nation’s favourite SUV.

There’s no arguing with the solid fundamentals of this popular Chinese small SUV: Inoffensive design, very sharp pricing, decent value and an almost segment-leading seven-year/unlimited-kilometre aftersales program.

This long-hyped mid-size electric SUV was always destined to be a big seller – not just Down Under but globally, so much so it was the world’s best-selling vehicle in 2022.

It might not be the segment leader, but the current-generation Mitsubishi Outlander has amassed a heap of fans since its release in late 2021 and happens to be one of just two mainstream mid-size SUVs available with a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

The CX-5 has been the backbone of Mazda’s success in Australia and despite now being one of the older models in the country’s single biggest new vehicle sales segment, it continues to attract loyal customers year after year, even as the range is trimmed down.

Easily one of the sharpest looking vehicles in its segment and offering one of the best ride and handling balances, the Tucson matches its style with oodles of innovative tech and cabin space.

The Toyota Prado has been Australia’s best-selling large SUV of any description for close to two decades – despite the current (outbound) generation now being the best part of 15 years old.

Hyundai Australia had a brainwave when it decided to rebadge the Elantra as the i30 Sedan for our market, because it meant the Korean brand could finally best the Toyota Corolla (hatch and sedan) on the small-car sales charts.

Speak of the devil, the Toyota Corolla may have lost this battle to the i30, but it wasn’t by much and it remains a firm favourite among those in the market for a new small car.

Mazda promised big things from its D-MAX clone at launch, but the BT-50 hasn’t enjoyed the same level of success its Isuzu sibling has, so we wonder if enough people know the two models are identical under the skin.

The Model 3 claimed a huge scalp when it outsold the Toyota Camry to become the nation’s favourite mid-size car in 2022 and now it’s done it again – easily – in 2023, even if it did lose its crown as Australia’s most popular EV to its SUV sibling, the Model Y.

The new-generation Mitsubishi Triton is just around the corner (due next month) and so supply of the current version has been steadily winding down in tandem with production, hence the Triton’s slip from the top 10 in 2023.

Another aging but still competitive option in the medium SUV segment, the Forester’s age-old USP is its symmetrical all-wheel drive system and the resulting off-road capability, something that makes it a favourite among adventure and recreation types.

A lot like the bigger CX-5, the current Mazda CX-3 has been around for years now and yet it still dominates the light SUV market with a tally that netted it almost 30 per cent of all light SUV sales last year.

Sharing all its DNA with the Tucson but dressed in a unique outfit, underpinned by an Australian-tuned chassis and backed by a better warranty, the Sportage struggled a bit in 2023 compared to the previous year as Kia continues to grapple with supply woes.

One of just two models still priced beneath the $20K barrier, the MG3 has made the light car segment its own thanks to its untouchable price and class-leading seven-year warranty.

The Ford Everest’s inclusion in this list is testament to its locally-developed T6 platform and the same I4 and V6 diesel powertrains as the Ranger, even if it only narrowly edged out the Toyota LandCruiser wagon (15,035, including the 300 and 70 Series).