Used vehicle sales in Australia have taken a dip compared to recent record months, and the increase in supply of – and negotiable discounts for – new cars is pinned as a major factor.
Data compiled by AutoGrab and published by the Australian Automotive Dealer Association (AADA) shows 197,652 used vehicles were sold during November, a 2.3 per cent decrease on the month prior.
It’s the third month of decline since July, and the seventh month in which used vehicle sales have been below 200,000 since the AADA’s Automotive Insights Report (AIR) debuted at the end of 2023.
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“This trend is likely to persist as more affordable new vehicles enter the market, prompting buyers to upgrade sooner and increasing the supply of used cars, which will affect price sensitivity,” said AADA CEO James Voortman.
For the second month in a row – and only the second time since the AIR report was first published – SUVs were once again the biggest-selling vehicle type, despite sales of these models dropping by more than the market average.
After the average time to sell a used car rose to 49 days in October, the longest period seen so far this year, this number decreased slightly to 47 days in November, staying comfortably below the record high of 50.9 days in December 2023.
Used vehicle sales fell in every state and territory except Tasmania and the Northern Territory, as Western Australia suffered the largest decrease despite a large uptick in listings.
When it comes to powertrains, all types decreased in sales, with electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) suffering the most despite recent increases. Hybrid sales proved to be the most stable.
The Ford Ranger continued to be the best-selling used vehicle, with 5431 examples sold, down 5.3 per cent on the month prior.
At the bottom of the top 10 table, the Volkswagen Golf and Nissan Navara traded places once again, with the German hatch making the ranks once again.
The AADA and AutoGrab offer the following definitions for the monthly Automotive Insights Report:
- For Sale: Level of available used and demo cars listed online by dealers and private sellers nationally at the time of reporting. AutoGrab processes and de-duplicates listings to identify and eliminate repetitions, ensuring that vehicles listed across multiple platforms are counted only once.
- Sales: Total vehicles delisted from online marketplaces, serving as a close proxy to actual sales and recorded monthly. The delisting count also reflects unique vehicles, as AutoGrab processes and deduplicates listings to identify and eliminate repetitions, ensuring that vehicles listed across multiple platforms are counted only once.
Best-selling used cars (up to 10 years old)
| Model | Sales (November 2024) | Change from October | Average days to sell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Ranger | 5431 | -5.3% | 50.0 |
| Toyota HiLux | 4131 | -1.5% | 39.5 |
| Toyota Corolla | 3380 | -2.0% | 37.2 |
| Toyota RAV4 | 2552 | -8.6% | 43.9 |
| Hyundai i30 | 2433 | -4.2% | 39.8 |
| Mitsubishi Triton | 2407 | -5.0% | 49.1 |
| Toyota Camry | 2274 | -3.4% | 48.9 |
| Mazda CX-5 | 2151 | -0.6% | 48.3 |
| Mazda 3 | 2024 | -4.5% | 35.0 |
| Volkswagen Golf | 1675 | +1.2% | 54.1 |
Used car sales by state and territory
| State/territory | Vehicles listed | Vehicles sold |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 97,182 (+4.5%) | 56,561 (-1.3%) |
| Victoria | 90,260 (+5.4%) | 48,379 (-2.2%) |
| Queensland | 74,294 (+2.9%) | 45,573 (-3.2%) |
| Western Australia | 38,441 (+12.2%) | 25,810 (-5.8%) |
| South Australia | 22,956 (+9.5%) | 13,839 (-0.4%) |
| Tasmania | 6677 (+7.3%) | 4572 (+2.0%) |
| Australian Capital Territory | 4079 (-0.5%) | 2079 (-1.0%) |
| Northern Territory | 1259 (-12.3%) | 839 (+30.5%) |
| Total | 335,148 (+5.4%) | 197,652 (-2.3%) |
Sales by vehicle type
| Vehicle type | Listed for sale | Total sales |
|---|---|---|
| SUVs | 139,882 (+6.5%) | 80,365 (-2.6%) |
| Passenger cars | 119,642 (+4.6%) | 76,191 (-2.2%) |
| Utes | 62,458 (+4.4%) | 34,734 (-2.7%) |
| Vans and buses | 13,166 (+6.6%) | 6362 (1.5%) |
Sales by fuel type
| Vehicle type | Sales (November 2024) | Change from October |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 124,614 | -1.6% |
| Diesel | 61,552 | -3.6% |
| Hybrid | 8763 | -1.7% |
| Electric vehicles (EV) | 2154 | -8.3% |
| Plug-in hybrid (PHEV) | 300 | -7.4% |
| LPG | 269 | -4.3% |
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