Australia’s new‑automobile market hit a brand new file of 1,241,037 gross sales in 2025, however behind the breakdown of combustion-powered, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electrical automobiles, there may be information that reveals which purchaser group was most drawn to which automobile sort.
At a excessive degree, consumers are splitting into 4 distinct camps: battery-electric automobiles (EVs), plug‑in hybrids (PHEVs), hybrids (HEVs), and the still-dominant world of petrol- and diesel-powered automobiles – together with mild-hybrids (MHEVs).
Primarily based on 2025 quantity, that appears like:
- EVs: 103,270 gross sales (8.3 per cent of the market) – together with simply two hydrogen fuel-cell electrical automobiles (FCEVs)
- PHEVs: 53,484 gross sales (4.3 per cent) – together with a small slice of prolonged‑vary electrical automobiles (EREVs)
- Hybrids (no‑plug): 199,133 gross sales (16.0 per cent) – typical hybrids plus self-charging programs like Nissan e‑Energy
- Combustion (petrol/diesel, together with MHEVs): 884,944 gross sales (71.3 per cent)
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The numbers present EVs are actually a significant a part of the market however they’re nonetheless largely a personal and enterprise buy, not a rental one.
PHEVs are much more non-public purchaser‑led, and rental fleets have barely touched them.
Common hybrids are not a distinct segment ‘electrified’ footnote, thanks largely to Toyota. They’re a mainstream chunk of the market and, importantly, they’ve a a lot more healthy rental market presence than EVs or PHEVs, suggesting they’ve change into the low‑danger gasoline‑saving possibility for fleets.
In the meantime, combustion automobiles (petrol/diesel plus mild-hybrids) stay the default selection throughout each purchaser group just because they nonetheless account for greater than seven in each 10 new automobiles offered.
EVs
In 2025, Australians purchased 103,270 battery-electric automobiles, accounting for round 8.3 per cent of the full market.
EVs have been pushed primarily by non-public consumers, however enterprise remained a significant contributor aside from rental corporations which have been barely concerned.
Throughout EV gross sales the place purchaser sort may very well be cut up cleanly, EVs have been 66.2 per cent non-public and 31.1 per cent enterprise.
That’s a really completely different profile to traditional petrol/diesel automobiles, for which rental consumers symbolize a way more significant slice of demand.
PHEVs
In 2025, 53,484 plug‑in hybrids have been offered – 4.3 per cent of the full market – making them essentially the most non-public purchaser‑led of the key powertrain classes.
The plug‑in hybrid cut up is as follows:
- Non-public consumers: 34,758 (65.3 per cent)
- Enterprise: 17,652 (33.1 per cent)
- Authorities: 664 (1.2 per cent)
- Rental: 175 (0.3 per cent)
Hybrids
Hybrids (totalling 199,133) have change into a mainstream a part of what Australians are shopping for, they usually’re additionally shaping fleet behaviour.
The hybrid cut up by purchaser sort appears to be like like this:
- Non-public: 115,588 (58.0 per cent)
- Enterprise: 59,549 (29.9 per cent)
- Authorities: 7,575 (3.8 per cent)
- Rental: 16,421 (8.2 per cent)
Typical hybrids had the very best rental share of the three “no‑plug” sub-categories (petrol/diesel-only, mild-hybrids, and standard hybrids). Leases accounted for 16,157 hybrid gross sales in 2025 – 8.3 per cent of all hybrids – in comparison with 6.4 per cent of petrol/diesel-only automobiles and three.2 per cent of mild-hybrids.
That means hybrids have change into the “low‑danger electrification” possibility for fleets that need higher gasoline economic system with out altering refuelling habits or charging infrastructure.
Petrol and diesel
If we mix petrol/diesel automobiles and mild-hybrids (which incorporates members of the Toyota HiLux, Mazda CX-80 and Suzuki Swift lineups), that tallies as much as 884,944 gross sales in 2025 – 71.3 per cent of the complete market.
Of this, mild-hybrids accounted for 94,642 gross sales.
The general combustion (plus gentle hybrid) bucket splits by purchaser sort as follows:
- Non-public: 408,938 (46.2 per cent)
- Enterprise: 398,591 (45.0 per cent)
- Authorities: 24,024 (2.7 per cent)
- Rental: 53,391 (6.0 per cent)
It’s a way more balanced image than EVs or plug‑in hybrids. Non-public consumers nonetheless lead, however enterprise is shut behind, and rental stays a significant a part of demand.
Total, it seems that whereas EVs are rising, they’re largely being purchased by non-public clients and companies (which we’d hazard a guess consists of small-business ABN holders) however not rental businesses.
Plug‑in hybrids have change into a significant second wave, much more private-led than EVs, and virtually fully absent from rental fleets. And whereas petrol and diesel automobiles nonetheless dominate when it comes to quantity, hybrids – particularly typical hybrids – are actually a core a part of Australia’s ‘combustion-era’ market, together with a significant slice of fleet demand.
