Toyota almost lost its crown to BYD
A record month of deliveries for BYD not only pushed it to second place on Australia’s new-car sales charts, but it came within touching distance of Toyota.
For the best part of two decades, Japanese car giant Toyota has been almost untouchable in its reign as Australia’s best-selling car brand, having held the title for the past 23 consecutive years.
While it has occasionally relinquished its status as building the best-selling vehicle – with the Mazda 3 and Ford Ranger having taken wins along the way – no other brand has come close to Toyota’s consistently high monthly deliveries, often outselling its nearest competitor by almost two-to-one.
That changed in June 2026 though, with sales data published by BYD showing the Chinese brand delivered 18,881 vehicles last month, just 243 deliveries shy of Toyota’s 19,124 figure.
Toyota still retains its number one status, and its June deliveries represent a big increase on the 16,342 deliveries it made in May, though it was down slightly from its 20,225 deliveries in June 2025.
Jordan Mulach
BYD’s June figure however represents another historic milestone for the brand, surpassing its monthly record of 8211 deliveries, set in May, which itself eclipsed the 7702 deliveries it made in April.
Combined, its two most recent record months still don’t come near to its June total.
The brand’s record sales figures were driven in part by the arrival of its Zhengzhou car-carrying ship on local shores, which carried 4809 vehicles from BYD directly to Australia in June, while the lion’s share of the total were from its traditional deliveries.
Its delivery figures last month also mean BYD had a market share of 13.5 per cent, just behind Toyota’s 13.7 per cent.
A full sales report for June 2026 has yet to be released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), though it’s believed to have been a record month due to a combination of factors.
Recent months have seen a big increase in the number of hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles delivered, due to fuel price and availability concerns due to the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz.
While this has – for now – been resolved, orders placed months ago are only now arriving.
Combined with traditional end of financial year sales across the board, June – a typically large month for the industry – is expected to be the biggest sales month in Australian new vehicle history.
The result also shakes up figures for the first half of 2026, though Toyota still remains as the clear market leader.
Between January and June 2026, Toyota delivered 95,141 vehicles to Australian customers, with BYD now second with 52,335 deliveries. Ford sits third on 42,296 deliveries, while the race for fourth is close between Kia (41,846), Mazda (40,502), and Hyundai (39,590).
