Between Q4 2024 and Q4 2025, we saw car entries on the Register of Approved Vehicles (RAV) step up strongly, with the top 10 brands expanding approvals and tightening their grip at the top of the market.
Within that growth, we observed Toyota hold clear leadership while fast‑rising challengers such as Kia, Chery, BYD and Haval captured a much larger share of approvals. At the model level, ute and large SUV nameplates continued to dominate the top of the rankings, even as approvals across the leading models eased back year‑on‑year.
Read on for our full breakdown of how the top 10 brands and top 10 models reshaped the RAV car landscape between Q4 2024 and Q4 2025.
A Note on Methodology
This report is based on RAV entries for car manufacturers and models in Australia, comparing Q4 2025 against Q4 2024. Each RAV “entry” reflects a regulatory approval rather than a retail sale, registration or ownership event, so we treat the numbers as an indicator of manufacturer activity and product mix rather than a direct proxy for market share by sales volume.
For this analysis, we focus strictly on the top 10 car brands and top 10 car models shown in the supplied dataset. These are subject to change each quarter, depending on the number of RAV entries made by each brand. Additionally, some major industry names like Land Rover, Porsche, Jaguar and Fiat do not feature anywhere near the top 10, due to these manufacturers consistently recording their vehicles on the RAV at certain points of the year, outside the period we assessed.
Retain Media provides this data “as is” for informational purposes only and accepts no liability for decisions made based on this reporting. Users are encouraged to use this data as one of multiple data points in their market analysis.
Top Five Manufacturers
Toyota remained the clear number‑one car brand on the RAV, with approvals edging up from 41,561 in Q4 2024 to 42,927 in Q4 2025. In a fast‑growing market, Toyota’s share eased from 18.9% to 15.9%, but we still see a very strong base of approvals that anchors the top of the hierarchy.
Kia delivered one of the most striking moves in the dataset. Its entries almost doubled from 11,550 in Q4 2024 to 23,039 in Q4 2025, lifting share from 5.3% to 8.5% and firmly cementing Kia in second place. That expansion significantly closed the gap to Toyota and underlines how quickly Kia has scaled its presence on the RAV.
Mazda moved in the opposite direction, with approvals declining from 25,620 in Q4 2024 to 21,378 in Q4 2025. Its share stepped down from 11.7% to 7.9%, and we interpret this as a meaningful loss of relative momentum, even though Mazda still sits comfortably within the top three brands by approvals.
Chery made a dramatic leap up the rankings. Entries increased from 5,718 in Q4 2024 to 18,234 in Q4 2025, more than tripling its activity and pushing share from 2.6% to 6.7%. That move vaulted Chery into fourth position and highlights how quickly newer Chinese volume brands are scaling.
Hyundai rounded out the top five, with approvals rising modestly from 16,647 to 17,590 year‑on‑year. Despite that growth, Hyundai’s share slipped from 7.6% to 6.5%, reflecting the fact that several rivals grew faster and expanded more aggressively within the top tier.
The Rest of the Top 10
The next five brands in the top 10 also tell a story of shifting hierarchy and challenger growth.
Mitsubishi increased approvals from 13,912 in Q4 2024 to 15,078 in Q4 2025, but its share eased from 6.3% to 5.6% as the overall market expanded more quickly. We see Mitsubishi as holding its ground in volume terms while gradually ceding relative space to faster‑growing competitors.
MG recorded steady growth, with entries moving from 13,152 to 14,154 and share easing from 6.0% to 5.2%. That suggests MG continues to perform solidly but is also being outpaced by the most aggressive climbers in the dataset.
BYD stands out as another major mover. RAV entries jumped from 2,134 in Q4 2024 to 12,748 in Q4 2025, lifting share from 1.0% to 4.7%. This rapid expansion signals a clear step‑up in BYD’s activity and positions it as a serious contender within the top 10 car brands.
Haval followed a similar trajectory, with approvals rising from 7,395 to 11,299 and share increasing from 3.4% to 4.2%. Together with BYD and Chery, Haval’s growth underlines the gathering strength of Chinese manufacturers in the RAV car market.
Subaru, in tenth place, saw approvals essentially hold steady, moving from 9,835 in Q4 2024 to 9,826 in Q4 2025. Its share dipped from 4.5% to 3.6%, which we read as a stable but relatively less dynamic position compared with the more aggressively expanding brands around it.
Top Five Models
Within the model rankings, ute and large SUV nameplates continued to dominate the very top of the RAV.
The Toyota Hilux remained the leading model by a wide margin, even as approvals declined from 5,165 in Q4 2024 to 4,107 in Q4 2025. Its share eased from 44.3% to 41.4% of top‑tier model approvals, but the Hilux still accounts for a substantial portion of all entries concentrated in the leading nameplates.
The Toyota LandCruiser strengthened its position, with entries increasing from 1,113 to 1,197 and market share climbing from 9.5% to 12.1%. We see this as a clear sign that demand for large, capable SUVs remained robust within the RAV car mix.
The Ford Ranger held third position, with approvals softening slightly from 959 in Q4 2024 to 872 in Q4 2025. Despite the volume decline, its share ticked up from 8.2% to 8.8%, indicating that the Ranger remained one of the most resilient ute nameplates in the dataset.
The Isuzu D‑MAX also saw a small pullback in volume, from 708 to 678 approvals. However, its share rose from 6.1% to 6.8%, reflecting its ability to hold relevance within the core ute cohort even as total top‑model approvals contracted.
Rounding out the top five named models in Q4 2025, the Fiat Ducato lifted entries from 349 in Q4 2024 to 473 in Q4 2025. Its share moved from 3.0% to 4.8%, a notable gain that signals growing reliance on Ducato within light commercial and van‑oriented use cases.
The Rest of the Top 10
Among the remaining leading models, we saw a mix of softening volumes and incremental share gains from a smaller base.
The Nissan Patrol stepped back from 594 approvals in Q4 2024 to 406 in Q4 2025, with share easing from 5.1% to 4.1%. That suggests some cooling in heavy SUV approvals relative to the standout growth seen in nameplates like the LandCruiser.
The Mercedes‑Benz Sprinter also declined, moving from 441 to 291 approvals and seeing its share slip from 3.8% to 2.9%. We read this as a normalisation in approvals following previously elevated activity in van and cab‑chassis formats.
The Mazda BT‑50 held its position at the lower end of the top model rankings, with entries nudging up from 161 to 165 and share rising marginally from 1.4% to 1.7%. While the absolute volume remains modest compared with the major ute leaders, the BT‑50 maintained a consistent role in the mix.
The IVECO Daily followed a similar pattern, with approvals increasing from 111 in Q4 2024 to 115 in Q4 2025 and share moving from 1.0% to 1.2%. This incremental growth reinforces the Daily’s steady, niche position within light commercial applications. Finally, the Nissan Navara held 10th place, although its entries plummeted from 490 in Q4 2024 to 111 in Q4 2025, with its market share slipping accordingly, from 4.5% to 1.2%
Overall, the model rankings show that while total approvals across the leading nameplates fell from 12,094 in Q4 2024 to 10,333 in Q4 2025, the top ute and large SUV models continued to anchor the RAV, supported by selective growth among commercial van and cab‑chassis products.
Chinese Volume Brands Accelerate as Ute Leaders Hold the Line Trust Retain Media for Industry-Leading Insights
Taken together, the Q4 2025 data paints a picture of a car market where traditional leaders still dominate the top of the RAV, but where Chinese volume brands are rapidly closing the gap. We see Toyota continuing to set the pace, even as Chery, BYD and Haval push their way into stronger, more entrenched positions within the top 10. At the same time, the Hilux–Ranger–D‑MAX ute triad and heavy SUV nameplates such as LandCruiser and Patrol remain central to the model hierarchy, even as total approvals across the leading models contract.
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For manufacturers, distributors and retailers, we see this period as a signal that competition at the top of the RAV is intensifying. Brands that are growing quickly are doing so by expanding approvals aggressively and sharpening their model mixes, while slower‑moving incumbents risk gradual erosion of share.
We’ll continue to report on the RAV data as it’s released, and will be keeping a close eye on the likes of Haval, Chery, and especially BYD, as they continue to establish their position in the Australian car market, and see if any of the Chinese EV brands coming to Australia in 2026 In the meantime, be sure to read our other market reports for a comprehensive look into consumer interest across the Australian automotive industry, in both commercial and lifestyle sectors.
