Australia’s used vehicle market recorded its third consecutive monthly sales increase in September 2026, while electric vehicle (EV) sales continued to grow and four-wheel-drive vehicles strengthened their share of the market.
New data from the Australian Automotive Dealer Association (AADA) and AutoGrab shows 258,127 used vehicles were sold nationally in September, up 6.0 per cent on August and 20.1 per cent higher than June.
However, available stock continued to decline. Active listings fell to 390,184 in September, down 7.7 per cent from August and 10.9 per cent below July’s peak of 437,855.
The average time taken to sell a vehicle increased from 51.5 days in August to 52.8 days in September.
AutoGrab chief commercial officer Saxon Odgers said sales were increasing despite the smaller pool of available stock.
“September was the third consecutive month of sales growth, with 258,127 used vehicles sold nationally. Over the same period, active listings fell to 390,184, down 10.9 per cent from their July peak. In September there were 66 sales for every 100 vehicles listed, up from 55 in July, so more vehicles are selling from a smaller pool of stock,” Mr Odgers said.
Four-wheel-drive vehicles gain share
Four-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive vehicles accounted for 46.2 per cent of used vehicle sales in September, up from 44.6 per cent in October 2025.
The preference was particularly pronounced in the ute market, where more than four in five buyers opted for four-wheel-drive models. The share remained above 81 per cent every month from January to September.
SUV preferences moved in the opposite direction, with front-wheel-drive compact models including the Toyota Yaris Cross, Toyota Corolla Cross and MG ZS contributing to a shift towards two-wheel drive.
AADA chief executive James Voortman said four-wheel-drive remained a clear preference among ute buyers, while automatic transmissions continued to dominate the broader market.
Manual transmission sales decline
Manual vehicles accounted for just 6.6 per cent of used sales in September, down from 8.3 per cent in October 2025.
Across the market, manual vehicle sales fell 19.0 per cent over the 12-month period, from 9,512 to 7,707.
The decline was particularly evident in the ute segment, where manual transmissions lost 3.3 percentage points of market share to 15.5 per cent. Manuals represented only 2.0 per cent of used SUV sales in September, down from 2.5 per cent a year earlier.
Mr Voortman said understanding changing buyer preferences was important for dealers deciding which vehicles to stock.
Used EV sales rise 29.8 per cent
Used EV sales reached 5,417 in September, up 29.8 per cent from August, as electric vehicles continued to gain a larger share of the second-hand market.
EVs accounted for 2.1 per cent of used vehicle sales in September, compared with 1.5 per cent in July. Monthly sales increased from 3,496 in July to 5,417 in September.
Dealers accounted for 75.4 per cent of used EV sales during September, while private sales remained broadly flat.
White remains the most popular vehicle colour
White remained the most popular colour across all 10 major vehicle makes examined in the data.
Mitsubishi recorded the highest proportion of white vehicles among the listed brands, at 42.1 per cent, followed by Toyota at 39.0 per cent. Including Toyota’s Glacier White, white shades represented 44.6 per cent of its sales.
Grey was a popular second choice across most brands. Mercedes-Benz had the highest share of black vehicles, at 19.1 per cent, while Mazda had a more evenly distributed colour mix, with red accounting for 9.5 per cent of sales and blue 9.4 per cent, compared with 18.6 per cent for white.
Mr Odgers said the findings offered dealers insight into buyer preferences and could help inform stocking and pricing decisions.
“Buyer preferences show up clearly in the sales data. Manual vehicles made up 6.6 per cent of used sales in September, down from 8.3 per cent in October 2025, and white was the most common colour for all ten major makes we examined. That information helps dealers decide what to stock, how to price it and how long it is likely to take to sell,” Mr Odgers said.
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