Chinese carmaker BYD has surged past Ford to become Australia’s second-biggest car brand so far this year, underlining how quickly the country’s new-car market is being reshaped.
Year-to-date sales for January to October sit at 1,017,637, according to VFACTS figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries. Toyota still leads the brand table on 173,593, but BYD is second on 86,639, more than double its 41,882 at the same point in 2025. Ford trails on 68,414.
Electric models drive the climb
The BYD Sealion 7 was Australia’s second best-selling electric car in October with 2,524 deliveries, behind only the Tesla Model Y on 3,105, according to combined FCAI and Electric Vehicle Council figures reported by The Driven. BYD’s rise has been powered by sharp pricing and a rapidly widening range of electric and hybrid models.
A market transformed
October’s overall market of 107,493 vehicles was a record for the month, with battery electrics taking a 23.1 per cent share, almost three times the 7.3 per cent recorded a year earlier. FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said competition, higher fuel prices, instability in the Middle East and federal tax concessions had driven strong demand for battery electrics throughout 2026. For established brands, the message is stark: the challenger from China is no longer coming. It has arrived, and it is outselling them.
The gap to the top
Toyota still leads the market by a wide margin, with 173,593 sales year to date against BYD’s 86,639, and the HiLux and RAV4 remain the country’s favourite vehicles. But BYD’s trajectory is the story: more than double its sales at the same point last year, with the Sealion 7 now the second best-selling electric car in the country. Competition is the main winner for buyers, with more models, sharper pricing and longer equipment lists across the market. The FCAI data also shows hybrids and plug-in hybrids surging, so the shift is broader than battery electrics alone. Whether BYD can challenge Toyota next year will depend on supply, service networks and whether its momentum survives beyond the early-adopter wave. The next VFACTS release will show whether November extends the run.
