Even though Australian car buyers have their clear favourites (i.e. Ford Ranger and Toyota RAV4), there was a clearly observable increase in preference for hybrid cars in 2025, and the numbers back it up. New hybrid vehicle sales rose 15.3 per cent over the year, with 199,133 hybrids finding homes across the country.
That puts hybrids slightly ahead of fully electric cars for growth, even as plug-in hybrids exploded from a much smaller base. The appeal here is clear – better fuel efficiency, fewer trips to the bowser, NVES compliance, and no need to worry about charging networks just yet!
What really helped was choice. More brands rolled out hybrid versions of popular models, giving buyers plenty of options beyond the usual suspects.
Top 10 hybrid cars in 2025
It’s no surprise who dominates the sales charts for hybrid car sales in Australia. Toyota locked down most of the top spots. Hyundai’s SUVs provided a bit of competition to the indisputable hegemony of the Japanese giant.
| Car model | Sales Volume |
| Toyota RAV4 Hybrid | 51,869 |
| Toyota Corolla Hybrid | 18,522 |
| Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid | 12,662 |
| Hyundai Tucson Hybrid | 10,556 |
| Hyundai Kona Hybrid | 10,407 |
| Toyota Camry Hybrid | 9,838 |
| Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid | 9,409 |
| Toyota Kluger Hybrid | 7,817 |
| Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid | 5,125 |
| Kia Sportage Hybrid | 5,096 |
The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid once again was Australia’s best-selling hybrid (as a hybrid-only offering). For many months, it was right in the mix for the overall sales crown of 2025, losing out to the Ford Ranger in the end. In fact, for several Toyota models, buying anything other than a hybrid has quietly become the exception.
Top 5 Australia’s top hybrid brands in 2025
| Car brand | Sales volume |
| Toyota | 115,953 |
| Hyundai | 28,851 |
| GWM | 11,198 |
| Lexus | 9,819 |
| Kia | 8,801 |
Toyota leads, but rivals are catching up
Toyota once again finished the year as Australia’s biggest hybrid seller, and by a long way. Almost one in two Toyotas sold in 2025 was a hybrid. But here’s the interesting part! While the overall hybrid market grew strongly, Toyota’s hybrid sales barely moved, rising just 0.4 per cent! Instead, much of the growth of hybrid sales came from increased offerings from brands that are still fresh in the segment.
Hyundai had a standout year, nearly doubling its hybrid sales (+92.8% year-on-year) as more buyers chose electrified versions of the Tucson, Kona and Santa Fe. GWM held onto third place, even though its hybrid numbers dipped slightly.
Hybrids are no longer a niche choice
What stood out in 2025 was just how widespread hybrid adoption has become in Australia. It’s no longer just small cars and medium SUVs for eco-drivers. Large family SUVs, luxury models and even niche vehicles are now seeing strong demand and adoption of hybrid variants.
Brands like MG (+603.5%), Subaru (+84.2%) and Kia (+54.9%) posted big year-on-year gains, while Chery and KGM joined the hybrid party for the first time. The message from buyers is pretty clear: they want better efficiency, but they still want familiar cars at familiar prices.
Key takeaways for buyers
Hybrids have moved well past the “stepping stone” phase in Australia. They’re now a mainstream choice, and in many cases, the default option.
Toyota may still be setting the pace, but 2025 showed that the real growth is coming from the rest of the market catching up. With even more hybrid models on the way in 2026, especially the new-gen RAV4 and the all-new Mazda CX-5, this space is only going to get more crowded, and that’s good news for buyers.
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