Our take on the latest Car registrations (Mon 12 Jan 2026)
183,099
Total car registrations in the year to December 2025, down 1.1%pa
Quarterly new car registrations up 6.7%pa
Quarterly used car registrations down 4.1%pa
The key numbers...
- Car registrations totalled 183,099 over the year to December 2025, down 1.1%pa from a year earlier. Despite the fall relative to the previous year, annual registrations have risen for two consecutive quarters after reaching a trough of just under 180,000pa in June 2025.
- New car registrations fell 1.8% from the September quarter, pulling back slightly from a strong 7.5% uptick in September from June (all figures seasonally adjusted). New car registrations for the latest quarter were up 6.7%pa from the same quarter in 2024.
- Used car registrations fell 2.5% in December from the September quarter, returning to declines after a brief rise in the previous quarter. Used car registrations for the December quarter were down 4.1%pa from the same quarter in 2024.
- Full battery electric vehicle registrations pulled back in the December 2025 quarter, with the annual total of 8,631pa at its lowest since the year to May 2025. Non-plug-in hybrid electric vehicle registrations rose to 80,451pa, surpassing 80,000pa for the first time since the ending of the Clean Car Discount scheme in December 2024.
Gap between new and used registrations growing
Annual running total, first-time car registrations by type
...and our reaction
- New car registrations are slowly approaching 100,000pa, a level not seen since the year to May 2024, even as used car registrations fell to just above 85,000pa, the lowest annual total since May 2013. These results meant the gap between new car registrations and used car registrations widened to the largest amount since mid-2023, around the peak of new car registrations.
- Although the trend for used car registrations has been downward over the past two years, changes to the clean car standard charges announced in late 2025 might provide some upside potential for used registrations over the coming years – or at least limit some of the sustained decline.
- Household confidence improved in late 2025 according to ANZ’s Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence survey, reaching a six-month high in December. The Reserve Bank is unlikely to cut the official cash rate further from its current level of 2.25%, and the labour market is likely still weighing on big ticket spending decisions, but we expect continued improvements throughout 2026.
- Business confidence was strong throughout much of 2025 and reached its highest level since early 2014 on a seasonally adjusted basis. GDP data released in late 2025 for the September quarter provided some positive signs for broader investment spending, with total investment spending rising 3.2%, recording its strongest growth in two years. Strong confidence combined with solid improvement provides a good base for confidence to continue to turn into actual investment spending. Fleet renewal may be a bit further down the list of priorities for many businesses but improving economic conditions should help spending come to fruition over the course of the year.
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