Australia’s most popular cars by age group

A recent study uncovered the most popular cars in Australia according to age, with some cars being popular with almost all generations.

A study conducted by Compare the Market used data from Australians who requested quotes and compared car insurance policies through its website between 1 July 2023 and 1 July 2024.

Despite VFACTS figures suggesting that new car buyers prefer dual-cab utes, the insurance data reveals that drivers prefer hatchbacks; the Mazda 3 and Toyota Corolla both made appearances in multiple age groups.

Interesting inclusions include the discontinued Holden Commodore, which hasn’t been manufactured since 2020, the Ford Falcon, which ended production in 2016, and the Mitsubishi Lancer, which hasn’t been sold in Australia since 2017.

The Toyota Corolla appeared consistently across all age groups except for the under 25s where the Mazda 3 and Hyundai i30 proved more popular.

Small hatchbacks and sedans were the most popular amongst all the age groups, however, the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger also appeared in the top 10.

Medium and large SUVs were more popular with older Australians including the Toyota RAV4, LandCruiser and the Mazda CX-5.

The most compared luxury car for car insurance was the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, which appeared in the top 20 list for those 56 years old and above.

A breakdown of the top 10 cars by age group can be found below.

 The most popular cars overall were:

1. Toyota Corolla
2. Mazda 3
3. Hyundai i30
4. Toyota HiLux
5. Toyota Camry
6. Ford Ranger
7. Toyota RAV4
8. Mazda CX-5
9. Holden Commodore
10. Volkswagen Golf

Drivers under 25

1. Mazda 3
2. Hyundai i30
3. Toyota Corolla
4. Toyota HiLux
5. Holden Commodore
6. Volkswagen Golf
7. Mitsubishi Lancer
8. Toyota Camry
9. Ford Falcon
10. Ford Ranger

Drivers 26-35

1. Toyota Corolla
2. Mazda 3
3. Hyundai i30
4. Toyota Camry
5. Toyota HiLux
6. Ford Ranger
7. Toyota RAV4
8. Mazda CX-5
9. Volkswagen Golf
10. Mitsubishi Outlander

Drivers 36-45

1. Toyota Corolla
2. Mazda 3
3. Toyota Camry
4. Ford Ranger
5. Toyota RAV4
6. Mitsubishi Outlander
7. Toyota HiLux
8. Mazda CX-5
9. Nissan X-Trail
10. Toyota Kluger
    

Drivers 46-55

1. Toyota Corolla
2. Mazda 3
3. Toyota HiLux
4. Ford Ranger
5. Hyundai i30
6. Toyota RAV4
7. Holden Commodore
8. Toyota Camry
9. Mazda CX-5
10. Volkswagen Golf

Drivers 56-65

1. Toyota Corolla
2. Mazda 3
3. Ford Ranger
4. Toyota HiLux
5. Hyundai i30
6. Toyota RAV4
7. Toyota Camry
8. Holden Commodore
9. Mazda CX-5
10. Toyota LandCruiser

Drivers 66 and up

1. Toyota Corolla
2. Mazda 3
3. Hyundai i30
4. Toyota RAV4
5. Toyota Camry
6. Mazda CX-5
7. Subaru Forester
8. Toyota HiLux
9. Ford Ranger
10. Toyota LandCruiser