Show us the numbers! The truth about Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max's big sales

Last year the best-selling vehicle in Australia wasn’t a car - it was a ute, and so was the second-best seller, and the third. Yep, the Ford Ranger was crowned the sales king, with Toyota’s HiLux the runner-up and the Isuzu D-Max next. But how popular are these utes really? 

Sure, utes are selling like cakes that are hot, but are they being bought by real people, or just added to big company fleets?

We asked Ford, Toyota and Isuzu to show us the number for their private buyers compared to those going onto fleets.

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In 2023 the total combined sales of the Ranger, HiLux and D-Max came to 155,669 which is almost 13 per cent of the entire number of new vehicles sold (1,216,780). That’s a ridiculously large proportion of the whole new-car market and it appears to correlate with what we see on the road - it really feels like every second vehicle is a Ranger, or a HiLux or a D-Max.

Breaking the numbers down: 63,356 of these were Rangers, 61,111 were HiLux and 31,202 were D-Max - 4x2 and 4x4 sales combined. 

We also know that for every friend, neighbour or family member that has one, there are stacks that are owned by businesses and government bodies - from the mining industry and rental companies to national parks and councils.

Ford told us that of the 63,356 Rangers sold last year, 17,176 went to private buyers, that’s 27.1 per cent. So, 46,180 Rangers were sold to businesses, government and rental car fleets.

“More than two-thirds of our Ranger customers use their vehicles for work – anyone from a suburban electrician who’s a sole trader through to a household name company with thousands of vehicles,” Ford Australia’s General Manager, Fleet and Upfitting, Christine Wagner, told CarsGuide.

“While the size of the business and the work it’s being used for can be vastly different from one customer to the next, what they all want is capability and versatility. They come to us and say, 'I need a mobile office, I need to tow, I need to carry large, heavy loads, and I want comfort, safety and tech'… so you have to be able to offer a lot.

According to Toyota 38,734 of HiLux sales went to businesses, 3341 sales went to the government, and rental companies bought 5297. And private Hilux buyers? There were 13,739 of them.

“Our Australian team that led the development of Ranger, for example, was acutely aware during development of how versatile the vehicle needed to be, and that’s why you see such a range of considered and detailed features, from an embossed measuring tape in the tray, or a tray that fits a Euro pallet between the wheel arches, through to SYNC4 functionality that can seamlessly integrate with smart devices.”

According to Toyota 38,734 of HiLux sales went to businesses, 3341 sales went to the government, and rental companies bought 5297. And private Hilux buyers? There were 13,739 of them.

“HiLux has an unbreakable connection with Australian motorists and its continued strong demand from tradies, families and business fleets shows customers will buy vehicles that meet their needs,” Toyota Australia’s Vice President Sales and Marketing Sean Hanley, told CarsGuide. 

“We continue to expand the model’s appeal with variants such as HiLux Rogue and GR Sport that have brought new and younger customers to HiLux. We have more changes coming this year, including 48-Volt assist technology.” 

And finally D-Max, which is an interesting case because while Isuzu's ute came in as the third best-selling vehicle in Australia, the company told CarsGuide it wasn't willing to reveal how many of these were private buyers and how many were for businesses and fleets - information both Ford and Toyota were more than happy to provide us.

The best Isuzu could offer was a hint that private buyers made up a large proportion of both the D-Max and the M-UX SUV that's based on the ute.

The best Isuzu could offer was a hint that private buyers made up a large proportion of both the D-Max and the M-UX SUV that's based on the ute.

“Regarding the split between Private, Business, Government and Rental buyers, we value each and every customer that chooses an Isuzu, with the D-Max and M-UX continuing to prove popular across all buyer types - as is evident with close to two-thirds of our vehicles sold and delivered to private buyers in 2023,” an Isuzu Australia spokesperson us.

No amount of prodding could make Isuzu divulge the numbers, so we'll let you decide what that means.

So there you have it. Utes are big business in Australia, particularly for big business. Keep in mind though that many business buyers might actually just be private owners with an ABN running a small company and using their ute for both work and family duties.

The ute segment in Australia is only to grow larger with the arrival of new models such as the Kia ute and electrified pick-ups from brands such as BYD.