Market Insight: Car price stability returns
BY MATT BROGAN | 27th Jan 2025
SEVERAL years back GoAuto took an in-depth look at some dramatic changes in new-vehicle pricing following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The market appears to have stabilised somewhat since then, with the most recent year-on-year increase best described as marginal when viewed across the board.
However, not every new vehicle importer has been immune from altering prices significantly, although the most dramatic changes came from low-volume brands such as Lotus and Maserati.
This week, GoAuto examined the pricing of 1450 new-vehicle variants across 48 popular importers available for sale between January 2024 and January 2025.
Models that have been discontinued, that are new to market, or that do not sell a variant today that was available this time last year were omitted from the data.
Pricing figures were supplied by R J Pound and independent vehicle research site thebeep.com.au – the latter supplying detailed information on more than 40 marques and 1000 variants.
When compared with GoAuto’s previous full-market pricing analysis, the 2024-25 table still shows far more ups than downs but apart from a handful of significant outliers the overall changes were modest.
Thirty-two OEMs lifted their advertised price over the last 12 months, some by as little as 0.1 per cent and others by as much as 9.9 per cent.
The corresponding range-wide price change ranged from as little as $33 (Skoda) to as much as $29,500 (Maserati).
Just eight lowered their list price – by a range of between 0.1 and 17.6 per cent – while the remaining eight left pricing untouched.
In dollar terms the lowest discount found was just $82 (Honda) and the most generous $41,010 (Lotus).
According to thebeep.com.au and our own calculations, the average market price of a new vehicle in Australia grew by just over one per cent (+1.4 per cent) in the 12 months since January; or by an average of $1447.
Speaking with GoAuto on the state of the new-vehicle market in 2025, thebeep.com.au director and co-founder Rob Leigh said much of the change in list pricing reflects the Australian buying public’s preference toward higher grade models.
“The average drive-away price of a car in Victoria is now $103,320, a 1.4 per cent increase compared to last year,” he stated.
“This isn’t solely due to manufacturers simply raising prices; it’s mostly driven by changes in product line-ups, such as the introduction of higher-end variants.
“Consumer affordability is a different story. 2024 saw a record number of sales campaigns.
“Inflationary pressure forces manufacturers to increase their pricing on paper, but market reality sees them offsetting any increase with campaign discounts, incentives or finance offers to stay competitive.
“Make no mistake – it’s an excellent time for consumers to find great deals.
“The market is in flux - oversupply, new brands and rapidly evolving tech are set to make 2025 an even more volatile year with some aggressive price wars on the horizon,” he concluded.
2024-25 YOY pricing changes*:
|
Make
|
Difference
|
Average
|
|
Abarth
|
+0.9%
|
+$455
|
|
Alfa Romeo
|
+0.7%
|
+$667
|
|
Alpina
|
+2.0%
|
+$4500
|
|
Aston Martin
|
+3.9%
|
+$15,794
|
|
Audi
|
+3.4%
|
+$3959
|
|
Bentley
|
+4.5%
|
+$22,178
|
|
BMW
|
+0.4%
|
+$694
|
|
BYD
|
-1.6%
|
-$780
|
|
Caterham
|
Unchanged
|
Unchanged
|
|
Chery
|
+4.4%
|
+$1736
|
|
Cupra
|
Unchanged
|
Unchanged
|
|
Ferrari
|
+1.8%
|
+$11,259
|
|
Ford
|
+2.9%
|
+$1894
|
|
Genesis
|
+1.9%
|
+$1978
|
|
GWM
|
-2.0%
|
-$827
|
|
Honda
|
-0.2%
|
-$82
|
|
Hyundai
|
+3.0%
|
+$1577
|
|
Ineos
|
+9.9%
|
+$11,504
|
|
Isuzu
|
+1.8%
|
+$919
|
|
Jaguar
|
+0.2%
|
+$281
|
|
Joylong
|
Unchanged
|
Unchanged
|
|
KGM-SsangYong
|
+0.7%
|
+$308
|
|
Kia
|
+3.3%
|
+$1678
|
|
Lamborghini
|
Unchanged
|
Unchanged
|
|
Land Rover
|
+1.6%
|
+$2831
|
|
LDV
|
+2.0%
|
+$1203
|
|
Lexus
|
+1.5%
|
+$1955
|
|
Lotus
|
-17.6%
|
-$41,010
|
|
Mahindra
|
Unchanged
|
Unchanged
|
|
Maserati
|
+9.5%
|
+$29,500
|
|
Mazda
|
+0.9%
|
+$427
|
|
McLaren
|
+0.6%
|
+$2781
|
|
MG
|
-1.4%
|
-$524
|
|
Mitsubishi
|
+3.0%
|
+$1400
|
|
Morgan
|
Unchanged
|
Unchanged
|
|
Nissan
|
+1.2%
|
+$660
|
|
Peugeot
|
+0.8%
|
+$426
|
|
Polestar
|
-3.2%
|
-$2947
|
|
Porsche
|
+2.9%
|
+$7093
|
|
Ram
|
+1.3%
|
+$2117
|
|
Renault
|
-0.9%
|
-$476
|
|
Skoda
|
+0.1%
|
+$33
|
|
Subaru
|
+0.6%
|
+$270
|
|
Suzuki
|
+4.5%
|
+$1456
|
|
Tesla
|
-0.1%
|
-$8332
|
|
Toyota
|
+2.6%
|
+$1515
|
|
Volkswagen
|
Unchanged
|
Unchanged
|
|
Volvo
|
Unchanged
|
Unchanged
|
*Pricing data sourced courtesy R J Pound Guide and thebeep.com.au
