√The changing face of Australia’s favourite car – DCOTY through the years

As our market and tastes change, we welcome the first double-cab ute to take the overall Drive Car of the Year award. But, how did we get here?

Our roads today tell a completely different story as to what they did five or 10 years ago.

There are clearly more SUVs, and undoubtedly more utes, meaning we’re seeing less traditional sedans and wagons in the process.

The winner of the 2023 Drive Car of the Year, for the first time in the 17 years the awards have run, is the Ford Ranger, a four-wheel-drive double-cab ute. It is technically a light-commercial vehicle rather than a car, but as you’ll see below, buyers are flocking to utes as lifestyle solutions rather than simply working trucks.

So how did we get here?

Let’s wind the clock back to 2006, when the inaugural Drive Car of the Year winner was announced as the Audi TT, and follow the winners and trends forward to today.

2006 DCOTY winner – Audi TT

The VE Holden Commodore launched, and Drive awarded top honours to the second-generation Audi TT coupe.

Winner segment	Sports
Winner length	4178mm
Total new car sales 2006	962,396
Top selling car	Holden Commodore – 56,531 (5.9%)
Top ARIA single	I wish I was a punk rocker (with flowers in my hair) – Sandi Thorn

2007 DCOTY winner – BMW M3 Coupe

Holden’s big sedan still topped the charts, but passenger car sales slipped from 62.2 per cent to 60.7 per cent of overall sales. New vehicle sales topped the one-million mark.

Winner segment	Sports
Winner length	4615mm
Total new car sales 2007	1,049,982
Top selling car	Holden Commodore – 57,307 (5.5%)
Top ARIA single	Big Girls Don’t Cry – Fergie

2008 DCOTY winner – Honda Accord V6

Drive‘s big prize went to Honda’s achievable-luxury sedan, and the Commodore held on to the top spot with over 50,000 unit sales. However, it would be the last time any top seller passed that milestone.

Winner segment	Passenger (sedan)
Winner length	4945mm
Total new car sales 2008	1,012,164
Top selling car	Holden Commodore – 51,093 (5.0%)
Top ARIA single	Low – Flo Rida

2009 DCOTY winner – Volkswagen Golf (MK6)

The market was recovering the the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and total sales dropped below seven figures.

Winner segment	Passenger (hatch)
Winner length	4199mm
Total new car sales 2009	937,328
Top selling car	Holden Commodore – 44,387 (4.7%)
Top ARIA single	I Gotta Feeling – The Black Eyed Peas

2010 DCOTY winner – Volkswagen Polo

Volkswagen’s new ‘smaller’ hatch wins Drive Car of the Year, and the Holden Commodore has its last year as Australia’s favourite car.

Winner segment	Passenger (hatch)
Winner length	4064mm
Total new car sales 2010	1,035,574
Top selling car	Holden Commodore – 45,956 (4.4%)
Top ARIA single	Love the Way You Lie – Eminem

2011 DCOTY winner – Mercedes-Benz C-Class (W204)

The 4×4 ute category hits double-digit market share (10 per cent) and we hit a cultural low point in the ARIA charts.

Winner segment	Passenger (sedan)
Winner length	4591mm
Total new car sales 2011	1,008,437
Top selling car	Mazda 3 – 41.429 (4.1%)
Top ARIA single	Party Rock Anthem – LMFAO

2012 DCOTY winner – Toyota GT86

The best car is a sports car, with Toyota’s new rear-drive fun machine taking the DCOTY win. Despite this, passenger cars enjoy their last year above 50 per cent of sales.

Winner segment	Sports
Winner length	4240mm
Total new car sales 2012	1,112,032
Top selling car	Mazda 3 – 44,128 (4.0%)
Top ARIA single	Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen

2013 DCOTY winner – Mazda 6

The new Mazda CX-5 leaps to the top of the SUV sales chart but at 20,129 units, is still less than half of what the Toyota Corolla sells, in its first of five years as Australia’s favourite car.

Winner segment	Passenger (sedan)
Winner length	4865mm
Total new car sales 2013	1,136,227
Top selling car	Toyota Corolla – 43,496 (3.8%)
Top ARIA single	Roar – Katy Perry

2014 DCOTY winner – Mercedes-Benz C-Class (W205)

Mercedes-Benz shrinks an S-Class into the new W205 C-Class to win Drive Car of the Year. Total sales stay above the 1.1-million mark.

Winner segment	Passenger (sedan)
Winner length	4702mm
Total new car sales 2014	1,113,224
Top selling car	Toyota Corolla – 43,735 (3.9%)
Top ARIA single	Happy – Pharrell Williams

2015 DCOTY winner – Ford Everest

Local development pays off for Ford, with the Australian-developed Everest winning Drive Car of the Year. It’s not the longest, but at this point, it is the largest car to win the award.

Winner segment	SUV (large 4×4)
Winner length	4892mm
Total new car sales 2015	1,155,408
Top selling car	Toyota Corolla – 42,073 (3.6%)
Top ARIA single	Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson

2016 DCOTY winner – Volkswagen Tiguan

Practicality and up-market refinement take centre stage with an excellent new VW Tiguan taking Drive‘s top prize. Passenger cars are top, for the last time.

Winner segment	SUV (medium)
Winner length	4486mm
Total new car sales 2016	1,178,133
Top selling car	Toyota Corolla – 40,330 (3.4%)
Top ARIA single	Closer – The Chainsmokers

2017 DCOTY winner – Hyundai i30

The turning point. Although a small hatchback, the Hyundai i30, wins Drive Car of the Year, sales of SUVs overtake passenger cars for the first time. There is no looking back.

Winner segment	Passenger (hatch)
Winner length	4340mm
Total new car sales 2017	1,189,116
Top selling car	Toyota Corolla – 37,353 (3.1%)
Top ARIA single	Shape of You – Ed Sheeran

2018 DCOTY winner – Toyota Camry

Hybrid happens, and the Toyota Camry wins DCOTY. Electrification is now part of our mainstream motoring life, and we’ll only move forward.

Winner segment	Passenger (sedan)
Winner length	4905mm
Total new car sales 2018	1,153,111
Top selling car	Toyota HiLux 4×4 – 38.580 (3.3%)
Top ARIA single	Youngblood – 5 Seconds of Summer

2019 DCOTY winner – Toyota RAV4 Hybrid

Toyota ticks every box by offering a stylish, practically, mid-sized SUV with hybrid power and the RAV4 takes the DCOTY prize. This is the last year we can refer to as ‘normal’.

Winner segment	SUV (medium)
Winner length	4600mm
Total new car sales 2019	1,062,867
Top selling car	Ford Ranger 4×4 – 37,004 (3.5%)
Top ARIA single	Old Town Road – Lil Nas X

2020 DCOTY winner – not run

Due to the COVID restrictions and a changeover in publishing timing, there was no Drive Car of the Year for 2020. The awards were realigned to publish in early 2021. Sales dropped below the million mark for the first time since 2009.

Total new car sales 2020	916,968
Top selling car	Toyota RAV4 – 38,357 (4.2%)
Top ARIA single	Blinding Lights – The Weekend

2021 DCOTY winner – Kia Sorento

We re-launch Drive Car of the Year with a new brand, a new site and an all-new Kia Sorento. Light commercial vehicles outsell passenger cars.

Winner segment	SUV (large)
Winner length	4810mm
Total new car sales 2021	1,049,831
Top selling car	Ford Ranger 4×4 – 45,986 (4.4%)
Top ARIA single	Heat Waves – Glass Animals

2022 DCOTY winner – Kia Sportage

Passenger car market share falls below 20 per cent for the first time, and 4×4 utes are within 8000 units of passing passenger car volumes.

Winner segment	SUV (medium)
Winner length	4660mm
Total new car sales 2022	1,081,429
Top selling car	Toyota HiLux 4×4 – 47,329 (4.4%)
Top ARIA single	As it Was – Harry Styles

2023 DCOTY winner – Ford Ranger

The 4×4 ute has become an SUV with a tub, as technology and refinement take us into a brand new year.

Winner segment	4×4 Ute
Winner length	5370mm

New car sales and top sellers 2006-2022

The decline of passenger car sales, and the rise of SUVs and utes is made more clear in this chart.

Will 2023 see 4×4 utes overtake passenger cars, and will another model crack the 50,000-unit mark? We’ll have to wait and see.

Year	Total new car sales	Top passenger car	Vol	Top SUV	Vol	Top 4×4 ute	Vol
2006	962,396	Holden Commodore	56,531	Ford Territory	18,384	Toyota HiLux	20,162
2007	1,049,982	Holden Commodore	57,307	Ford Territory	17,290	Toyota HiLux	23,392
2008	1,012,164	Holden Commodore	51,093	Toyota LandCruiser Prado	14,725	Toyota HiLux	25,626
2009	937,328	Holden Commodore	44,387	Subaru Forester	13,753	Toyota HiLux	23,097
2010	1,035,574	Holden Commodore	45,956	Toyota LandCruiser Prado	16,745	Toyota HiLux	24,961
2011	1,008,437	Mazda 3	41,429	Ford Territory	13,866	Toyota HiLux	23,725
2012	1,112,032	Mazda 3	44,128	Toyota LandCruiser Prado	17,045	Toyota HiLux	29,267
2013	1,136,227	Toyota Corolla	43,496	Mazda CX-5	20,129	Toyota HiLux	29,344
2014	1,113,224	Toyota Corolla	43,735	Mazda CX-5	21,571	Toyota HiLux	27,319
2015	1,155,224	Toyota Corolla	42,073	Mazda CX-5	25,136	Toyota HiLux	25,939
2016	1,178,133	Toyota Corolla	40,330	Mazda CX-5	24,564	Toyota HiLux	31,076
2017	1,189,116	Toyota Corolla	37,353	Mazda CX-5	25,831	Ford Ranger	36,932
2018	1,153,111	Toyota Corolla	35,320	Mazda CX-5	26,173	Toyota HiLux	38,580
2019	1,062,867	Toyota Corolla	30,468	Mazda CX-5	25,539	Ford Ranger	37,004
2020	916,968	Toyota Corolla	25,882	Toyota RAV4	38,357	Ford Ranger	37,889
2021	1,049,831	Toyota Corolla	28,768	Toyota RAV4	35,751	Ford Ranger	45,986
2022	1,081,429	Toyota Corolla	25,284	Toyota RAV4	34,845	Toyota HiLux	47,329