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√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

The post The changing face of Australia’s favourite car – DCOTY through the years appeared first on Drive.

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