When it comes to selecting a new car to purchase, buyers will adopt a range of criteria and processes to decide on which car they will buy. It may be a favourite brand, appearance, price or functionality. For those that do the deep dive, there are the car of the year awards and the best-sellers to compare. Yes, these can be different makes and models.
Should buyers focus on what others are buying or on what motoring experts judge as the best cars?
The best-selling car stats are released on a monthly basis by FCAI, the body that represents the automotive industry in Australia. The results list which makes and models sold the most units in that month. We recently posted an article for the February car sales results which you can review.
But then there are the car awards schemes. The team at Drive conduct their annual Car of the Year awards which are very thoroughly judged and cover many categories.
Car choices are a very personal issues. But currently complicating purchase decisions is availability. The supply chain issues and microprocessor shortage has wreaked havoc on the motor vehicle production. For some models there is a multi-month wait for delivery. Issues which are reflected in the car sales figures but not necessarily in the awards.
Another emerging issue that could make that worse is the fall-out from the recent east coast flood crisis. Thousands of cars were written-off and that means more buyers in the market to replace their vehicle. Buyers may need to decide whether or not to wait for delivery of their first choice or secure what is currently available.
OK, that’s the not so good news. Now for the better news. Regardless of whether a car purchase is a car of the year or is a best-seller, the same selection of car loan financing options products are available to finance the purchase.
To assist new car buyers with that critical decision over which car to buy, we cover off on what the experts at Drive consider the best cars of the year, what actually are the latest best sellers and the finance options we currently offer on both for both personal and business buyers.
Cars of the Year
The expert team at Drive conduct their own ‘awards’ each year to judge what they consider the best cars in multiple categories. They recently released the results for 2022 and the info can provide direction and inspiration for new car buyers.
You can review all their judging criteria but essentially their goal is to identify which are the best new vehicles for our local budgets and requirements. The judges put the vehicles through a strenuous judging regime to identify weaknesses and the strengths of each car.
This team is highly-regarded and many buyers will regularly refer to their recommendations. There are multiple categories which you can check out, but we’ll mention just a few of the most popular here.
The overall Car of the Year for 2022 as judged by Drive went to the Kia Sportage.
The best off-road dual cab will be of interest to many of our business customers and the winner is Ford Ranger Raptor. The best dual cab ute award has joint winners with the Mazda BT-50 SP and Isuzu D-MAX sharing the honour.
SUVs are leading the market in sales. In car of the year there are multiple categories. Small SUV winner is the Ford Puma, best medium SUV the Kia Sportage after years of the RAV4 dominance, and the best large SUV, Toyota Kluger.
With cost of living pressures top of mind for many new car buyers, consider the best value car of the year which Drive judged as the Kia Cerato S. For those considering an EV, the best EV priced below $100,000 award went to the Hyundai Ioniq 5.
SUVs are overtaking passenger cars in popularity. But for those still in the market for a passenger vehicle, the judged the best in the medium to large category was the Skoda Octavia.
Latest Best-Sellers
So you have what Drive consider the best new cars on the market but what is actually selling best at the moment? As flagged at the outset of this piece, stock levels are seriously impacting sales results and probably will for some time.
The HiLux took out best-seller for February followed by the RAV4, Triton, Ranger, Prado, MG ZS, D-MAX, Mazda CX-30, Hyundai i30 and the Outlander from Mitsubishi rounded out the top 10.
Plenty of food for thought but when it comes to action, if you want to purchase now, then ringing around dealers to discuss availability could be the first step. To put yourself in prime position to say YES the moment when you find the car you want, speak with us prior to arrange a pre-approved car loan.
New Car Loan Options
We have the same selection of personal car loans and business vehicle finance for vehicles judged cars of the year and those that are selling best.
Secured Car Loan is suited to most private buyers of new vehicles.
Businesses have a choice of:-
- Sole trader car financing
- Lease
- Commercial Hire Purchase
While deciding on which car to buy may be a difficult process due to so many considerations, at Jade Car Loans we ensure the car finance process, including sourcing affordable ABN car loans, is a streamlined and simple experience. Just brief one of our consultants as to your requirements and we’ll do all the work of sourcing the cheapest loan offer, negotiating the loan with the lender, finalising settlements, and assisting with the paperwork.
Car of the year or best seller? No doubt a debate that will continue for some time.
For a car loan quote on a new vehicle, call Jade Car Loans on 1300 000 003 or apply online
DISCLAIMER: IN REGARD TO MISREPRESENTATIONS AND ERRORS CONTAINED IN THE MATERIAL AS PRESENTED, LIABILITY IS NOT ACCEPTED. THE DETAILS AND CONTENT IS PROVIDED FOR CAR BUYERS AND INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESS SEEKING FINANCE PURELY AS GENERAL INFORMATION. THIS IS NOT PROVIDED AS THE ONLY SOURCE OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION. ANYONE THAT CONSIDERS THAT NEED FINANCIAL ADVICE ABOUT THEIR SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS SHOULD SEEK THEIR OWN FINANCIAL ADVISOR.
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