Australian Automotive Consumer Trends: What Brands Need to Know

The 2026 Deloitte Global Automotive Consumer Study reveals crucial insights for automotive brands targeting Australian buyers, painting a picture of a market caught between traditional preferences and emerging technologies.

With over 28,500 consumers surveyed across 27 countries, including Australia, the data demonstrates a uniquely pragmatic approach to vehicle purchasing that differs markedly from both developing Asian markets and some traditional Western economies.

We've pulled top-line Australian data out of Deloitte's Global Survey and analysed them, so let's take a closer look at what this means for us.

Australian consumers show cautious EV adoption, with only 9% preferring a pure battery-electric vehicle as their next purchase. The market strongly favours hybrids (23%) and plug-in hybrids (9%), while 51% still prefer internal combustion engines. This positions Australia closer