The cars Australians should buy more of in 2025

In our competitive new-car market, not every model can be a sales winner.

For every hot-selling Toyota, there’s a much lower-volume Peugeot or Skoda in the shadows.

Virtually none of these oft-forgotten vehicles are bad cars, and indeed some are very good but simply held back by a lack of buyer awareness or the declining popularity of their respective segments.

We, the members of the CarExpert editorial team, have put our heads together to identify the vehicles that are unfairly overlooked.

100s of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now.

For this exercise, we looked at a few criteria when assembling this list.

For a model to qualify, fewer than 1000 examples had to have been delivered between January 1 and November 30, 2024. It also had to have been sold for the entire calendar year, meaning it had to be launched before 2024 and not discontinued during the year.

We also weeded out older models confirmed to be replaced by new generations next year, as well as any sports cars, full-sized vans, or any models that compete in the Upper Large SUV over $120k and Upper Large car over $100k segments as defined by VFACTS.

The rationale here is that none of those vehicles are particularly high-volume, and we didn’t want to have over half a dozen people telling you to buy a Mazda MX-5.

The list still ended up being over 70 vehicles long, and still includes models from popular brands like Toyota (the Granvia) and Mazda (the CX-90)

With that out of the way, let’s look at what the team picked.

Paul Maric: BMW iX

One of the premium EVs that really stands out for its luxury interior and surprising driving experience is the BMW iX.

The interior is genuinely next-level luxury and there’s enough bandwidth across the range to pick a spec that works for you.

Premium EVs are on the nose at the moment, but if you do want to buy one I reckon there are decent deals to be had.

MORE: Buy a BMW iX

Marton Pettendy: Skoda Fabia Select

Affordable light-sized cars are an endangered species in Australia. Witness the demise of the Ford Fiesta, Honda Jazz, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio and Renault Clio, just to name a few in the last few years.

And when the new-generation Skoda Fabia was revealed in 2022, the Czech brand went the same route as Hyundai did with its latest i20 by choosing to import only the high-profit, high-output, hot hatch version.

It’s still not cheap but at $31,990 drive-away the new Fabia Select is $7000 more affordable than the top-shelf Monte Carlo, and packs the same peppy 85kW/200Nm 1.0-litre turbo triple and seven-speed dual-clutch auto as the related Audi A1, making it cheaper and more powerful than the base Volkswagen Polo.

Sure, the Mazda 2, Toyota Yaris and the new MG 3 and Suzuki Swift all cost less, but the Fabia is a better vehicle than all of them, comes with a seven-year warranty, and is cheaper than any other other European hatch.

Vote with your feet while you still can.

MORE: Buy a Skoda Fabia

James Wong: Cupra Leon

Forget that high-spec Mazda 3 or entry-level Mercedes-Benz A200 Hatch – the Cupra Leon is a diamond in the rough for those smart enough to still be shopping for a small passenger vehicle.

Based on the capable underpinnings of the Volkswagen Golf, the Leon goes one better than its German-branded cousin in offering a range of European-spec drivetrains and unique Spanish flair.

It’s one of the more engaging small hatchbacks to drive, and can be beefed up with more power (i.e. the 221kW VZx) and dressed up with sexy Nappa leather-clad bucket seats. Of course, those copper accents really pop too.

The entry-level Leon V with its punchy 140kW 2.0 TSI donk is a peach for those wanting a compact tourer priced easily under $50,000, while the 221kW Leon VZx is the Golf GTI Clubsport that never made it here in a sexy Spanish suit.

¡Viva España!

MORE: Buy a Cupra Leon

Jack Quick: Lexus ES

This may be the boring answer, but sometimes there’s nothing better than sinking into a comfortable luxury sedan after a long day, then driving home on what feels like a cloud.

The Lexus ES300h is capable of doing just that, while also backing it up with incredible fuel consumption thanks to its hybrid powertrain.

I’d go for the top-spec Sports Luxury variant because I love the amount of additional convenience features you pick up, including the booming 17-speaker Mark Levinson premium sound system.

You get all of this for around $90,000 drive-away, which is a relative bargain when you consider how expensive the competition is becoming.

MORE: Buy a Lexus ES

Max Davies: Honda Civic

To be honest, I was surprised the Civic was on this list.

Having recently driven one, I was pleasantly surprised at just how good it is. It’s comfortable, looks great, handles very well, and is surprisingly zippy while also being incredibly economical with that hybrid powertrain.

All of that makes it surprising the Civic is so unpopular in Australia. So far in 2024 it’s being outsold by both the Audi A3 and the Subaru WRX, and somehow that just feels wrong.

But it’s easy to see why when you consider there are now only two variants, both of which are hybrid and priced unnervingly high at $49,900 drive-away for the e:HEV L and $55,9000 drive-away for the e:HEV LX.

There used to be more breadth to the range with a petrol-only variant, and you can still also get the fun-sounding manual RS version in Japan. Australian Civic buyers simply don’t have a lot to choose from, and $50k is a lot of money for a small hatchback.

The competition is exceptionally strong too, which puts the Civic well down the wish list for most people. But if they gave it even a moment of attention, they’d probably be just as impressed as I was.

MORE: Buy a Honda Civic

Jordan Mulach: Skoda Octavia

It’s exactly the kind of answer you’d expect from me, isn’t it?

My love for Skoda is well-documented, but I truly believe the Octavia is one of the most underrated and unloved cars on sale today.

Why would you buy a Golf when the Octavia offers almost as much kit for a more affordable price, and doesn’t make you look like someone in middle management on a good salary?

The Octavia RS is well and truly a rarity in being a fast and capable liftback/wagon that offers as much if not more room than any of its similarly priced performance rivals.

Like the Golf, it may not be the absolute leader in its class, but the Octavia does so many things well and it’s criminal to be overlooked by so many.

MORE: Buy a Skoda Octavia

Josh Nevett: Genesis GV70

The best mid-sized luxury SUV is also one of the least popular.

While the BMW X3, Audi Q5, Mercedes-Benz GLC and Volvo XC60 sell in their thousands, the Genesis GV70 remains a niche player despite its impressive set of strengths.

Even in base specification, the GV70 boasts a premium, endlessly customisable cabin, punchy turbo-petrol four-cylinder powertrain, and all the latest tech. In my view it’s a nicer car to spend time in than alternatives from European rivals, and in most cases it costs less too.

I’d go as far as to say that a 2.5T Signature is all the luxury SUV you’ll ever need, and it won’t even cost you six figures.

MORE: Buy a Genesis GV70

William Stopford: Volkswagen Touareg

I was going to pick the Genesis GV70, given how much nicer it is inside than almost all its rivals, how well-equipped it is even at base level, and how nice a drive it is. Alas, my colleague Josh beat me to it, and there are plenty of other sales under-achievers to go around.

My next thoughts were the Genesis G80 and Hyundai Sonata, two genuinely desirable sedans. But nobody seems to want sedans anymore, so I feel like I’d be shouting into the void.

So how about the Volkswagen Touareg? Its recent mid-life update may have made the styling a bit fussier, but it improved the interior ambience. Volkswagen also cut prices while adding more equipment, something that feels very strange (in a good way) after the COVID era of price hikes and equipment cuts.

The 210TDI Elegance is the sweet spot in the range, with a more powerful turbo-diesel V6 and air suspension – all for thousands less than a comparably equipped large SUV from one of the German luxury brands.

If only Volkswagen had done a three-row version of the Touareg. Then there’d be yet another reason to recommend it.

MORE: Buy a Volkswagen Touareg