3 hours ago
5
Despite a flood of new brands coming to Australia, Japanese auto giant Toyota still holds the crown as the country’s favourite car maker. And it shows no signs of slowing down.
According to Roy Morgan – an Australian marketing and surveying company – Toyota took home the crown as Australia’s most trusted automotive brand, a title it’s held for seven consecutive years.
The 2025 Trusted Brand Awards report gathered data from over 20,000 respondents who participated in consumer surveys between June 2024 and June 2025.
When it came to the automotive industry, the marketing organisation said Australians generally favour brands that tick three key consumer boxes.
“Australians typically trust brands in the automotive industry based on their personal experiences with vehicles, for the reliability of the vehicles, and the quality of service.”
This favour with the Australian market is reflected in Toyota’s comfortable lead in the new car sales market ahead of other key rivals.
In response, a Toyota Australia spokesperson told Drive, "After more than 60 years in this country, there are now millions of Toyota vehicles on Australian roads.”
"This is a testament to the trust that customers continue to place in us and our vehicles.
"We constantly strive to ensure we can continue to earn and build on that trust, both with our vehicles and by providing an exceptional ownership experience," they added.
In a changing market that sees the influx of new brands trying to usurp Toyota's crown, the Japanese marque said in "uncertain times, people turn to companies and vehicles they trust".
"Our vehicles cater to a wide range of customer requirements, and through extensive testing conducted by our local vehicle development and evaluation centre, we are able to ensure they are suitable for Australian conditions, which can be harsh," a Toyota Australia spokesperson explained.
According to the latest sales data, Toyota delivered 163,491 vehicles to the end of August 2025, over twice as many as its next closest rival, Mazda in second (63,208), and Ford in third (62,581).
As part of Roy Morgan’s trust survey, participants were asked to grade their trust in a specific brand among numerous industries like retail, pharmaceutical, insurance and travel/tourism, with eligible brands then ranked depending on their scores in their categories.
The marketing company said, “As of June 2025, the [automotive] industry ranks as the 5th most trusted out of 27 industries, up one ranking from its position since June 2024.”
Among the pool of car makers in contention, Toyota’s Japanese compatriots, Subaru (2nd) and Mazda (3rd), were also favoured by Australian consumers.
But not every brand received approval.
According to Michele Levine, Roy Morgan’s Chief Executive Officer, Tesla was “the most distrusted brand” in the automotive sector.
“Despite largely driving the rise of EVs, safety concerns, as well as negative sentiment towards the founder, Elon Musk, have seen distrust skyrocket,” said Levine.
We'd like to hear from you. Of the 2025 top 10 most popular car brands in Australia, which one do you trust the most? Vote down below and let us know your reasons in the comment section.
Ethan Cardinal graduated with a Journalism degree in 2020 from La Trobe University and has been working in the fashion industry as a freelance writer prior to joining Drive in 2023. Ethan greatly enjoys investigating and reporting on the cross sections between automotive, lifestyle and culture. Ethan relishes the opportunity to explore how deep cars are intertwined within different industries and how they could affect both casual readers and car enthusiasts.
