Perth Car Market Report August 2026

Households Are Cutting Back, But Not On Cars…

Every few weeks someone asks me whether the Perth car market has “gone quiet”. It is a fair question. Interest rates have been lifted three times this year, petrol is sitting above two dollars a litre, and just about every home services business we talk to says enquiry has dropped off. So we went into the August data expecting to see a market that had pulled back.

That is not what the numbers show. Households are absolutely tightening up, but cars are one of the few things Western Australians are still spending on. New car sales in WA are running ahead of last year, used car sales in August were the strongest of the past six months, and the average time it takes to sell a car actually fell.

There is a catch, and it matters if you are selling. Stock is growing faster than sales. There were 50,783 cars for sale across WA at the end of August, up from around 35,000 in March. More buyers, but far more choice, and that is showing up in prices.

This report covers both the new and used sides of the market. As a Licensed WA Motor Vehicle Dealer and Motor Trade Association of WA member, we track this data every month because it decides what we pay for cars. Here is what August told us.

The Short Version

• WA used car sales hit 27,999 in August, up 2.7% on July and roughly 22% higher than May.
• Cars for sale reached 50,783, up 2.8% on July and about 33% higher than May. Supply is the story.
• Average days to sell fell 6.4% to 55.1 days. Cars are moving faster despite the extra stock.
• Average sale price was $34,811 and average retained value was 68.1%. Both are flat on the month, but both are lower than they were in May ($36,062 and 70.2%).
• New car sales in WA were 12,014 in July, up 9.3% year on year, in a national market that has posted record months in June and July.
• Nationally, household vehicle purchases jumped 10.3% in the June quarter while spending on almost everything else was subdued.

What Is Actually Happening To Household Budgets

Before we get into the car data, it is worth being clear about the pressure Perth households are under, because it explains a lot of what follows.

The RBA raised the cash rate in February, March and May this year and held it at 4.35% at its August meeting. Its own statement says inflation is “likely to remain high for some time” and it does not expect inflation back in the target band until late 2027. A majority of Australians surveyed in August (59%) still expect mortgage rates to go up again, not down.

Fuel has been the big shock. The Middle East conflict that began in late February pushed crude oil above US$112 a barrel in April. The federal government’s temporary excise cut ended on 3 August and unleaded is now around 205 cents a litre nationally, with diesel between 240 and 250 cents. For a household running two petrol cars, that is real money every week.

Perth has been feeling it harder than most. Perth’s CPI hit 4.9% over the year to February, the highest of any capital city, and CCIWA’s June survey put WA business confidence at its lowest level since the 2020 pandemic period.

Consumer sentiment bounced in August (the Westpac-Melbourne Institute index rose 6% to 88.9) but that is still a weak reading. Pessimists outnumber optimists and the “time to buy a major household item” index sits at 93.8, below the neutral 100 mark.

So the anecdotes are right. Households are spending on essentials and putting off discretionary purchases. The June quarter national accounts, released on 2 September, describe “subdued spending across most categories” with the household saving ratio edging up to 6.5% as people hold cash.

The Exception: Cars

Here is the part that surprised us. In that same national accounts release, household vehicle purchases rose 10.3% in the quarter. It was the single biggest contributor to household spending growth. The ABS links it directly to petrol costs: households are buying more efficient vehicles, and particularly electric vehicles, to cut their fuel bill.

The new car data backs that up:

• Australia recorded its best June and best July on record for new vehicle sales.
• July 2026 national sales were 108,577, up 4.2% year on year.
• Battery electric vehicles were 21.7% of July sales. Add hybrids and plug-in hybrids and electrified vehicles were 48.4% of the new market.
• Western Australia delivered 12,014 new vehicles in July, up 9.3% on July 2025, one of the stronger state results.
• Toyota still led on 20,409 sales nationally, but BYD was second on 7,857 (up 70.5%) and Tesla, Chery and MG all posted big gains. Toyota, Kia, Mazda, Ford and Hyundai were all down year on year.

The August VFACTS figures are due out this week and we will update this report when the WA number lands.

This is not people splurging. It is people making a calculated decision to swap a thirsty car for a cheaper-to-run one, and Chinese brands have made the entry price for a new EV or hybrid low enough that the sums work. For anyone trying to understand why the outdoor blinds, solar or renovation enquiry has dropped off, part of the answer is that the household car budget has been brought forward.

Why New Car Sales Matter For Used Car Sellers

Every new car sold in Perth puts a used car somewhere. Either it is traded in, sold privately, or sold to a service like ours. When WA new car sales run 9.3% ahead of last year for a month, that flows through to the used market within weeks.

We think that is a large part of why used stock has jumped from roughly 40,000 in June to more than 50,000 in August. The cars coming out of driveways to make room for a new hybrid or EV are overwhelmingly petrol and diesel, three to eight years old, and they are landing in a used market that already had plenty of them.

WA Used Car Market Snapshot: August 2026

Sales And Stock: The Six-Month Trend

The six-month picture is the most important chart in this report.

Used car sales in WA drifted between about 21,700 and 23,800 a month from March to June. Then July jumped to more than 27,000 and August pushed to 27,999. That is a step change, not a seasonal wobble, and it lines up with the new car surge and the fuel price shock.

Stock has moved even faster. Cars for sale climbed steadily from around 35,000 in March to about 40,300 in June, then leapt to roughly 49,500 in July and 50,783 in August.

Put those together and you get the defining feature of the current market:

• Sales are up about 22% since May.
• Stock is up about 33% since May.

Buyers are active, which is why days to sell has come down to 55.1. But the volume of cars competing for those buyers has grown faster than the buyers have, which is why prices and retained value have drifted lower since May.

Pricing And Retained Value

Month on month, August looks steady. The average sale price of $34,811 was up 0.3% and retained value of 68.1% was up 0.2%.

Look back to May and the picture is different. The average sale price was $36,062 and retained value was 70.2%. So in three months the average WA used car has given up about $1,250 in sale price and two percentage points of retained value.

Some of that is mix. More affordable cars are coming onto the market and selling, which drags the average down. But retained value is a percentage of new price, and it fell too. That tells us buyers have more choice and are using it.

By vehicle class, the August figures were:

Every segment has lost around three points of retained value since March. Utes still hold value best but now take almost 59 days to sell on average, up from 55.5 in March. Passenger cars hold the least value but sell fastest, which fits a market where budget-conscious buyers are chasing cheaper, more economical cars.

Dealer vs Private: The Gap Is Narrowing On Time

The pattern is the same one we reported in May: dealers get more money but take longer, private sellers move quicker but leave value on the table. The dealer premium on retained value is still close to ten points.

What has changed is the time side. Dealer days to sell has blown out from 58.1 in May to 65.9 in August, while private days to sell has come down from 39.6 to 35.1. Dealers are sitting on a lot of stock (33,774 of the 50,783 cars for sale) and it is taking longer to clear. Private sellers, on the other hand, are pricing to move and buyers are rewarding that.

If you are weighing up a private sale against a trade-in, this is worth knowing. The private market is moving fast right now, but the 61.8% retained value shows most private sellers are paying for that speed with a lower price. Our model sits in between the two: we buy at dealer-channel values and settle in a day, so you do not have to choose between the price and the speed.

What Is Selling: Makes And Models

Toyota’s grip on the WA used market has not loosened. Over the past three months Toyota sold 14,269 used vehicles, more than double Ford (6,682) and Hyundai (6,629) who are neck and neck for second. Mitsubishi (5,336) and Mazda (4,792) round out the top five, followed by Nissan, Holden, Kia, Volkswagen and Subaru.

By model, the top ten over three months was:

Ranger and HiLux are a long way in front, and four Toyotas sit in the top six. Notice what is not there: not a single electric vehicle or Chinese brand appears in the used top ten, even though the new car charts are full of them. Chery (605 sales) and LDV (501) are among the lowest-selling makes in the used market, and the Volkswagen T-Roc, Toyota FJ Cruiser and Nissan Juke were the slowest models with around 100 sales each.

That gap between what is being bought new and what is being bought used is going to close over the next two to three years as those cars cycle through. For now, the used market is still a Toyota, Ford and Hyundai market.

Fuel Type: The Used Market Is Two Years Behind The New Market

This is the clearest illustration of the new versus used divide.

New car shares do not total 100% because heavy commercial and other vehicles make up the remaining 3.1%.

Petrol and diesel are 91.4% of WA used car sales. In the new market they are less than half. The used EV and hybrid segment is still small in WA, but the supply of used electrified cars is about to grow quickly as the 2024, 2025 and 2026 new car buyers start to trade.

If you own a petrol or diesel car, particularly a large petrol SUV or a passenger car, the practical takeaway is that the pool of buyers for your car is shrinking slowly and the pool of competing cars is growing quickly. That does not mean your car is worthless. Petrol and diesel still dominate, and utes in particular hold value well. It does mean that waiting for a better time to sell is unlikely to pay off.

Where Cars Are Selling

Facebook Marketplace has extended its lead. Over the past six months it accounted for 43.8% of WA used car sales, up from 41.2% in our May report. Carsales was second on 23.3% (down from 24.4%), followed by Autotrader Group on 18.0% and Drive on 14.9%.

The trend line is even more telling: Facebook’s share was around 30% in June and has climbed sharply since, while Carsales and ATG have both drifted lower. A large share of the private sales that are moving in 35 days are happening on Facebook. Anyone selling privately in Perth who is not listing there is missing close to half the market.

What The August Numbers Mean If You Are Selling A Car In Perth

1. The market is busy, so this is a good time to sell. It is also crowded, so price for it. Days to sell fell in August because buyers are active. But with 50,783 cars for sale, an overpriced car will simply be scrolled past. The benchmark for retained value is now 68.1%, and it was 70.2% three months ago. Price against today’s number, not last autumn’s.

2. The direction of travel on price is down, not up. The average WA used car lost around $1,250 in value between May and August. Stock is still rising. If you are planning to sell in the next six months, the numbers favour selling sooner.

3. Petrol and diesel cars are still the bulk of the market, but the tide is turning. Every month more used hybrids and EVs arrive as trade-ins. A petrol SUV or hatch will sell more easily today than it will in 2027.

4. Utes hold value but take longer. If you have a Ranger, HiLux, Triton or D-MAX, you are in the strongest segment for retained value at 71.5%. Just be prepared for closer to 60 days on the market if you go private, and price sharply if you want it gone faster.

5. Speed and price are not a trade-off you have to make. Private sellers are moving cars in 35 days but at 61.8% retained value. Dealers are achieving 71.5% but taking 66 days. We buy at dealer-channel values, inspect within a day and pay on the spot, which is why we exist.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Perth car market slowing down because of interest rates? Not on the data we have. WA used car sales in August (27,999) were the highest of the past six months and new car sales in July were up 9.3% on last year. Households are cutting back elsewhere, but fuel prices are pushing people to change cars rather than hold them.

Why are used car prices falling if sales are up? Because stock is rising faster than sales. Cars for sale in WA have grown about 33% since May while sales have grown about 22%. More choice for buyers means less pricing power for sellers. Average retained value has slipped from 70.2% in May to 68.1% in August.

Is it a bad time to sell a petrol car? It is a better time than it will be next year. Petrol and diesel are still 91.4% of WA used sales, so demand is there. But the share of new cars sold with a plug or a hybrid system is now nearly half, and those cars will hit the used market in growing numbers from here.

How long does it take to sell a car in Perth right now? The WA average is 55.1 days. Private sellers average 35.1 days, dealers average 65.9 days. Passenger cars sell fastest at about 46 days, utes and SUVs take closer to 59.

Should I trade my car in when I buy a new EV or hybrid? Get a separate cash offer first. Trade-in values are being squeezed because dealers are already holding a lot of petrol and diesel stock (33,774 cars in WA) that is taking longer to move. An independent offer gives you a number to negotiate against.

Where do most used cars sell in Perth? Facebook Marketplace, with 43.8% of WA used car sales over the past six months. Carsales is second on 23.3%.

The Bottom Line

August 2026 was a strong month for car sales in Western Australia on both the new and used side, in an economy where very little else is growing. Fuel prices and cost of living pressure are pushing households to change cars, not to keep them, and that is keeping buyers active.

For sellers, the message is simple. Buyers are there, but so are 50,000 other cars. Price against the current 68.1% retained value benchmark, get your car in front of buyers quickly, and do not assume it will be worth more in six months. The data says it will not.

If you want to know what your car is worth in today’s market, get an instant valuation here. Our team at Sell My Car Pro will inspect your car, make a firm offer at dealer-channel value and pay you the same day. Or call us on 1300 313 777.

Data note: Used market figures are from the WA automotive market dashboard, last updated 31 August 2026. Headline figures are August 2026 with month-on-month change. Make and model rankings use the three-month view; marketplace, fuel and trend figures use the six-month view. Monthly trend values for March to July are read from the dashboard charts and rounded. New car figures are from FCAI VFACTS July 2026. Economic figures are from the RBA (11 August 2026), ABS National Accounts June quarter 2026 (2 September 2026), Westpac-Melbourne Institute Consumer Sentiment (18 August 2026), CCIWA and NRMA.