‘Pragmatic beasts’: The most popular cars by suburb in Victoria

There’s rarely been a greater time to be in the market for a car in Australia, particularly when you consider the influx of international brands and models populating the new and used car market.

And while it’s no secret that legacy brands such as Toyota continue to defend its crown as the country’s top sales leader amid burgeoning rivals from China, new data has revealed some brands – even some unlikely ones – are dominating in these suburbs.

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According to the latest data from VicRoads – which revealed the Victorian suburbs with the highest number of registered vehicles across 30 brands – Tarneit is home to the highest concentration of Toyota, Hyundai, Honda, Jeep, Kia, Haval, Suzuki and LDV vehicles in the state.

Meanwhile, Pakenham – an eastern Victorian suburb – is home to the highest concentration of Mitsubishi, Nissan and Mazda owners in the state.

Based on registration data from the Department of Transport Victoria, of the 124,321 registered cars in Tarneit, approximately 22 per cent – or 28,287 – are Toyota models, the leading marque among Tarneit registration data.

In Pakenham, where there are 50,634 registered cars, Mazda reigns supreme among other brands at 4,233 registrations – or approximately 8 per cent.

Some experts pointed to Tarneit’s and Pakenham’s large and fast-growing population as a key reason why the western and eastern suburbs are home to the highest number of registered vehicles across a combined 11 marques.

According to demographer Mark McCrindle, Tarneit’s population is generally younger and more budget-conscious, which is a key reason why there’s a mix of different brands.

“[The median age] in Tarneit is 31 years old, so it’s a lot more younger residents who are open to looking at what’s affordable and brand agnostic. You’ve got more than half the population, 57 per cent born overseas; it’s quite diverse, so you’re gonna get people that have knowledge or affinity with global brands,” McCrindle told Drive.

Additionally, the demographer said the large population lends itself to a large second-hand used car market in Tarneit, where the lack of public transport means homeowners are more reliant on more than one car for travel.

“It’s also a big second-hand car market there [in Tarneit] partly because you’ve got larger family sizes at approximately 3.4 people per household and almost two vehicles per dwelling,” he said.

McCrindle said the average household in Tarneit earns approximately $1800 per week, which is reflected in the diverse spread of car makers in the suburb.

“It shows that they’re looking for value, looking for affordability because they need cars [to travel].”

While classic brands have found favour in other suburbs, such as Holden in Mildura and Ford in Sunbury, the data highlights a change in consumer preference, where budget takes the driving seat over cultural reputation.

“You’ve got a new generation that doesn’t see brand legacy, familiarity or history as a key driving principle. In fact, they’re more likely to look at new and startup brands [in Australia]. For an older demographic, those legacy brands are where the quality and reliability sit.

“For a younger generation, they’re more likely to move to some of these start-up brands [because of their affordability],” McCrindle said.

This generational consumer shift is more prevalent among hybrids and EV ownership in Victoria, where Tesla dominates in the affluent south-west suburb of Point Cook, while rival BYD has its highest concentration of drivers in Dandenong, a south-eastern Victorian suburb.

According to Melbourne-based demographer Simon Kuestenmacher, households in Point Cook generally have access to convenient at-home charging solutions.

“The houses in Point Cook are still overwhelmingly big because it was a relatively early-settled suburb out in the West. So, you have relatively large roof spaces which makes charging relatively nice and cheap. I would think that’s probably the biggest driver,” he told Drive.

But in Dandenong, where household income is typically lower than in Point Cook, the diverse local community prioritises value for money.

“Households are pragmatic beasts; they make decisions based on what is possible. Of course, the cost-of-living pressures over the past couple of years have become bigger; we would expect to see a bigger share of BYD now than we’ve had in the past [when] they weren’t available,” Kuestenmacher explained.

“You would expect that wherever you find new cars, new households, you would see higher BYD numbers to begin with. Of course, the area is less rich so you would expect to see more BYDs because households are pragmatic.”

Unsurprisingly, the affluent Victorian suburb of Brighton in the state’s south-east is home to the highest number of registered luxury models from brands such as Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and Land Rover.

The full list of the most popular car brands across 30 Victorian suburbs is listed below.