wait times for new cars

New-car wait times in Australia have finally chilled, but it’s not instant coffee yet.

Expect 1–3 months for many mainstream models; hot utes, hybrid SUVs and flavour-of-the-month EVs still run 3–6 months, with some niche or highly optioned stuff stretching to 6–12 months.

Hacks: be flexible on colour/trim, ask about in-stock or demo cars, widen your search radius, and pounce on cancelled orders like a seagull on a hot chip.

Get an ETA in writing, but remember it’s a forecast, not the Ten Commandments—shipping, allocation and compliance can shuffle dates.