The six-month car buyer: how the Australian purchase journey changed in 2026

While the headlines chase sales charts and new brands, the most important shift for dealers is happening somewhere quieter: in how Australians actually decide what to buy. The 2026 retail data describes a buyer who researches longer, changes their mind more, and forms most of their opinion before a dealership ever hears from them.

The journey got longer — and messier

According to Australia’s Car Buyer Report 2026 (carsales with Nature):

• The average buying journey now stretches to around six months.
• 63% of buyers backtracked at least once — up 17 points from 2023.
• 34% paused or stopped the process entirely at some stage — up 6 points.
• Car review and comparison platforms are the single most influential media source, at 51% of media influence across the journey.
• AI has rapidly become a key research tool, adding a layer before buyers reach trusted sources and dealers — not replacing them.

The takeaway: by the time a buyer submits an enquiry, they’ve already spent months forming a view from reviews, comparisons and, increasingly, AI answers — none of which a dealer controls.

The retail structure is shifting too

• Chinese brands took ~24% of the market in early 2026, up from 14% a year earlier. BDO’s automotive team has warned the pace of Chinese-brand dealer expansion “is not sustainable,” flagging possible brand closures and franchise realignment.
• BYD took direct control of its Australian distribution from July 2025 and, by per-site measure, was selling about 48 cars per rooftop per month vs ~41 for the traditional-brand average.
• The agency (fixed-price) model remains contested but entrenched — Honda and Mercedes-Benz both retain it, and Mercedes won a landmark Federal Court case after dealers challenged the transition.
• Per AADA Dealernomics 2026, Australia has 3,910 franchised dealerships generating $21.5 billion in economic activity and employing 64,000+ people.
• Dealers are also winning back the used market — dealer-led used transactions rose from 39.1% (2024) to above 50% by early 2026.

What it means for dealers

If half your influence happens on review platforms and inside AI answers, then your job isn’t only to advertise — it’s to be found, accurate and persuasive everywhere a buyer looks during a six-month, stop-start journey. That means three things working together: a website that answers real questions, search and AI visibility so you show up in those reviews and AI results, and lead handling fast enough to catch a buyer in the narrow window when they finally raise their hand.

This is exactly the problem ADME builds for — from search and answer-engine visibility to lead capture and the welcome-and-review loop that keeps customers coming back. The buyer changed. The marketing has to change with them.

Sources: CarExpert, AADA Dealernomics 2026 and CarExpert. Car Buyer Report figures via carsales/Nature.