September 2022 New Car Wait Times: Part 1

Following the launch of our new car delivery date estimator, you can now stay informed regarding all the delays and wait times affecting the Australian new car market. 

Whether you are in the market for a specific model, or keeping your options open, our handy tool will provide you with a comprehensive snapshot of wait times by brand, model, state, and even vehicle body type.

In addition, we are delighted to bring to you this monthly piece that wraps up all the latest movements across the market, helping you improve your new car buying experience by responding to the latest developments. After all, not everyone has the patience to wait more than 200 days for a new car!

On that note, here are the key developments from September.

New car market wait time

Could there be a change in the wind? That’s what we are asking ourselves as for the first time in almost two years, the average wait time for a new car in Australia decreased last month.

The last time a month-on-month decrease occurred was back in November, 2020, but since then, we’ve had a continuous run where wait times have ballooned out at every stage along the way. 

September saw delivery wait times ease from an average of 159 days at the end of August to 151 days by the end of the month, offsetting more than three months of gains in recent times. 

Although a positive result, we should take some caution because firstly, this data is still preliminary, and secondly, there is always a chance that this could be a blip. Nonetheless, there are positive signs emerging from anecdotal evidence as well, with many of our dealer contacts reporting a slight improvement in terms of supply chain bottlenecks.

The result is still significantly ahead of last year’s figure, which indicated wait times were just 99 days this time last year. So it will take some time to see whether last month’s result heralds the start of a proper shift in momentum. 

Makes and models with the longest wait times

We only have limited data coming through for Land Rover, but the figures point to challenging times for the UK brand, with wait times blowing out past one year recently. 

Revised data for August put the average wait time at 382 days, and that improved only modestly last month, finishing September at 376 days. Production remains an issue for the brand, with part shortages, namely semiconductors, still affecting supply.

Meanwhile, with Toyota’s production chain improving gradually last month, the Japanese brand reported a small improvement in wait times last month, including for its premium marque Lexus. 

Average wait times for the duo now stand at 244 days and 249 days respectively, down from 253 days and 287 days respectively. Toyota’s result was its best since June, which suggests stock availability is picking up.

Next is Mini, with average wait times for the BMW offshoot brand spiking significantly in September. The delay when ordering a new Mini is now 222 days before one can expect to receive delivery of the car, which is 68 days more than the preceding month. 

The brand recently drew attention overseas when news spread it was sending life-sized puzzles of their cars to customers waiting to receive their new vehicle.

Rounding out the top five, albeit with a steady improvement over recent months, is Isuzu. New car buyers now face an average wait time of around 213 days for one of the brand’s two highly-regarded models, and this is the shortest wait time since February this year, when delivery delays stood at 197 days.

Focusing on some of the higher-volume models sold down under, the Volkswagen Multivan remains one of the most difficult cars to source at this time, with average wait times unchanged from the month prior. As we reported last time, the changeover between the sixth and seventh generation model of the car is likely to be attributable to this blowout, so the results may not tell the full story.

Toyota’s Camry, Landcruiser, and CH-R all feature among the models with the longest wait times, each closing in towards a 300 day delivery schedule. Although the Landcruiser and CH-R have regularly had issues in terms of availability, the Camry is a surprise name on this list, and it may well have something to do with the company prioritising volume for its other models, despite the Camry being popular in its own right.

As one may have gathered from the above findings, Mini has faced issues with worsening delays, up 71%, but it is also worth noting that perennial favourites like Hyundai, Nissan, Ford, and Mitsubishi all recorded low double-digit increases in wait times as well.

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