Motor vehicle prices rose 2.2 per cent over the twelve months to June 2026, against headline inflation of 3.8 per cent. Automotive fuel went the other way, down 7.3 per cent over the year. The Australian Bureau of Statistics released the figures on 29 July 2026.
- Motor vehicles, annual
- +2.2%
- Headline CPI, annual
- +3.8%
- Automotive fuel, annual
- -7.3%
- Reference period
- June 2026
- Released
- 29 July 2026
What changed
The ABS Consumer Price Index for June 2026 puts the annual change for Motor vehicles at 2.2 per cent, with headline CPI at 3.8 per cent and the Transport group up 0.1 per cent over the year.
Automotive fuel was, in the ABS's words, "the main offsetting contributor (-7.3%)". The release adds that "in monthly terms, prices for Automotive fuel were down 10.9% in June 2026 following a fall of 11.9% in May 2026, reflecting lower world oil prices".
What it means if you're buying or selling
Read plainly, the release says vehicle prices are climbing more slowly than the cost of living, and that fuel was cheaper than a year earlier.
It is worth being clear about what the figure is not. Motor vehicles is a national price index built for the CPI basket. We could not find a separate index for cars sold privately between households in the release we read, so it is not a guide to what a private seller should ask, and it carries nothing about a particular make, model, age or condition.
A national average is also not how an individual car loses value. Our guide to car depreciation in Australia goes through what actually moves the number on a specific vehicle.
A national index is an average across the whole market; current listings for the same model, age and kilometres are the closer guide to what your car will fetch.