New car wait times: The models you can drive away tomorrow

If there's one common question the Drive team is asking, or being asked, about new cars at the moment, it's "How much stock is there for this model?".

After COVID-19 shutdowns and semiconductor shortages wreaked havoc on global production from 2020 and saw demand soaring over supply, new-car buyers were left with limited options.

It's no longer a question of "which car do I want?" but "which car can I actually get my hands on?", a particularly stressful feeling for buyers on a budget or with a tight schedule.

We decided a good news story was in order, so we asked brands which of their cars are available in good numbers over the next six months in Australia.

Of course, there's no one answer to that question, with stock levels varying depending on the specification grade, colour and dealership location, plus plenty of other factors out of brands' control, like shipment delays, consumer demand and ever-changing global conditions.

As such, this article should only be considered a first step on your purchase journey – designed to help point you in the right direction if you're in need of a car and don't want to wait.

DISCLAIMER: Stock levels are subject to change and availability is dependent on specification grades. Always contact your local dealership for a more accurate estimate of delivery timing. Brands not included in this article either did not respond in time or declined to take part in the story. We will update this story with any delayed responses as they come to hand.

Citroen cars with good stock levels:

 "Citroen C4, Citroen C3 and Citroen C5 Aircross readily available in Australia for Citroen," a Citroen spokesperson told Drive.

"The new Citroen C5 X is also set to arrive in Australian showrooms in quarter four, 2022 with expressions of interest now open.

"Wait times for Citroen vehicles are dependent on the model and specification and tend to vary due to variant. We advise customers to discuss their specific order directly with their local Citroen retailer for information on wait times."

Cupra cars with good stock levels:

"Cupra is essentially sound on all fronts. Leon and Formentor PHEVs become available at month’s end [end of August 2022]," a Cupra spokesperson said.

GWM cars with good stock levels:

"Supply of most GWM models has improved over the last month or two," a GWM spokesperson told Drive.

"[The GWM Ute] is in relatively strong supply, although specific colour and grade availability will differ from dealer to dealer."

Haval cars with good stock levels:

"The Haval Jolion and H6 are in relatively strong supply, although specific colour and grade availability will differ from dealer to dealer," a Haval spokesperson told Drive.

"The new Haval H6 GT has proven to be extremely popular with new car buyers and our initial allocation has already been sold out, but we do have more on the water currently making their way to Australia.

"H6 Hybrid supply has been difficult, but it looks like the situation will also improve on this model shortly."

Honda cars with good stock levels:

"Under Honda Australia’s new operating model, Honda owns all the vehicle stock, including showroom display, demonstrator and service loan vehicles," a Honda spokesperson told Drive.

"We have a new centralised stock management system, which provides every Honda Centre around Australia with access to the entire stock pool. The stock pool is based at multiple locations around the country, but not directly at the Honda Centres. The process for preparing and transporting a new vehicle to a Honda Centre only begins once a customer order has been placed.

"Honda currently has a reasonably good level of stock for Civic VTi LX, HR-V Vi X, Accord VTi-LX petrol and most CR-V grades, depending on the vehicle colour selected, the state and delivery location, and the requested timing for delivery (immediate delivery is not the requirement for all customers).

"If stock isn’t immediately available, delivery could vary anywhere from three weeks to 10 months, depending on the specific model/grade/colour of the vehicle selected.

"The standard deposit amount for a new Honda vehicle is $1000. The deposit is fully refundable up to the time the vehicle is booked for transport to the Honda Centre for delivery to the customer. Honda’s price protection policy also ensures prices do not increase between when a contract is signed and when the vehicle is delivered to the customer, even if the vehicle price was to change during that period."

Hyundai cars with good stock levels:

Hyundai went further than many other brands by providing a current breakdown of its wait times on each model, based on whether customers have already placed an order (current order) or are planning to place an order (new order). Here is their wait-times breakdown, which is subject to change:

“Wait time and availability in dealerships will vary depending on model and variant (engine, trim grade, colour, region),” a Hyundai spokesperson said.

“Our logistics team is actively prioritising vehicle allocation to existing customer orders (ensuring we limit customer wait times as much as possible).

“It is important for customers to still visit their local dealer and place orders so they can ensure the earliest possible delivery time.

“It is also important for customers who want to buy a Hyundai to visit their dealer and ask about the current situation: depending on model, variant, trim, colour etc, the car might be available in stock for immediate delivery, or in production and only a short time away.”

"Wait time on the Isuzu D-Max and MU-X depends on vehicle specification, colour and accessories ordered," an Isuzu spokesperson said.

"There continues to be ongoing supply delays, especially on certain higher-grade models. The supply delays are mainly due to the unprecedented levels of demand and vehicle component supply delays caused by the global semiconductor shortage and ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

"We’ll continue to keep customers up-to-date through their local selling dealer and via our website."

According to a spokesperson for both the Jaguar and Land Rover brands: "Like other automotive manufacturers, we are currently experiencing some COVID-19 supply chain disruption, including the global availability of semiconductors, which is having an impact on our production schedules.      

"We continue to see strong customer demand for our range of vehicles, and are working closely with affected suppliers to resolve the issues and minimise the impact on customer orders wherever possible. 

"As the situation for each model varies, we are communicating directly with customers regarding lead times, and do not wish to state any dates or time frames on your website when dates and time frames may change."

Kia cars with good stock levels:

"The production situation changes regularly so it is difficult to give exact numbers of what will be exported to Australia and when, which in turn also makes it difficult estimate wait times," a Kia spokesperson told Drive.

"In general the top of the line variants across the Kia range are the most affected by component shortages.

"Supply has improved across a number of high demand models such as Carnival, Sorento and Sportage and the initial focus has been to fulfil backorders.

"At this point in time, Carnival petrol variants have a longer wait time than diesel.

"The recently launched all-new Niro has a steady supply of 75-100 units per month.

"We have currently sourced an additional 115 EV6 on top of the initial supply of 500 announced at Feb launch."

"Demand for new vehicles is at unprecedented levels. In Australia, to support the strong demand, Lexus Australia is continuing to work closely with our global production teams to secure as many vehicles for our market as possible, and minimise any impact," a spokesperson for Lexus said.

"Wait times will vary depending on the model, variant and specification requirements of each customer. Due to the ever-evolving nature of this situation, Lexus dealers are best placed to continue to provide updates to our customers on delivery time frames for individual orders."

Mercedes-Benz cars with good stock levels:

"Generally speaking we can provide almost any model within a four month period. Vehicles currently with the best availability in terms of stock already landed include C-Class, GLC and GLE," a Mercedes-Benz spokesperson told Drive.

"You can actually get a good feel for this using our online shop. "

MG cars with good stock levels:

“As a result of continued strong demand for MG vehicles, along with some short-term global logistic constraints, vehicle availability varies across the range," an MG spokesperson said.

“We still have stock in dealers that have no customer name assigned to them, so our best advice is for customers to check with their local MG dealer to see what vehicles are available for immediate delivery. We expect to have a good supply of our entire range including the all-new ZS EV leading into Q4.”

Mitsubishi cars with good stock levels:

Mitsubishi cars with wait times:

A Mitsubishi spokesperson emphasised: "This list is general only – individual customer orders may not match these dates, due to location or accessories requirements that are customer specific."

Nissan cars with good stock levels:

Nissan cars with wait times:

"Navara, Juke and Leaf stock is available around the country and continuing to arrive," a Nissan spokesperson told Drive.

"Wait times are a result of a number of factors including specification, variant and location.  We would encourage all customers to speak with their nearest dealer for an estimate of exact arrival times for their vehicle.

"Previous generation X-Trail production will cease from July ahead of the launch of the all-new X-Trail launch later this year. Nissan Dealers have visibility to the remaining X-Trail stock available. These are selling quickly, so we encourage customers to speak to their local dealer to determine availability."

Peugeot cars with good stock levels:

"Peugeot Australia currently has stock across Passenger, SUV and LCV on the ground and readily available in Australia and in transit," a Peugeot spokesperson said.

"Wait times for Peugeot and Citroen vehicles are dependent on the model and specification and tend to vary due to variant. We advise customers to discuss their specific order directly with their local Peugeot retailer or Citroen retailer for information on wait times.

"The new Peugeot 308 GT Hatch, 308 GT Premium Hatch, and 308 GT Premium Wagon will arrive in Australian showrooms in quarter four, 2022, with expressions of interest now open."

"The current wait time for Polestar 2 is approximately six months, but we are working on a strategy to get more cars to Australia. By the new year we should start to see stock levels improve," a spokesperson for Polestar said.

"Other than rare exceptions where floor stock does exist, there is a wait time on all Porsche models," a Porsche spokesperson told Drive.

"[For cars you can by tomorrow] Our Porsche Approved used car program is proving to be an increasingly popular option for those who are not keen on waiting and happy to forego specifying their own Porsche."

"Lead times on average are six months but vary dramatically by model and colour," a Ram spokesperson told Drive.

A Renault spokesperson helpfully broke down every model based on current and future availability – here's the state of play at time of publishing...

Renault cars with good stock levels (if you're not picky on specification):

Renault cars with wait times:

"Renault has been able to maintain reasonable supply on the SUV range over the past 12 months or so; LCVs have been challenging," a Renault spokesperson told Drive.

"As supply continues to be disrupted, Renault Dealers currently have limited stocks of vehicles spread throughout the network.

"Order bank varies by model. With production delays, stoppages etc on some models we are out nearly a year, especially on the commercial range.

"With escalating costs and OEM price increases, whilst it is an old cliché, 'buy now to avoid price rises' has never been more true."

Skoda cars with good stock levels:

Skoda cars with wait times:

"Skoda has solid stock levels with order wait times of no more than three months – except for Octavia for which the wait will be more than six months due to a factory fire earlier this year," a Skoda spokesperson said.

Ssangyong cars with good stock levels:

"Since the beginning of this year, we’ve had reasonable levels of Korando petrol and Rexton supply and stock," a Ssangyong spokesperson told Drive.

"Buyers have still had to wait if their specific vehicle spec is not in stock, of course. The approximate wait time for this is around three months."

Additionally: "The Korando Ultimate diesel was a little slow to arrive initially, but supply normalised in May. Musso also had a slow start to 2022 with some back orders, but the supply line improved in May to expected levels from June.  

"Like most brands, we have experienced material shortages and congestion at the ports."

Subaru cars with good stock levels:

"Stock levels are generally tight, however the newly launched WRX is arriving in good numbers, and supply of Outback has been steady," a Subaru spokesperson said.

"Model-year 2023 Subaru Forester will commence arriving in Q4 this year in considerable numbers.

"Delivery time frames for customer orders vary based on model, colour and variant preferences. If ordering a car, wait times range from two months to up to six months.

"We encourage customers to speak with their local Subaru retailer who are best placed to advise delivery time frames for specific orders and will find the soonest available unit in dealer supply or from factory order."

Tesla shoppers should consult the brand's Design Studio for up-to-date stock levels for the Model 3 and Model Y.

Buyers can place an order for each car with a $350 non-refundable order fee.

"Demand for new vehicles is at unprecedented levels," a Toyota spokesperson told Drive.

"In Australia, to support the strong demand, Toyota Australia has been continuing to work closely with our global production teams to secure as many vehicles for our market as possible, and minimise any impact.

"Wait times will vary depending on the model, variant and specification requirements of each customer. Due to the ever-evolving nature of this situation, Toyota dealers are best placed to continue to provide updates to our customers on delivery time frames for individual orders."

Volkswagen cars with good stock levels:

Volkswagen cars with wait times:

"Volkswagen passenger vehicles have stock of all but Golf (full supply back by year’s end) and Tiguan (five-seat) and waiting time for R and R-line variants of models extends into next year," a Volkswagen spokesperson said.

"VW Commercial vehicles will soon be out of first-generation Amarok, with Gen Two not due until January."

Volvo cars with good stock levels:

"Everything is in good numbers with the exception of the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric," a Volvo spokesperson told Drive. 

"The XC40 range is at a model-year change, and the new look and feel cars will start arriving from August and then it’s lots of free stock.

"Meanwhile, the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric will have significant numbers arriving in Q4 2022, but it might not be enough to satisfy demand as we're holding significant orders for it. If you were to order one today, I would say it would take you until March or April 2023 to get it.

"The XC60 and XC90 are both pretty much okay – the XC60, you can walk in and get one now.

"The C40 all-electric car should be with us in October in both single-motor and dual-motor form. We are holding orders, but stock that’s arriving will be enough to fulfil those orders and we hope to be ahead of the curve, but it will depend on what happens. Numbers should be significant to satisfy anybody now."