EV curiosity drives 12.2 million Australians into auto content

More than 12.2 million Australians consumed automotive content online in July, as interest in electric vehicles, car brands and deals helped the category reach 57.5 per cent of the adult online population.

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New Ipsos iris data shows Australians spent just under 19 minutes per person with automotive websites and apps during the month. Search attracted the most time, as consumers navigated a changing vehicle market and cost-of-living pressures.

Car search takes the wheel

People aged 45 to 54 spent the most time with automotive content, averaging more than 23 minutes during July. Women accounted for 6.16 million users in the category, compared with 6.08 million men.

Men, however, spent longer with automotive content. They averaged 22.5 minutes per person during the month, compared with 14.7 minutes for women.

Automotive search recorded the highest average time spent at 20.8 minutes per person. Automotive brand content followed at 10.6 minutes.

Carsales leads the automotive pack

Carsales topped the Ipsos iris automotive brand ranking for July with an audience of 3.613 million, reaching 17 per cent of online Australians aged 18 and over.

• Carsales: 3.613 million
• Drive: 2.617 million
• Linkt: 2.582 million
• NRMA: 1.656 million
• Royal Automobile Club of Victoria: 1.287 million

Carsales also generated the most time spent among the top-ranked automotive brands, at 82 million total minutes and an average of 23 minutes per person.

AI joins the car research process

Ipsos said Australians are increasingly researching electric and hybrid vehicles, with growing interest in Chinese manufacturers adding pressure to established car brands.

Its Automotive Category Report also pointed to AI as a growing part of the research journey. Carsales’ Australia’s Car Buyer Report 2026, developed with Nature, ranked AI among the top 10 influences on car research.

Ipsos identified three main uses for AI during the process: comparing models, simplifying technical industry language and understanding vehicle financing options.

Automotive news also attracted attention during July. Ipsos highlighted audience interest in the BYD refund story, alongside coverage of sales suspensions, import decisions and disruption caused by the influx of EVs.

News reaches 20.1 million Australians

Almost 20.1 million Australians used a news website or app in July, representing 94.3 per cent of the online population aged 18 and over. Users spent an average of 3.25 hours reading news online during the month.

Major stories included the FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, the nationwide Telstra outage and the opening of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Changes to road rules, Betts store closures and international conflict also drove attention.

ABC News topped the July news ranking with an audience of 11.586 million. News.com.au followed with 11.028 million, ahead of nine.com.au at 8.888 million, 7news.com.au at 7.846 million and The Guardian Australia at 6.954 million.

July marks a break in Ipsos iris data

Ipsos iris recorded 21.3 million Australians aged 18 and over using the internet in July, with average daily time online reaching 5.15 hours. Online media was the largest category by audience at 21.09 million, narrowly ahead of social networking and search engines.

July is also the first reporting period under a revised Ipsos iris methodology covering Australians aged 18 and over. People aged 14 to 17 are no longer included, meaning month-on-month or year-on-year comparisons with data collected before July 2026 are not valid.

Ipsos iris uses a hybrid measurement methodology combining a nationally representative passive panel with site-centric census measurement. Its single-source panel measures activity across 8,000 smartphone, PC, laptop and tablet devices.