How to Get the Best Price on a New Car in Australia (2026)

Two people can buy the same new car in the same week and pay thousands of dollars apart. Usually the difference is not how tough one of them was at the desk. It is when they bought, how they handled the trade-in, how the finance was set up, and what was added at the end.

None of that takes special skill. It takes knowing where the price can move, and a little patience. Here is what makes the biggest difference in 2026, and where Rodar can take the legwork off your hands.

Compare drive-away prices, not RRP

The first number you see is often the recommended retail price. That is the car before on-road costs: stamp duty, registration, compulsory third party insurance and dealer delivery. A drive-away price includes all of them, so it is the only figure you can fairly compare from one dealer to the next.

Ask for a written drive-away quote on the exact same car each time: same grade, same colour, same options. If one quote looks much lower than the rest, check what has been left out of it.

Know whether the price can move

Most brands sell through dealers who own their stock and set their own price. That is where competition between dealers makes a real difference, because each one has room to decide how keen it wants to be.

Some brands work differently. Honda has sold at fixed national drive-away prices since 1 July 2021, under what is called an agency model. The price is the same at every Honda dealer, so shopping around for a lower number on the car itself will not change it.

With a fixed-price brand, your saving comes from the other parts of the deal: the trade-in, the finance, and whether a novated lease suits you. For Honda, that is where Rodar focuses too.

Time your purchase

When you buy can matter as much as who you buy from. These are the windows most worth knowing about:

• End of financial year (June). Dealers are working to annual targets, and outgoing model-year stock is often priced to clear.
• End of the calendar year (December). A car built this year becomes a year older on paper in January, so dealers often want it gone before then. If you plan to keep the car for a long time, that build year matters less to you.
• Model runout. When a new generation is about to arrive, the current one is cleared. If you do not need the very latest version, this is often where the largest savings are.
• End of the month or quarter. Sales targets reset, so a deal that is close on the 2nd can come together by the 30th.

Get the trade-in right

Settle the new car's drive-away price first, then talk about the trade-in. When the two are discussed together, it is hard to tell whether a generous trade-in figure is really generous, or whether it has been taken back off the price of the new car.

Know what your car is worth before anyone makes you an offer. Check a few online valuations, and look at private listings for the same model, year and kilometres.

Selling privately can get you more money, but it takes time: photos, listings, phone calls and test drives with strangers. A trade-in saves all of that. Which one suits you depends on how much the difference is worth to you.

One thing a trade-in does not do is reduce your stamp duty. In Queensland and New South Wales, for example, duty is worked out on the value of the new car, not on the difference after your trade-in. Check your own state's rules, and budget for duty on the full price.

Treat the finance as its own decision

Finance is where a good price on the car can be lost again. A lower weekly repayment can come from a longer loan term or a balloon payment at the end, and both can add to the total you repay.

• Compare the dealer's finance offer with at least one other lender before you sign.
• Look at the total amount repayable and the comparison rate, not only the weekly figure.
• If your employer offers salary packaging, price a novated lease as well. Our guide to whether novated leasing is worth it explains who it tends to suit.

Electric cars have a particular advantage on a novated lease at the moment. Eligible battery electric cars under the fuel-efficient luxury car tax threshold, $91,661 for 2026-27, are exempt from fringe benefits tax on a novated lease until 31 March 2027. Changes from 1 April 2027 were announced in the May 2026 Budget and are subject to legislation. This is general information, so get advice on your own situation before you commit.

Decide on the extras before you get to the desk

Paint protection, fabric protection, window tinting and extended warranties are all optional. They are usually offered near the end, when you are ready to sign and keen to be done. Decide beforehand which ones, if any, you actually want.

Ask for each extra to be priced separately, so you can see exactly what it adds to the drive-away figure. If you want one, you can compare that price with what the same product costs elsewhere.

Stay calm, and be ready to walk away

You do not need to be aggressive to get a good price. You need to be informed, and comfortable saying no.

• Get it in writing. A written drive-away quote from two or three dealers on the same car lets them compete on a like-for-like basis.
• Be ready to leave. A buyer who can genuinely walk away is in a much stronger position than one who has to buy today.
• Take your time over "today only" offers. A good deal on Saturday is usually still a good deal on Monday.

How Rodar helps you get a competitive price

Doing all of this yourself takes time: quotes from several dealers, comparing them line by line, and holding your ground on the trade-in and the finance. If you would rather spend your weekends on something else, we are happy to do that work for you.

You tell us the car. We put it to our network of over 1,000 trusted automotive dealers and manufacturers, and the dealers compete for your business. Their drive-away offers come back to you side by side, so you are comparing like with like, and you choose. The dealer who wins pays us a procurement fee, built into the deal, so you are not sent a bill. We can also compare a panel of over 30 lenders, value your trade-in and arrange delivery to your door.

For Honda, and for brands such as Tesla and BYD, we focus on the trade-in, the finance and the novated lease rather than the price of the car itself.

Whenever you are ready, get your competitive offers, or read our FAQs first if you would like to see how it works. No pressure either way.

Rates and repayments are indicative only and subject to lender approval. Rodar Pty Ltd is an Authorised Credit Representative (555548) of Fintelligence Pty Ltd (ACL 511803).