A study by Continental Tyres has revealed only four per cent of Australians take their SUVs off-road – despite buying them for their ‘outdoor’ appeal.
Australians buy more SUVs than any other vehicle type, with higher-riding five-door wagons having overtaken conventional sedans and hatchbacks as the most popular body type in 2017 – and every year since.
Despite the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux utes making headlines as the nation’s top-selling models, SUVs of varying sizes still make up the majority of new car purchases each year.
The Toyota RAV4 was the second-best selling vehicle – and top-selling SUV – in Australia in 2024 and remains behind only the Ranger year-to-date.
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The popularity of SUVs – which saw almost 700,000 sold in 2024, accounting for more than half of all new cars sold here – has prompted tyre brands including Continental to develop an SUV-specific tyre for Australian customers.
The German tyre manufacturer surveyed 1000 Australian drivers during the development of its UltraContact UX7 tyre to determine if there was genuine customer demand for an SUV-specific tyre – and what those demands were.
Its survey showed one-in-four Australians associated SUVs with a sense of adventure and outdoor recreation, yet only four per cent took their SUVs off-road.
The figure isn’t a shock given the term SUV – a marketing slogan that stands for Sports Utility Vehicle – now refers to a variety of vehicles, from car-based urban compact SUVs like the Mazda CX-3 through to genuine off-road capable vehicles such as the ladder-frame Ford Everest 4×4.
The term ‘crossover’ or CUV (Crossover Utility Vehicle) is not widely used in Australia but typically refers to car-based or ‘unibody’ vehicles – such as the Toyota Corolla Cross – with increased ride height and ground clearance compared to a hatch or sedan.
More than two-thirds (67 per cent) of respondents purchased their SUV for its ‘high driving position’ and perceived additional luggage space, while 62 per cent said improved visibility due to the driving position played a key factor in their decision to buy an SUV.
A total of 21 per cent purchased their SUV for ‘family transport’ and 19 per cent for long-distance travel.
Yet Continetal found most Australians said they would buy an SUV-specific tyre – hence its introduction of the UltraContact UX7 – despite almost half (46 per cent) of respondents buying their SUV mainly for ‘everyday transport’.
It wasn’t all positive, with a quarter (25 per cent) of respondents saying SUVs are more difficult to park, with 17 per cent suggesting the space they take up on the road is a drawback.
More than 55 per cent believed SUVs are no more dangerous than other vehicle types, but 11 per cent did say SUVs drivers are rude and 10 per cent described SUV drivers as ‘aggressive’.