Best new car deals

Car deals are rarely as keen as December. The year end is when car-makers clean calendar-year stock and dealers get bonuses from the factory to sell more cars – and this is exactly the time when car buyers are holding all the aces.

Most of the vehicles on offer with great savings are 2019-built models, though there are some deals on 2018-built examples still available.

Many models won’t change from 2019 to 2020, so buyers get the same car for a big price reduction and have the chance to get extra bonuses such as free servicing or accessories at no cost.

Have a look at the examples on this page and then have a chat to your dealers today or this weekend. They may add even more incentives for your new car for Christmas.

Holden dealers have wasted no time in heavily discounting the Commodore after Holden announced it was axing the model. CarsGuide has heard of prices down to $21,990 driveaway for a new Commodore LT, but it’s not advertised so canny buyers will have to bargain hard to get this new-car deal price. Remember, this is a car listed at $33,690 plus on-road costs.

Some dealers have advertised the LT Liftback for $24,990 driveaway, a saving on the recommended retail price of about $12,500. Get this bargain and it also comes with a five-year warranty and seven years of free scheduled servicing. And they’re a very good car to drive, have heaps of features, plenty of space – especially with the huge lift-up boot – and the full safety inventory.

Holden is also discounting its Astra five-door hatchback as part of a corporate plan to concentrate on utes and SUVs. The European-made Astra R entry-level automatic starts at $22,990 driveaway and with seven years of free scheduled servicing (normally costing $2403), saving about $5000. It has a 110kW 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine and good safety and convenience features.

There is also a R+ automatic variant with a higher level of safety for $23,990 driveaway including the free servicing. The 147kW 1.6-litre RS Black Edition has black trim – including black alloy wheels – and is now $27,490 driveaway with the service deal.

Hyundai is seeing out 2019 with some car offers on its neat light car, the Accent, and the Elantra sedan and i30 hatch. The best offer is the seven-year warranty that is included in all 2019-built cars – though, oddly, not available on the remaining 2018 vehicles.

Hyundai has offers on its neat light car, including the Accent which is on offer as a sedan or hatch for the same price.

The Accent is on offer as a sedan or hatch for the same price, opening with the Sport manual at $15,990 driveaway and with the seven-year (normally five-year) warranty. The manual is normally $15,490 plus on-road costs, so the saving with the costs included is about $2000, plus the benefits of the extended warranty. The automatic version of the Accent hatch or sedan is now $17,590 driveaway, also saving about $2000.

The Elantra is the sedan version of the i30 hatch. Its Go version now starts at $20,990 driveaway with the seven-year warranty for the manual, and $22,990 for the automatic. The better-equipped Elantra Active automatic is $25,990 driveaway with the seven-year warranty, saving about $3000.

The Hyundai Elantra sedan is also on offer.

If you prefer a hatchback, the i30 is from $20,990 driveaway for the manual with the seven-year warranty as a 2019-built car. The automatic adds $2000. The Active version is $22,990 (manual) and the automatic is $24,990.

Audi is luring buyers with extra equipment on its entry-level A4 sedan as part of its “Open Haus” sale. The end-of-year event sees the A4 35 TFSI sedan now priced at $57,990 driveaway including metallic paint (usually $1500) and the Assistance Package Tour kit (normally about $1900) that groups additional safety gear such as adaptive cruise control, turn assist, automatic high-beam control, collision warning and collision avoidance through automated steering assistance. Include the driveaway costs and the saving is about $7500. The base A4 35 TFSI is normally $56,100 plus on-road costs. It has a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine and seven-speed automatic and features include satellite navigation, 10-speaker audio and alloy wheels.

Audi is luring buyers with extra equipment on its entry-level A4 sedan as part of its “Open Haus” sale.

Audi also has deals on its Q2 baby SUV. The 35 TFSI version, with the same engine and transmission as the A4 35 TFSI, is now $45,990 driveaway and includes metallic paint ($1500). The saving is about $5000.

Ford’s mid-size Escape SUV now starts at $28,990 driveaway, saving about $3000, with an additional $500 as a factory bonus. One of the best car deals in Australia at the moment, the Ford offer opens with the Ambiente automatic version that has front-wheel drive and a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine and is now $28,990 driveaway. Features include satellite navigation, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and seven airbags. It also has a comprehensive infotainment unit with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The next variant up is the Trend that has the same 1.5-litre drivetrain and costs from $32,490 driveaway with the $500 bonus as an extra. The Trend is also available with a 2.0-litre engine and all-wheel drive for $35,490 driveaway, and as a diesel for $37,990.

The flagship Escape Titanium is $45,340 driveaway (petrol engine) or $47,840 (diesel) with all-wheel drive and automatic transmission as standard. These also qualify for the $500 bonus.