Source: nadia_if/Shutterstock.com
Source: nadia_if/Shutterstock.com

If you’re considering making your next car purchase a hybrid, what are your options? Canstar looks at the most popular hybrid cars in New Zealand.

For those who don't want to break their reliance on fossil fuels completely by purchasing a fully electric vehicle, known as an EV or BEV (battery electric vehicle), a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or petrol hybrid (HEV) is a great alternative.

Hybrids deliver excellent fuel economy and lower emissions, while still being able to take advantage of the speedy refuelling options and range advantages associated with conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.

Top selling hybrid vehicles in New Zealand

Between 2022 and 2023, pure EV models increased their market share from 10% to 14.5%. However, it's clear the end of the EV subsidies had a big effect. While hybrid sales remained strong last year, new EV numbers plummeted. Just 7% of vehicles sold in 2025 were fully electric.

Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), which are now subject to road user charges, were also out of favour. Just 4658 PHEVs were registered in NZ last year, while non plug-in hybrid sales were strong, matching those of petrol vehicles.

However, over the first quarter of 2026, EV and PHEV sales have rebounded quite considerably:

Sales by Engine Type 2025

Sales by Engine Type 2026

40% Petrol

36% Petrol

40% Non plug-in hybrid

34% Non plug-in hybrid

8% Diesel

14% EV

7% EV

9% Plug-in hybrid

5% Plug-in hybrid

7% Diesel

Source: NZTA – 2026 sales to 31/03/26

Top selling plug-in hybrids

Below are the top 10 best-selling PHEVs in NZ, plus their approx fuel efficiency measured by litres per 100km. Note that fuel efficiency does change slightly between sub-model types:

Rank

Top Selling PHEVs 2025

Top Selling PHEVs 2026 | l/100km

1

BYD Sealion 6 (715)

BYD Sealion 5 (250) | 1.3l

2

Mitsubishi Outlander (602)

Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (233) | 1.9l

3

GWM Haval H6 (379)

GWM Haval H6 (197) | 1.1l

4

MG HS (368)

Jaecoo J7 (187) | 1l

5

Jaecoo J7 (331)

BYD Sealion 6 (187) | 1.1l

6

Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (250)

Mitsubishi Outlander (113) | 1.2l

7

Chery Tiggo 8 (165)

Chery Tiggo 8 (112) | 1.3l

8

Lexus NX (139)

Geely Starray EM-i (108) | 2.4l

9

Geely Starray EM-i (113)

Chery Tiggo 7 (84) | 1.4l

10

Lexus RX (96)

Lexus NX (75) | 1.4l

Source: NZTA – 2026 sales to 31/03/26

Top selling hybrids

As most new Toyota models are either petrol or diesel hybrids, and Toyota is the country's No.1 car brand, boasting around a quarter (23%) of all new vehicle registrations last year, it's no surprise that the Japanese car marque dominates the hybrid charts.

Rank

Top Selling Hybrids 2025

Top Selling
Hybrids 2026 | l/100km

1

Toyota RAV4 (11,295)

Toyota RAV4 (1302) | 4.8l

2

Toyota Yaris Cross (2018)

Toyota Corolla Cross (761) | 4.1l

3

Toyota Corolla (1676)

Kia Sportage (564) | 5.3l

4

Toyota Corolla Cross (1476)

Toyota Yaris Cross (555) | 3.6l

5

GWM Haval H6 (1326)

GWM Haval H6 (361) | 5.2l

6

Hyundai Tucson (1273)

Suzuki Swift (311) | 4.7l

7

Toyota Highlander (1161)

Toyota Corolla (305) | 3.8l

8

Suzuki Fronx (1118)

Toyota Yaris (286) | 3l

9

Toyota Yaris (1050)

Honda Jazz (246) | 4.8l

10

Suzuki Swift (978)

MG ZS (237) | 4.7l

Source: NZTA – 2026 sales to 31/03/26


Hybrid options: hybrid vs plug-in hybrid

Hybrid (HEV)

Petrol/diesel hybrids, like the first mass-produced hybrid car, the Toyota Prius, feature a battery that is charged during driving, not from an external power source. The car's electric motor is reserved for stop-start urban driving, while the combustion engine does the heavy work. Because of a hybrid's reliance on its conventional engine, fuel savings are limited. However, hybrid owners do not pay road user charges.

Plug-in hybrid (PHEV)

A plug-in hybrid has a large battery and a powerful electric motor that, together, allow you to drive at speed for long distances, from around 40km to 90km, depending on the model. Like fully electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids need to be plugged in and charged.

When used for day-to-day city driving and short commutes, plug-in hybrids offer a fuel-free driving experience, along with the assurance of a conventional engine for longer road trips. However, they are subject to road user charges.

Mild-hybrid (MHEV)

Not as common as plug-in or petrol/diesel hybrids, mild hybrid electric vehicles use a battery-powered electric motor alongside a conventional petrol engine to improve efficiency. Mild hybrids use regenerative braking to charge their batteries while driving. They don't charge from an external power source and are not capable of electric-only driving.

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Bruce Pitchers is Canstar's NZ Editor. An experienced finance reporter, he has three decades’ experience as a journalist and has worked for major media companies in Australia, the UK and NZ, including ACP, Are Media, Bauer Media Group, Fairfax, Pacific Magazines, News Corp and TVNZ. As a freelancer, he has worked for The Australian Financial Review, the NZ Financial Markets Authority and major banks and investment companies on both sides of the Tasman.
In his role at Canstar, he has been a regular commentator in the NZ media, including on the DrivenStuff and One Roof websites, the NZ Herald, Radio NZ, and Newstalk ZB.
Away from Canstar, Bruce creates puzzles for magazines including Woman’s Day and New Idea. He is also the co-author of the murder-mystery puzzle book 5 Minute Murder.


Important Information

For those that love the detail

This advice is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this advice is right for you.