Top Selling Cars in New Zealand

Top Selling Cars in New Zealand

According to the most recent government statistics, from 2013 to 2023, the number of cars, utes and motorbikes on our roads grew by a third, from around 3.4m to 4.5m.

And over the past few years, our appetite for new automobiles has remained strong:

• 2021: 112,008 new cars
• 2022: 116,334 new cars
• 2023: 110,488 new cars
• 2024: 87,435 new cars

However, last year, as you can see from the above figures, due to the tighter economic climate, cars sales were down considerably, by around 21%.

It’s worth noting that commercial vehicle sales, including ever-popular ute models such as the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux, Mitsubishi Triton and the Nissan Navara, were up, increasing 7.5% from 38,518 sales in 2023, to 41,393 in 2024. Although these number are down on the 48,479 new commercial vehicle registrations in 2022.

So, how are car sales progressing so far in 2025? Let’s take a look.

In this article

• Top selling car models in NZ
• Top selling EVs
• Top car brands

→Related article: Top Selling Utes in New Zealand

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Top 10 selling car models New Zealand

The top five best-selling cars in 2022 and 2023 were the same: the RAV4, Outlander, Model Y, Swift and Eclipse Cross.

However, last year, there was a bit of a shake-up at the top. The Eclipse Cross was usurped by its little brother, the ASX, and the Model Y dropped out of the top 10 best-sellers altogether.

Just 826 new Tesla Model Ys hit our roads last year. That’s a drop of 79% on the Model Y’s sales numbers (3936) over 2023. Did the end of the Clean Car Discount, the introduction of road user charges for EV owners and increased competition in the EV market pull the plug on Tesla sales? It certainly looks like it!

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Top 10 selling electric car models New Zealand

In 2022, EV and hybrid passenger vehicles accounted for just over a third of all new car registrations. And in 2023 that percentage increased to 41%. Overall, pure EV models increased from a 10% market share in 2022 to 14.5% in 2023.

However, it’s clear the end of the EV subsidies has had a big effect. While hybrid sales remain strong, new EV numbers have plummeted. Just 5% of vehicles sold last year were EVs. And it’s important to note that of the 34,635 hybrid cars registered in NZ last year, just 10% were plug-in hybrids, this compares to 23% across the same period in 2023, which probably reflects the fact that plug-ins are now subject to road user charges.

So far this year, petrol-hybrid sales have increased their market share, while EV sales are up slightly and plug-in hybrids have continued their decline in popularity:

Top selling totally electric vehicle models

Over 2024, EV sales were down 70% on 2023’s numbers: 6341 new EVs were registered last year, compared to 21,032 during 2023. However, despite many new models breaking into the top-seller list, Tesla remained the country’s most popular EV.

However, so far this year, Tesla has lost its crown as the No.1 EV marque in NZ. Its market share has slipped to 14% – putting it in equal second place with Polestar, behind BYD (16%) – on the back of sales that are down around a third (31%).

Although it’s worth noting that BYD does have four car models – the Atto 3, Dolphin, Seal and Sealion – compared to Tesla’s two: Model 3 and Model Y. And it will be interesting to see how Tesla’s new and improved Model Y fares over the second half of the year, as the vehicles arrive in the country.

→Related article: Best Hybrid Cars in New Zealand

Looking for a Great Car Loan?

The table below displays some of the unsecured personal loan products available on Canstar’s database for a three-year loan of $10,000 in Auckland (some may have links to lenders’ websites). The products are sorted by Star Rating (highest to lowest) followed by company name (alphabetical). Use Canstar’s personal loan comparison selector to view a wider range of products on Canstar’s database. Canstar may earn a fee for referrals.

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New Zealand’s favourite passenger car brands

Japanese brands have long been the top selling cars in NZ, especially if you also count commercial vehicles. Between them, Toyota and Mitsubishi make up a third of the market.

However, while Japanese brands hold a large share of the overall market, Korea’s Kia and Hyundai are also big players in the passenger sector. But it’s the upstart brands of GWM and MG that have made the biggest inroads into the top car charts over the past two years, displacing EV brands BYD and Tesla in the process.

New passenger car/SUV registrations by brand, no. sales and market share %:

Searching for the Cheapest Personal Loan?

If you’re looking for the cheapest personal loan, Canstar’s personal loan comparison tables can help. The table below displays the sponsored unsecured personal loan products available on Canstar’s database for a three-year loan of $10,000 in Auckland, with links to lenders’ websites. Use Canstar’s personal loan comparison selector to view a wider range of products on Canstar’s database. Canstar may earn a fee for referrals.

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About the author of this page

Bruce Pitchers is Canstar NZ’s Content Manager. 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 Driven, Stuff and One Roof websites, the NZ Herald, Radio NZ, and Newstalk ZB.
Away from Canstar, Bruce creates puzzles for magazines and newspapers, including Woman’s Day and New Idea. He is also the co-author of the murder-mystery book 5 Minute Murder.