Top Selling Cars in New Zealand

Top Selling Cars in New Zealand

According to the most recent government statistics, from 2012 to 2022, the number of cars, utes and motorbikes on our roads grew by a third, from 3.3m to 4.4m.

And our appetite for new automobiles remains strong, despite the tighter economic climate. The number of new cars sold last year was only slightly down on the previous two years’ figures:

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

And, these numbers don’t include new utes, which fall into the commercial category. Last year the Ford Ranger (9907 sales) and Toyota Hilux (8054 sales), were, respectively, the first and third most popular new vehicles overall on our roads.

→Related article: Top Selling Utes in New Zealand

So what are the top selling cars in NZ, Canstar takes a look.

In this article

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

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The display order does not reflect any ranking or rating by Canstar. This information is not an endorsement by Canstar of travel money cards or any specific provider. Information correct as of 20/09/23. For full pricing details see individual providers’ websites.

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Top 10 selling car models New Zealand

The top five best-selling cars in NZ have been the same for the past two years. However, this year, one former top performer has gotten off to a far from electric start in the sales race: the Tesla Model Y.

Just 244 new Tesla Model Ys have hit our roads this year. That’s a drop of 75% on the Model Y’s sales numbers at the same point in 2023. Has the end of the Clean Car Discount and increased competition in the EV market pulled the plug on Tesla sales? We’ll have to wait and see:

Compare Outstanding Value Car Insurance with Canstar

Looking for great value car insurance for you and your family? Each year, we release our car insurance awards, including winners for Insurer of the Year, Outstanding Value, and Most Satisfied Customers. As part of our award results, we also publish our Outstanding Value Star Ratings, covering car insurance for different age groups. Below are our top rated providers in the 30-49 driver category. Click here to view our complete car insurance Star Ratings for all age groups.

Comprehensive Cover: 30- to 49-year-old Driver:

Provider	Star Rating

See here for our ratings methodology. The table above is an abridged version of our research. For the full results of our latest Car Insurance Ratings and Award, click here.

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Top 10 selling electric car models New Zealand

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

Although given the scrapping of the Clean Car Discount, and the introduction of Road User Charges for PHEV and EV drivers, it will be interesting to see if electric and hybrid sales experience continued growth throughout 2024.

While hybrid sales are holding steady, it’s already evident that EV sales have plummeted. Just 4% of vehicles sold so far this year were EVs, compared to 12% in the first quarter of last year.

Top selling totally electric vehicle models:

This year’s total EV sales are well down on last December’s, when the top selling car, the MG 4, shifted 623 units, and the 10th placed car, the Ford Mustang Mach-E sold 90 cars. In a rush to beat the Clean Car Discount shut-off date, a record 3361 EVs were sold in the last month of 2023, compared to a total of 1082 in the first quarter of this year.

However, it’s still early days, and there are some interesting new additions to the best-selling EV car list, notably the BYD Seal, and the new EVs from Toyota, the bZ4X, and Subaru, the Solterra:

→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 share roughly a third of the market.

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

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

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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

This report was written by Canstar’s Editor, Bruce Pitchers. Bruce has three decades’ experience as a journalist and has worked for major media companies in the UK and Australasia, including ACP, Bauer Media Group, Fairfax, Pacific Magazines, News Corp and TVNZ. Prior to Canstar, he worked as a freelancer, including for The Australian Financial Review, the NZ Financial Markets Authority, and for real estate companies on both sides of the Tasman.