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.

So far this year, the RAV4 and ASX are still going strong, while the Kia Seltos has nipped in above the Outlander in third:

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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 that plug-ins are now subject to road user charges.

So far this year, petrol-hybrid sales have remained strong, 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.

And after a sluggish start to the year, this month sees Tesla return to the top of NZ’s top-selling EV charts, on the back of the popularity of its new and improved Model Y.

In June, 407 of the new-look Model Ys were registered, pushing the car’s total sales for the year up to 636. Combined with the 180 Model 3s that have arrived in the country this year, it gives Tesla a 23% share of the EV market, beating BYD’s 18% share.

And it’s worth noting that BYD has four passenger car models – the Atto 3, Dolphin, Seal and Sealion – to Tesla’s two: Model 3 and Model Y.

So far this year, BYD has sold 636 of its four models, and Tesla a total of 816 cars between the Y and 3.

→Related article: Best Hybrid Cars in New Zealand

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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.