Source: alexfan32/Shutterstock.com
Source: alexfan32/Shutterstock.com

Top selling cars in New Zealand

According to the most recent government statistics, from 2013 to 2024, the number of cars, utes and motorbikes on our roads grew by a third, from around 3.4m to 4.5m.

However, over the past five years, our appetite for new passenger vehicles has wavered. Due to the tighter economic climate, in 2024 cars sales were down considerably, by around 21%, year on year.

However, last year they rebounded by 12%, and 2026 sales numbers are off to a good start:

  • 2021: 112,008 cars
  • 2022: 116,334 cars
  • 2023: 110,488 cars
  • 2024: 87,410 cars
  • 2025: 97,972 cars
  • 2026 (Jan-July): 60,116 cars

Top 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, over 2024-25, there was a shake-up at the top. The Eclipse Cross, which sold 1030 last year, was usurped by its little brother, the ASX, and the once popular Model Y dropped out of the top 15 altogether.

In 2025, there were 1284 new Tesla Model Ys registered in the country, placing it 17th on the best-seller list. But so far this year, Tesla has sold 2311 Model Ys, rocketing it back into second position on the best-seller charts:

Rank

Top Selling Cars 2025

Top Selling Cars 2026

1

Toyota RAV4 (11,295)

Toyota RAV4 (3917)

2

Mitsubishi ASX (4970)

Tesla Model Y (2311)

3

Mitsubishi Outlander (4309)

Mitsubishi ASX (1987)

4

Ford Everest (3323)

Toyota Corolla Cross (1796)

5

Kia Seltos (3189)

Mitsubishi Outlander (1724)

6

Toyota Yaris Cross (2018)

Ford Everest (1646)

7

MG ZS (1971)

Kia Sportage (1599)

8

Toyota Corolla (1953)

GWM Haval H6 (1526)

9

Hyundai Tucson (1841)

Hyundai Tucson (1382)

10

Suzuki Swift (1825)

MG ZS (1309)

11

GWM Haval H6 (1815)

Kia Seltos (1180)

12

Toyota Landcruiser Prado (1668)

Toyota Corolla (979)

13

Mazda CX-5 (1609)

Suzuki Swift (975)

14

Toyota Corolla Cross (1476)

Toyota Yaris Cross (952)

15

Kia Sportage (1360)

Kia Stonic (909)

Source: NZTA – 2026 sales to 31/07/26


Petrol vs hybrid & EV sales

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 six months of 2026, EV and PHEV sales rebounded considerably. EVs comprised a record 18% of the new car market and, marking another tipping point, sales of vehicles with non plug-in hybrid engines (of which just over 1% were diesel) surpassed those of cars with traditional combustion engines:

Sales by Engine Type 2025

Sales by Engine Type 2026

40% Petrol

35% Non plug-in hybrid

40% Non plug-in hybrid

30% Petrol

8% Diesel

18% EV

7% EV

11% Plug-in hybrid

5% Plug-in hybrid

6% Diesel

Source: NZTA – 2026 sales to 31/07/26

So far this year, sales by engine type:

Non plug-in hybrids: 35% (20,968)

Top models include:

  • Toyota RAV4 (2626)
  • Toyota Corolla Cross (1796)
  • Kia Sportage (1598)

Petrol: 30% (18,163 sales)

Top models include:

  • Mitsubishi ASX (1987)
  • Mitsubishi Outlander (1420)
  • Kia Seltos (1180)

EVs: 18% (10,728 sales)

Top models include:

  • Tesla Model Y (2311)
  • BYD Atto 3 (610)
  • BYD Atto 1 (547)

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle: 11% (6412 sales)

Top models include:

  • Toyota RAV4 (1291)
  • GWM Haval H6 (531)
  • BYD Sealion 5 (430)

Diesel: 6% (3845 sales)

Top models include:

  • Ford Everest (1646)
  • Mitsubishi Pajero Sport (249)
  • Land Rover Defender (230)

Top selling EV models

As we mention above, so far this year EV sales have bounced back:

  • 2023: 21,032 EVs
  • 2024: 6341 EVs
  • 2025: 6871 EVs
  • 2026 (Jan-July): 10,728 cars

And despite many new models hitting the market, such as the Dongfeng Box, the Tesla Model Y remains the country's most popular EV:

Rank

Top Selling EVs 2025

Top Selling EVs 2026

1

Tesla Model Y (1284)

Tesla Model Y (2311)

2

BYD Atto 3 (555)

BYD Atto 3 (610)

3

Polestar 2 (354)

BYD Atto 1 (547)

4

BYD Sealion 7 (337)

Dongfeng Box (533)

5

Tesla Model 3 (308)

BYD Atto 2 (530)

6

Kia EV5 (276)

Kia EV3 (466)

7

Kia EV3 (255)

MG 4 (447)

8

BYD Dolphin (221)

Jaecoo J5 (436)

9

Toyota BZ4X (192)

Zeekr 7X (397)

10

BMW i  (176)

BYD Sealion 7 (355)

11

Honda e:N1 (171)

Kia EV5 (290)

12

Mini Countryman (151)

Toyota BZ4X (282)

13

Omoda E5 (128)

MG S5 (247)

14

Geely EX5 | Mini Aceman (111)

MG ZS (240)

15

Volvo EX30 (109)

Dongfeng Vigo (238)

Source: NZTA – 2026 sales to 31/07/26


New Zealand’s favourite passenger car brands

Japanese brands have long been the top selling cars in NZ, especially if you count commercial vehicles. But even without ute sales, Toyota and Mitsubishi comprise a quarter of the passenger car 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 BYD, GWM and MG that have made the biggest inroads into the top car charts over the past two years.

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

Rank

Top Selling Brands 2025

Top Selling Brands 2026

1

Toyota 22,402 (23%)

Toyota 10,420 (17%)

2

Mitsubishi 10,815 (11%)

Kia 5244 (9%)

3

Kia 8597 (9%)

Mitsubishi 4691 (8%)

4

Suzuki 4925 (5%)

BYD 3219 (5%)

5

Mazda 4920 (5%)

MG 2997 (5%)

6

Ford 4677 (5%)

GWM 2671 (4%)

7

MG 4131 (4%)

Suzuki 2621 (4%)

8

Honda 3176 (4%)

Tesla 2517 (4%)

9

Honda 3626 (4%)

Ford 2321 (4%)

10

GWM 3237 (3%)

Mazda 2252 (4%)

11

Nissan | Subaru 2306 (2%)

Hyundai 2220 (4%)

12

BYD 1904 (2%)

Honda 1926 (3%)

13

BMW 1787 (2%)

Chery 1526 (3%)

14

Volkswagen 1721 (2%)

Subaru 1215 (2%)

15

Tesla 1592 (2%)

BMW 1045 (2%)

Source: NZTA – 2026 sales to 30/06/26

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.


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