Latest New Zealand Used Imports Sales Figures
(non-plugin)
| Model | Vol |
|---|---|
| Nissan Leaf | 188 |
| Tesla Model 3 | 41 |
| Tesla Model Y | 22 |
| Mercedes-Benz EQA | 5 |
| Porsche Taycan | 5 |
| Model | Vol |
|---|---|
| Mitsubishi Outlander | 51 |
| Toyota Prius | 16 |
| Toyota RAV4 | 16 |
| BMW Mini | 5 |
| Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross | 3 |
| Motive Power | Vol |
|---|---|
| Petrol | 3,380 |
| CNG | 0 |
| Diesel | 382 |
| Petrol Hybrid | 3,914 |
| Petrol Electric Hybrid | 307 |
| Diesel Hybrid | 13 |
| Diesel Electric Hybrid | 1 |
| Electric | 305 |
| Plug-in Petrol Hybrid | 101 |
| Electric (Petrol Extended) | 0 |
| Total Used Import Registrations | 8,403 |
Petrol (3,380) = Petrol (3,380) + CNG (0). Diesel (382) = Diesel only.
Hybrid, non-plugin (4,235) = Petrol Hybrid (3,914) + Petrol Electric Hybrid (307) + Diesel Hybrid (13) + Diesel Electric Hybrid (1).
EV / PHEV (406) = Electric (305) + Plug-in Petrol Hybrid (101). Petrol-extended-range vehicles (Motive Power "Electric, Petrol Extended") are not counted as EV or PHEV — they run on petrol day-to-day and are treated the same as any other petrol vehicle. None appeared in the used-import data this month.
Methodology caveat: this classification uses the Motive Power (fuel-type) field, not engine capacity (cc) — the NZTA extract does not include a cc/engine-size column, so "Petrol"/"Diesel" here are not a proxy for engine size or true fuel economy.
Scope caveat: "Used" means used-import vehicles (predominantly ex-Japan) at their first NZ registration — it is not a measure of domestic second-hand vehicle sales. The Motor Vehicle Register only records first-registration events; it does not capture ownership transfers of vehicles already on the register. NZTA's change-of-ownership (MR13B) data, which would be needed to measure domestic resales, is not published as an ongoing open dataset.
Used EV imports have doubled this year. 3,681 plug-in vehicles imported used from January to September, up from 1,793 last year. That's now about 1 in 20 used imports.
Share of used light-vehicle imports by powertrain, January–September. Petrol fell from 47% to 43% of used imports; diesel stayed around 4%. Plug-ins (green and yellow) grew from 2.7% to 5.1%.
Source: NZTA Motor Vehicle Register, used imports at first NZ registration (passenger cars/vans and goods vans/trucks/utes), January–September 2026 and 2025.
"Used" means vehicles imported used, mostly from Japan. It doesn't include second-hand sales between New Zealand owners, which NZTA doesn't publish. Petrol and diesel are non-hybrid vehicles only. Range-extended EVs are counted in the totals but not shown.
Using this data: You're welcome to use these figures for non-commercial purposes, as long as you credit Drive Electric as the source.