Latest New Zealand Used Imports Sales Figures

Drive Electric NZ - Monthly Used Import EV Registration Dashboard
September 2026
406
Used EV Regs
(BEV + PHEV)
4.9%
Used EV (BEV+PHEV)
Market Share
2,182
Public Charging
Points
305 BEV
101 PHEV
Monthly Regs
Headline figures (Used EV Regs, Market Share, BEV, PHEV) are used-import light vehicles under 3.5 tonnes (passenger cars/vans, utes and vans; trucks and heavy-duty pickups excluded), 8,349 in total this month. The registrations table below covers all vehicle types, including buses, motorcycles and mopeds. For NZ-new figures see Latest New Zealand Sales Figures.

Of all used-import light vehicles under 3.5 tonnes, here is how EV uptake compares between passenger vehicles and light commercials (utes & vans).

Passenger vehicles

8,005 used-import registrations
5.0%

EV share of used
passenger vehiclesUp from 2.6% in Sep 2025 · YTD 5.4%

404
EVs registered
3053.8%
BEV
991.2%
PHEV
Sep 2026Sep 2025YTD 2026YTD 2025
BEV3051292,9221,253
PHEV9957746534
Total EV4041863,6681,787
All passenger8,0057,06168,50264,455
EV share5.0%2.6%5.4%2.8%

Light commercial

344 used-import utes & vans
0.6%

EV share of used
utes & vansUp from 0.4% in Sep 2025 · YTD 0.5%

2
EVs registered
00.0%
BEV
20.6%
PHEV
Sep 2026Sep 2025YTD 2026YTD 2025
BEV00104
PHEV2132
Total EV21136
All utes & vans3442402,6371,735
EV share0.6%0.4%0.5%0.3%

Top light commercial EVs, Jan–Sep 2026

Nissan e-NV200BEV6
BYD Shark 6PHEV3
Other (4 models)4

EV share by month, 2026

0%2.5%5%7.5%10% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSep Passenger5.0% Utes & vans0.6%

Passenger vehicles = NZTA vehicle type Passenger Car/Van. Light commercial = utes and vans from NZTA's Goods Van/Truck/Utility category, identified by model as NZTA's data has no weight field. Trucks and heavy-duty pickups over 3.5 tonnes are excluded from both groups and from the headline figures above. Very few used-import utes and vans are electric (13 so far this year), so the light commercial share moves on single vehicles. The top light commercial table uses year-to-date figures for this reason.

Top Selling Models Used Imports – September 2026
BEV
Model Vol
Nissan Leaf188
Tesla Model 341
Tesla Model Y22
Mercedes-Benz EQA / Porsche Taycan5
PHEV
Model Vol
Mitsubishi Outlander51
Toyota Prius16
Toyota RAV416
BMW Mini5

Used Import Registrations by Type & Motive Power - September 2026

Vehicle Type - Motive Power Vol
Passenger Car/Van - Electric305
Goods Van/Utility (utes & vans) - Electric0
Passenger Car/Van - Plug-in Petrol Hybrid99
Goods Van/Utility (utes & vans) - Plug-in Petrol Hybrid2
Goods Trucks over 3.5t & Buses - Electric0
Moped & Motorcycle - Electric1
Total Used Import EV Registrations (BEV + PHEV) 407
Source: NZTA Open Data - used-import registrations only (vehicles imported used, mostly from Japan, at their first NZ registration; NZ-new vehicles and re-registrations excluded). Figures cover fully electric vehicles (excluding petrol-extended range EVs, which run on petrol day-to-day and are not counted as EV or PHEV) and plug-in petrol hybrids; non-plug-in petrol/electric hybrids are not included. "Used" does not include second-hand sales between New Zealand owners: NZTA does not publish change-of-ownership data as an ongoing open dataset.

Headline BEV (305) = Passenger Car/Van Electric (305) + Utes & Vans Electric (0)

Headline PHEV (101) = Passenger Car/Van Plug-in Petrol Hybrid (99) + Utes & Vans Plug-in Petrol Hybrid (2)

Headline EV Regs (406) = Total Used Import EV Registrations (407) - Trucks over 3.5t & Buses (0) - Mopeds & Motorcycles (1). The headline counts light vehicles under 3.5 tonnes only.

All BEV (306) = Passenger Car/Van Electric (305) + Utes & Vans Electric (0) + Trucks over 3.5t & Buses Electric (0) + Mopeds & Motorcycles Electric (1)

Used Imports Powertrain Shift
September 2026

The Powertrain Shift

Used-import light vehicles under 3.5t · 2026 vs 2025

1 in 21 used imports in September plugged in. A year ago it was 1 in 39. Plug-in share (BEV + PHEV) of used-import light vehicles under 3.5 tonnes: 4.9% in September 2026, up from 2.6% in September 2025.

September vs September last year
2025
2026
PowertrainSep 2026vs Sep 2025
BEV305▲ 136%
PHEV101▲ 74%
Hybrid4,235▲ 17%
Petrol3,376▲ 3%
Diesel332▲ 38%
Year to date vs last year
2025
2026
PowertrainJan–Sep 2026vs Jan–Sep 2025
BEV2,932▲ 133%
PHEV749▲ 40%
Hybrid33,798▲ 10%
Petrol30,952▼ 2%
Diesel2,704▲ 40%
Plug-in share of used-import light vehicles under 3.5t, month by month (2026)
0%2.5%5%7.5%10% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSep BEV 4.9% 2.6% Top edge = total plug-in share, 2026 (yellow = PHEV) 2025 plug-in share

Source: NZTA Motor Vehicle Register, used imports at first NZ registration of light vehicles under 3.5 tonnes (passenger cars/vans, utes and vans), January–September 2026 and 2025. Trucks and heavy-duty pickups are excluded.

"Used" means vehicles imported used, mostly from Japan. It doesn't include second-hand sales between New Zealand owners, which NZTA doesn't publish. BEV = battery electric. PHEV = plug-in hybrid. Hybrid = non-plug-in petrol/diesel hybrids. Petrol and diesel are non-hybrid vehicles only. Range-extended EVs and hydrogen 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.

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