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Latest New Zealand Used Imports Sales Figures

Drive Electric NZ - Monthly Used Import EV Registration Dashboard
October 2026
497
Used EV Regs
(BEV + PHEV)
5.8%
Used EV (BEV+PHEV)
Market Share
2,232
Public Charging
Points
398 BEV
99 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), 8,592 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

8,285 used-import registrations
6.0%

EV share of used
passenger vehiclesUp from 3.2% in Oct 2025 · YTD 5.4%

495
EVs registered
3964.8%
BEV
991.2%
PHEV
Oct 2026Oct 2025YTD 2026YTD 2025
BEV3961573,3181,410
PHEV9964845598
Total EV4952214,1632,008
All passenger8,2856,99976,78771,454
EV share6.0%3.2%5.4%2.8%

Light commercial

307 used-import utes & vans
0.7%

EV share of used
utes & vansDown from 0.8% in Oct 2025 · YTD 0.5%

2
EVs registered
20.7%
BEV
00.0%
PHEV
Oct 2026Oct 2025YTD 2026YTD 2025
BEV22126
PHEV0032
Total EV22158
All utes & vans3072492,9501,999
EV share0.7%0.8%0.5%0.4%

Top light commercial EVs, Jan–Oct 2026

Nissan e-NV200BEV7
BYD Shark 6PHEV3
Other (5 models)5

EV share by month, 2026

0%2.5%5%7.5%10% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOct Passenger6.0% Utes & vans0.7%

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 (15 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 – October 2026
BEV
Model Vol
Nissan Leaf262
Tesla Model Y34
Tesla Model 330
BYD Atto 39
PHEV
Model Vol
Mitsubishi Outlander52
Toyota Prius10
Toyota RAV410
Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross8

Used Import Registrations by Type & Motive Power - October 2026

Vehicle Type - Motive Power Vol
Passenger Car/Van - Electric396
Goods Van/Utility (utes & vans) - Electric2
Passenger Car/Van - Plug-in Petrol Hybrid99
Goods Van/Utility (utes & vans) - Plug-in Petrol Hybrid0
Goods Trucks over 3.5t & Buses - Electric0
Moped & Motorcycle - Electric2
Total Used Import EV Registrations (BEV + PHEV) 499
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 (398) = Passenger Car/Van Electric (396) + Utes & Vans Electric (2)

Headline PHEV (99) = Passenger Car/Van Plug-in Petrol Hybrid (99) + Utes & Vans Plug-in Petrol Hybrid (0)

Headline EV Regs (497) = Total Used Import EV Registrations (499) - Trucks over 3.5t & Buses (0) - Mopeds & Motorcycles (2). The headline counts light vehicles under 3.5 tonnes only.

All BEV (400) = Passenger Car/Van Electric (396) + Utes & Vans Electric (2) + Trucks over 3.5t & Buses Electric (0) + Mopeds & Motorcycles Electric (2)

Used Imports Powertrain Shift
October 2026

The Powertrain Shift

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

1 in 17 used imports in October plugged in. A year ago it was 1 in 33. Plug-in share (BEV + PHEV) of used-import light vehicles under 3.5 tonnes: 5.8% in October 2026, up from 3.1% in October 2025.

October vs October last year
2025
2026
PowertrainOct 2026vs Oct 2025
BEV398▲ 150%
PHEV99▲ 55%
Hybrid4,472▲ 29%
Petrol3,316▲ 1%
Diesel306▲ 16%
Year to date vs last year
2025
2026
PowertrainJan–Oct 2026vs Jan–Oct 2025
BEV3,330▲ 135%
PHEV848▲ 41%
Hybrid38,270▲ 11%
Petrol34,270▼ 2%
Diesel3,013▲ 37%
Plug-in share of used-import light vehicles under 3.5t, month by month (2026)
0%2.5%5%7.5%10% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOct BEV 5.8% 3.1% 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–October 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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