August registrations of battery-electric cars and plug-in hybrids nearly tripled, taking electrified models past three-fifths of New Zealand’s new passenger vehicle sales so far this year.
For the first time, most new passenger cars sold in New Zealand this year have some form of electrification. In August, registrations of battery-electric cars and plug-in hybrids nearly tripled compared with a year earlier. Petrol, diesel and LPG models fell to 41.7 per cent of passenger registrations.
Across the year so far, electrified vehicles now make up more than three-fifths of the passenger market. Twelve months ago, combustion still held a clear majority.
A strong month despite the weather
Buyers registered 9,136 passenger vehicles in August, up 13.1 per cent on the same month last year. That growth came even though typhoons in Asia disrupted shipping. Some delayed vehicles only arrived in the final days of the month.
Battery-electric vehicle (BEV) registrations rose 172.5 per cent year-on-year, and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) climbed 179.1 per cent. Together they took 23.9 per cent of the month’s passenger market, compared with 9.8 per cent in August 2025. Motor Industry Association (MIA) chief executive Aimee Wiley said the market kept strengthening, with both plug-in types giving it more and more support.
Hybrids still lead, and Toyota leads hybrids
Conventional hybrids remain the largest powertrain group, with 34.4 per cent of August registrations. Toyota dominated the category. The Corolla Cross recorded 597 registrations, the RAV4 401 and the Yaris Cross 222.
Hybrids hold 32.8 per cent of registrations for the year to date. BEVs add 17 per cent and PHEVs 10.9 per cent, which puts electrified models at roughly 60.7 per cent. Of the 69,211 passenger vehicles registered through August, more than 42,000 were electrified in some form.
Combustion has lost that ground. Conventional engines hold 39.3 per cent of the year-to-date market, down from 60.6 per cent over the same period in 2025. That is close to a mirror image in a single year.
The plug-in pecking order
The BYD Atto 3 topped August’s BEV chart with 107 registrations, ahead of the Tesla Model Y on 81. The MG S5 (69), BYD Sealion 7 (56) and Jaecoo J5 (51) completed the top five.
However, one month doesn’t change the bigger picture. The Model Y remains the clear BEV leader for the year, with 2,392 registrations and 20.3 per cent of the battery-electric passenger segment.
Plug-in hybrids show similar momentum. Buyers registered 1,136 PHEVs in August, up from 407 a year earlier. The Toyota RAV4 led with 485, well ahead of the GWM Haval H6 on 79 and the Jaecoo J7 on 68. So far this year, 7,541 PHEVs have been registered, compared with 2,891 in the first eight months of 2025.
Read the model rankings with care
The MIA itself warned that the shipping delays distorted August’s brand and model results. When the top five sell only dozens of cars each, a few late ships could easily reshuffle the order. The wider trend is harder to argue with. The plug-in share of the year-to-date market has more than doubled, from 12.3 to 27.9 per cent. Toyota’s hybrids keep growing alongside it. For New Zealand buyers, a car with only a combustion engine is now the minority choice rather than the default.
