New Zealand’s new passenger vehicle registrations held steady year-on-year in January 2025, but there was a noticeable decline in the commercial segment.
Passenger vehicle registrations totalled 8059 units in January 2025, a slight decline of 0.7% compared to January 2024’s 8116 units.
However, several brands and models stood out for their strong performance.
Toyota maintained its dominance in the passenger market, registering 1691 units, a 3.6% increase year-on-year, and capturing a 21% market share. Kia followed with 858 units, up 1%, while Mitsubishi rounded out the top three with 665 units, despite a significant 41.8% decline.
BYD registrations skyrocketed by 322.5% to 169 units, while MG grew by 63.8% to 321 units.
The Toyota RAV4 was the clear market leader, with 1023 units, up 65.3% from January 2024. It was followed by the Kia Seltos, with 362 units, up 16.8%.
In third place was the Mitsubishi ASX, with 324 units.
Commercial vehicle market
The commercial vehicle sector faced challenges, with registrations dropping 9.9% to 2799 units in January 2025, down from 3,105 units in January 2024.
Toyota led the commercial market with 765 units, a 50% increase, giving it a 27.3% market share. Despite a 59.4% decline, Ford held second place with 642 units. Mitsubishi showed strong growth, registering 253 units, up 41.3%.
The standout performer was BYD, with its Shark 6 model making a remarkable debut, selling 194 units and capturing 6.9% of the market.
In January 2025, the Toyota Hilux was New Zealand’s best-selling commercial vehicle, with 613 units sold, despite a slight 6.8% decline. Next was the Ford Ranger, with 553 units sold, down 62.4%. The Mitsubishi Triton was third, with 229 units registered.
Electric return
Electric vehicle registrations showed some life in January, up 130% to 588 units against 255 this time last year. PHEV was up a similar amount, from 202 to 477, and BYD took leadership in both segments.
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