Used import registrations rose to 8697 units in March 2026, a 13.3% increase compared with the same month last year, when 7679 units were recorded.

It is the strongest year-on-year gain the market has posted since the pandemic-era distortions of 2022 and extends the run of monthly increases to three.

Passenger vehicle volumes made up the majority of the total, with 8230 registrations, up 13.1% year-on-year. Commercial used imports recorded 467 units, rising 16.8% from the 400 registered in March 2025.

Toyota remained the dominant used passenger brand, recording 2982 registrations in March. That was up 248 units, or 9.1%, compared with the same month last year, giving the brand a 36.2% market share. Nissan followed with 1413 units (up 38.5%), ahead of Mazda with 976 (up 2.4%). Honda came in fourth with 696 units (up 1%), and Subaru rounded out the top five with 632 (down 1.7%).

Nissan’s performance was the standout among the volume brands, with a near 40% year-on-year lift that saw its market share climb to 17.2%. The brand’s gains were driven in large part by the Nissan Leaf, which surged to 444 registrations in March from just 103 a year earlier, a 331% increase that saw it become the fourth most popular used import model overall.

Among the premium and smaller brands, Tesla continued its rapid growth from a low base, rising 362.5% to 74 units. BYD also grew strongly, up 333.3% to 26 registrations. Lexus jumped 46.5% to 167 units, Mitsubishi lifted 28.9% to 156, and Land Rover more than doubled to 61. Mercedes-Benz was one of the few fallers, down 5% to 152, while Volkswagen dropped 17.2% to 77 units.

In the used commercial segment, Toyota again took the lead with 225 registrations, up 18.4% year-on-year and commanding 48.2% of the segment. Nissan followed with 84 units (up 25.4%), then Ford (29, up 93.3%), Hino (19, down 29.6%), and LDV (17, up from just one unit last year). Isuzu halved to 10 registrations from 20, while Mitsubishi also fell sharply, down 44.4% to 15 units.

Nissan Leaf surges into top five as EV imports jump

The most popular used import passenger model in March was the Toyota Aqua with 791 units, up modestly from 776 last year and still well clear of the field. The Toyota Prius followed with 525 units (up from 515), then the Toyota Corolla (481, up from 412) and the Nissan Leaf (444, up from 103).

The Leaf’s jump into fourth place marks a significant shift and suggests growing buyer appetite for affordable used EVs. The model was 17th in March last year and has now overtaken established favourites including the Nissan Note, Honda Fit, and Mazda Axela. Tesla registrations also totalled 74 units across the brand in March, up from just 16 a year ago, while BYD recorded 26 registrations, up from six.

The Nissan Note (373), Toyota C-HR (277), Mazda Axela (252), Mazda Demio (250), Honda Fit (247), and Subaru Impreza (208) completed the top 10.

In the commercial space, the Toyota Hiace remained the undisputed best seller with 193 registrations, up sharply from 137 a year ago. The Nissan NV200 (22), Ford Ranger (19), Nissan NV350 (19), and Nissan Caravan (16) rounded out the top five.

Year-to-date tracking well ahead

Year-to-date used import registrations now sit at 23,999 units, 6.3% ahead of the 22,581 recorded over the same three months in 2025. Passenger registrations are up 6.2% at 22,790 units, while commercial volumes are 7.2% higher at 1209.

March’s result is the biggest year-on-year percentage gain since the market began recovering. While passenger volumes remain well below pre-pandemic levels, when March regularly attracted more than 11,000 registrations, the three consecutive months of growth and double-digit March gain suggest the used import market is building genuine momentum heading into the second quarter.