LPV = Light passenger vehicle. Source \/ MIA<\/p>\n
Strong September overall<\/p>\n
September was a boom month overall, with new vehicle registrations increasing 22% over September 2025 to 17,055 vehicles, and passenger vehicles up 27.9% to 13,243.<\/p>\n
On a year-to-date basis, total registrations are now 11.4% ahead of 2025, led by passenger vehicles, which are up 16.7%.<\/p>\n
EVs up, petrol and diesel down<\/p>\n
\u201cThe September data shows customers continuing to embrace a broader range of motive power options, particularly battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles,\u201d MIA chief executive Aimee Wiley said.<\/p>\n
Year-to-date in new light passenger vehicles:<\/p>\n
EV registrations are up 178.4% from this point in 2025;Plug-in hybrids are up 166.6%; andPetrol and diesel vehicle registrations are down 14.1%<\/p>\n
Three factors behind EV comeback<\/p>\n
Pain at the petrol pump is the most obvious reason why electric vehicle sales have surged to record levels after tanking in 2024 with the loss of the carrot (the Clean Car Discount) and the introduction of the stick ($76 per 1000km road user charges).<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s also been strong demand for Tesla\u2019s refreshed Model Y, whose year-to-date sales of 2980 dwarf its predecessor, which had only managed 987 sales by this point in 2025.<\/p>\n
Results were up across the board in September – a change from August, when light and heavy commercial vehicles saw a year-on-year decline. Source \/ MIA<\/p>\n
And the third factor is the rise of keenly priced, Chinese-made EVs with BYD leading the charge. While a new-ish brand to New Zealand, BYD is backed by a familiar name. Ateco Group, trading as BYD New Zealand, is ultimately owned by Neville Crichton.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn September, BYD achieved more than 1000 registrations in a single month \u2013 a first for any Chinese automotive brand in New Zealand,\u201d BYD New Zealand general manager Warren Wilmot told the Herald.<\/p>\n
BYD’s plug-in hybrid ute, the Shark, in Huntly. Photo \/ Chris Keall<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat makes this milestone even more meaningful is how we got there,\u201d Wilmot said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe vast majority of these registrations were genuine retail sales to private buyers and businesses who walked into a BYD dealership and chose one of our vehicles.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo mass dealer pre-registrations. No major rental fleet deliveries. No one-off volume deals. Just real customers making real purchasing decisions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s significant because it reflects a broader shift in the market. With the Clean Car Discount gone and EVs now paying Road User Charges, New Zealanders are choosing lower-emission vehicles on their own merits, lower running costs, advanced technology, and exceptional value.\u201d<\/p>\n
BYD has now sold 15,000 vehicles since it launched in New Zealand, Wilmot said.<\/p>\n
Green to green stuff<\/p>\n