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Hybrid sales are holding steady; Toyota RAV4 third overall for May, top in passenger.
Battery electric (BEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles (ones with plugs, in other words) accounted for 29.6% of New Zealand passenger-vehicle registrations in May, compared with 26.2% in April and 33.6% in May.
BEV registrations reached 1613 in May, compared with 526 in 2025. Plug-in hybrid registrations reached 1043 units (350 last year).
Even considering total industry sales (including utes and vans), BEVs and PHEVs accounted for 23.5% of registrations in May, up from 8.6% in May 2025.
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MIA chief executive Aimee Wiley says last month showed a change in the composition of demand: “The strongest movement is in the light passenger market, where more buyers are choosing battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
“This is now more than a one-month movement, with plug-in registrations remaining elevated across March, April and May. Elevated fuel prices and uncertainty about future fuel costs are relevant to household and business purchasing decisions, but registration data alone cannot isolate a single cause.”
Hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) volumes remain stable. “This suggests the current movement is concentrated on plug-in vehicles rather than being a general lift across all electrified powertrains,” says the MIA.
But with the 28% hybrid share factored in, electrified vehicles accounted for 51.5% of total registrations for May.
The fuel crisis is “now part of the purchasing environment,” says the MIA.
The overall market was 11,294 units, up 10% on May last year. Year-to-date registrations stand at 57,971, up 12.4% on the same period last year.
Light commerical sales increased compared to April, but their market share remained static at 24% thanks to the sharp rise in passenger-vehicle demand.
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The Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux remained the top-selling individual vehicles overall in May. The 10 most popular vehicles for the month were as follows:
It’s perhaps a measure of how fragmented the market is that despite the boost in plug-in sales overall in May, only one of the models in the above list is a dedicated plug-in: the Tesla.
Ranger and Outlander both offer PHEV options, while plug-in power has just been added to the RAV4 (but sales won’t have flowed through yet). Toyota has also just launched a Hilux BEV.
NZ’S TOP 10 NEW VEHICLES YEAR-TO-DATE
Ford Ranger (4043)
Toyota Hilux (3076)
Toyota RAV4 (2399)
Mitsubishi ASX (1534)
Mitsubishi Triton (1497)
Mitsubishi Outlander (1315)
Nissan Navara (1275)
Toyota Hiace (1258)
Ford Everest (1200)
Toyota Corolla Cross (1158)
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