New vehicle registrations in New Zealand surged 22.0 per cent in September, with strong passenger vehicle, rental and electrified vehicle demand driving one of the market’s strongest monthly results of 2026.
Figures from the Motor Industry Association (MIA) show 17,055 new vehicles were registered during September, an increase of 3,074 vehicles compared with the same month last year.
Year-to-date registrations reached 112,242 vehicles, up 11.4 per cent or 11,470 vehicles on the first nine months of 2025.
The September result was also significantly stronger than August, when 12,216 vehicles were registered and annual growth stood at 4.2 per cent.
However, the MIA said the September result was likely supported by vehicles delayed during August following shipping disruption, as well as a high volume of rental registrations.
August shipments were affected by typhoon-related disruption in Asia, with some vehicles arriving late in the month and potentially shifting registrations into September.
“September was a strong month, with growth extending beyond passenger vehicles into the commercial segments,” said MIA chief executive Aimee Wiley.
“Passenger vehicles remain the main driver of growth this year, while September’s improvement in commercial registrations is encouraging after several softer months.”
Passenger vehicles drive market growth
Passenger cars and SUVs were the main contributors to September’s result, with registrations increasing 27.9 per cent year-on-year to 13,243 units.
Passenger registrations are now 16.7 per cent higher year-to-date, reaching 82,441 units compared with 70,627 during the same period in 2025.
Rental activity was particularly strong, with rental companies registering 4,752 passenger vehicles during September. This represented 35.9 per cent of the passenger market and was 33.4 per cent higher than the 3,563 registrations recorded in September 2025.
Year-to-date passenger rental registrations reached 10,751 units, compared with 8,222 in 2025.
“The strong performance this year for rental vehicles is a positive indicator for the tourism sector, as rental companies expand their fleets ahead of the summer tourism season,” said Wiley.
The Toyota Corolla Cross was the most popular rental vehicle in September with 713 registrations, followed by the Mitsubishi Outlander with 654, Mitsubishi ASX with 507, Toyota RAV4 with 402 and Toyota Corolla with 361.
Private passenger demand also strengthened, with registrations increasing by approximately 20 per cent year-on-year.
Electrified vehicle demand continues to rise
Electrified vehicles were another major source of growth during September.
Battery electric vehicle (BEV) passenger registrations increased from 608 in September 2025 to 2,593 in September 2026. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) registrations rose from 388 to 1,203 over the same period.
Combined, BEVs and PHEVs accounted for 28.7 per cent of passenger registrations during September, compared with 9.6 per cent a year earlier.
BEVs represented 19.6 per cent of passenger registrations, while PHEVs accounted for 9.1 per cent. Non-plug-in hybrids represented a further 35.0 per cent.
Conventional petrol, diesel and LPG models accounted for the remaining 36.4 per cent of passenger registrations.
The shift is also evident in year-to-date figures. Passenger BEV registrations are up 178.4 per cent compared with the same period of 2025, while PHEV registrations have increased 166.6 per cent.
Petrol and diesel passenger registrations, meanwhile, have fallen 14.1 per cent.
“The September data shows customers continuing to embrace a broader range of motive power options, particularly battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles,” said Wiley.
The Tesla Model Y led BEV registrations in September with 588 units, followed by the BYD Atto 2 with 172, MG 4 with 165, BYD Atto 1 with 151 and BYD Sealion 7 with 125.
Toyota’s newly introduced RAV4 PHEV led the plug-in hybrid segment with 352 registrations, accounting for almost three in every 10 PHEVs registered during the month.
The BYD Sealion 6 followed with 84 registrations, ahead of the GWM Haval H6 with 83, BYD Sealion 5 with 78 and BYD Atto 2 with 68.
Toyota Corolla Cross led the conventional hybrid segment with 1,053 registrations, followed by the Toyota RAV4 with 451, Toyota Corolla with 450, Kia Sportage with 317 and Toyota Highlander with 251.
Toyota maintains market lead
Toyota retained its position as New Zealand’s leading make in September, recording 4,029 registrations and a 23.6 per cent market share.
Mitsubishi ranked second with 2,150 registrations, followed by Kia with 1,443, Ford with 1,293 and BYD with 1,090.
BYD accounted for 6.4 per cent of the overall market during September, placing it fifth among manufacturers.
| Rank | Make | September registrations | Market share |
| 1 | Toyota | 4,029 | 23.6% |
| 2 | Mitsubishi | 2,150 | 12.6% |
| 3 | Kia | 1,443 | 8.5% |
| 4 | Ford | 1,293 | 7.6% |
| 5 | BYD | 1,090 | 6.4% |
| 6 | Tesla | 650 | 3.8% |
| 7 | MG | 615 | 3.6% |
| 8 | GWM | 553 | 3.2% |
| 9 | Mazda | 426 | 2.5% |
| 10 | Suzuki | 384 | 2.3% |
Corolla Cross leads September passenger sales
The Toyota Corolla Cross was the best-selling model across the overall new-vehicle market in September, recording 1,053 registrations.
It narrowly led the Mitsubishi Outlander on 964 units, while the Toyota RAV4 recorded 803 registrations.
The Mitsubishi ASX and Tesla Model Y completed the top five passenger models for the month.
| Rank | Make/model | September registrations | Market share |
| 1 | Toyota Corolla Cross | 1,053 | 8.0% |
| 2 | Mitsubishi Outlander | 964 | 7.3% |
| 3 | Toyota RAV4 | 803 | 6.1% |
| 4 | Mitsubishi ASX | 680 | 5.1% |
| 5 | Tesla Model Y | 588 | 4.4% |
| 6 | Toyota Corolla | 450 | 3.4% |
| 7 | Kia Sportage | 317 | 2.4% |
| 8 | Kia Stonic | 273 | 2.1% |
| 9 | Ford Everest | 259 | 2.0% |
| 10 | Toyota Highlander | 251 | 1.9% |
The Corolla Cross recorded a significant increase compared with September 2025, when it registered 129 units.
Despite the strong September result, the Toyota RAV4 remains New Zealand’s best-selling passenger vehicle year-to-date with 5,602 registrations. It is followed by the Toyota Corolla Cross on 3,446, Mitsubishi ASX on 3,141, Mitsubishi Outlander on 3,074 and Tesla Model Y on 2,980.
Commercial market rebounds
Commercial vehicle demand also improved during September following a weaker August.
Light commercial registrations increased 2.6 per cent year-on-year to 3,130 vehicles. Despite the monthly increase, the segment remains 1.6 per cent behind 2025 year-to-date, with 25,489 registrations.
Heavy commercial registrations rose 17.6 per cent to 682 vehicles, the segment’s strongest monthly result since November 2024. Heavy commercial registrations are now 2.0 per cent ahead year-to-date.
Ford Ranger led the light commercial market with 843 registrations, narrowly ahead of Toyota HiLux on 823.
Ford Ranger led commercial model registrations with 843 registrations, followed by the BYD Shark 6 with 219 and Toyota HiAce with 177.
| Rank | Make/model | September registrations | Share of commercial registrations |
| 1 | Ford Ranger | 843 | 22.1% |
| 2 | Toyota HiLux | 823 | 21.6% |
| 3 | Mitsubishi Triton | 392 | 10.3% |
| 4 | BYD Shark 6 | 219 | 5.7% |
| 5 | Toyota HiAce | 177 | 4.6% |
| 6 | Mercedes-Benz Sprinter | 159 | 4.2% |
| 7 | Iveco Daily | 131 | 3.4% |
| 8 | Ford Transit | 110 | 2.9% |
| 9 | Isuzu D-Max | 68 | 1.8% |
| 10 | Nissan Navara | 61 | 1.6% |
Ford Ranger also retains the year-to-date lead in the light commercial market with 7,062 registrations, ahead of Toyota HiLux on 5,983 and Mitsubishi Triton on 2,993.
The Toyota HiAce and Nissan Navara complete the top five year-to-date light commercial models.
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