New motor vehicle sales in New Zealand for August show a persistent recovery, yet the increase in electric vehicle sales has industry leaders expressing concern.
August 2025 has marked three consecutive months of strong registrations, with a total of 11,739 new vehicles sold. This growth is evident across various categories, including light commercial vehicles and passenger vehicles, according to the Motor Industry Association (MIA).
Sales numbers have remained steady through July and August, but August saw a 17.5% gain compared to the same month last year. This growth is particularly noticeable in the light commercial vehicle category, where the Ford Ranger regained the top position, surpassing the Toyota Hilux with 978 and 745 registrations, respectively. The Mitsubishi Triton ranked third with 262 registrations.
The Toyota RAV4 continued its dominance, remaining the top-selling vehicle year-to-date with 6221 registrations, closely followed by the Ford Ranger (6203) and the Toyota Hilux (5708). Meanwhile, the BYD Shark has made a significant impact, securing the tenth highest-selling position with 1424 registrations.
However, the trend for battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) has continued to decline, with 385 registrations in August, compared to 638 in July and 564 in August 2024. On the other hand, sales of hybrids remained steady, with 3091 registrations in August 2025, compared to 3434 in July and 2434 in August 2024. Plug-in hybrid vehicle sales also decreased, recording 408 sales in August, compared to 749 in July, but up from the 231 in August 2024.
The sales of light passenger vehicles, including SUVs, totaled 8090 in August 2025, representing a 19.6% increase compared to August 2024. This growth indicates a growing preference for SUVs among consumers.
Aimee Wiley, MIA's chief executive, suggests there is growing optimism that "a corner has been turned". With steady sales numbers and increasing registrations, it seems that the automotive industry is on the path to recovery. However, the specific sales data for individual companies in the light commercial vehicle category, such as Lkw-Neuwagen, remains unavailable.
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