We built AutoShoppers on a single data source: the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register. Every number you see on this site — from fleet trends to individual model specs — comes from this dataset. This page explains what that data is, what it tells you, and just as importantly, what it doesn't.
What is the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register?
The Motor Vehicle Register is the official New Zealand government record of every motor vehicle in the country. It's maintained by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and is updated whenever vehicles are first registered, re-registered, or inspected.
The full dataset covers all vehicle types — cars, trucks, motorcycles, trailers, and more. The subset we use on AutoShoppers covers 3,678,722 registered passenger vehicles as of 31 March 2026. The raw CSV contains roughly 5.8 million rows across all vehicle types.
What data does the register contain?
Each vehicle record in the register includes a wide range of fields. The ones we use most on AutoShoppers are:
- Make, model, and year of manufacture — the basics of identifying any vehicle
- Body type — hatchback, sedan, SUV, ute, van, and so on
- Fuel type (motive power) — petrol, diesel, hybrid, electric, plug-in hybrid
- Transmission — automatic or manual
- Engine size (CC rating) and power output (kW)
- Fuel consumption — combined, urban, and extra-urban figures from vehicle certification
- Gross vehicle mass (weight)
- CO2 emissions
- Colour
- Region (TLA) — the Territorial Local Authority where the vehicle is registered
- Import status — whether the vehicle was sold new in NZ or arrived as a used import
- Country of origin / previous country
- First NZ registration year — when the vehicle first entered the NZ fleet
- Number of seats
- Vehicle usage type — private, rental, and other categories
How we use this data
We process the raw NZTA CSV and filter it down to passenger vehicles only. From there, we apply a minimum threshold: a make needs at least 50 registrations and a model needs at least 10 to get its own page on AutoShoppers. This filters out one-off imports and low-volume exotics that wouldn't be useful for most buyers.
For each model, we calculate weighted averages for fuel consumption, power output, weight, and CO2 emissions across all registered model years. This gives you a single representative figure rather than cherry-picked best-case numbers.
Registration year trends — the kind you see on our trends page — come from the "first NZ registration year" field. This tells us when vehicles entered the NZ fleet, which is useful for tracking shifts in buying patterns over time. You can also compare models side by side using these aggregated figures.
What this data can tell you
- How many of a specific model are on NZ roads — a high registration count means parts are widely available, mechanics know the car, and you're less likely to wait for specialist components. It's a practical signal of ongoing support.
- Real-world fuel economy — the fuel consumption figures come from vehicle certification, not manufacturer marketing material. They're recorded when the vehicle enters the NZ fleet.
- Whether a model is typically NZ-new or a used import — this matters for service history. An NZ-new car is more likely to have a documented local history than a used import from Japan.
- Regional distribution — which parts of the country have the most of a particular car. Useful if you're looking for a specific model in your area.
- How the NZ fleet is changing over time — the shift from petrol to hybrid and electric, which models are growing or declining in registrations, and broader industry patterns.
What this data cannot tell you
- Reliability or breakdown rates — the register doesn't track repairs, mechanical failures, or how often a model visits the workshop.
- Safety ratings — for crash test results, check ANCAP or Rightcar.
- Purchase price or market value — the register has no pricing data. Check Trade Me Motors or local dealers for current asking prices.
- Insurance costs — these depend on your age, location, and driving history. Get quotes from providers directly.
- Subjective driving experience — how a car feels to drive is outside the scope of registration data. Read reviews for that.
- Accident history for a specific vehicle — for individual vehicle checks, use CarJam or a PPSR check.
- Current WOF status — the register snapshot is a point-in-time record, not a live feed. Check a vehicle's WOF status at NZTA.
A note on our methodology
A few things worth knowing about how the numbers on AutoShoppers work:
- Fuel economy figures are weighted averages across all registered model years for a given model — not a single year's figure.
- "Registration" means appearing in the register, not necessarily a new sale. A used import registered in 2023 of a 2015-manufactured vehicle counts in both the 2015 model year data and the 2023 registration year data.
- Regional data reflects where a vehicle is registered, which may differ from where it's primarily driven. A car registered in Auckland but used mainly in Northland would show as an Auckland vehicle.
- We update our data quarterly when NZTA publishes new snapshots of the Motor Vehicle Register. The current dataset is from 31 March 2026.
We believe in being transparent about what this data can and can't do. If you're making a purchasing decision, use AutoShoppers alongside other resources — not instead of them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does AutoShoppers get its data?
All vehicle data on AutoShoppers comes from the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register, a publicly available dataset maintained by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency. We process the raw data to extract passenger vehicles only and calculate aggregated statistics for each make and model.
How accurate are the fuel economy figures on AutoShoppers?
The fuel consumption figures come from vehicle certification data recorded in the NZTA register — not from manufacturer marketing. We calculate weighted averages across all registered model years for each vehicle. Real-world fuel economy will vary depending on driving conditions, maintenance, and driving style, but these figures are a reliable baseline for comparing models.
How often is the data updated?
NZTA publishes updated Motor Vehicle Register snapshots on a quarterly basis. We process and update our data each time a new snapshot is released. The current dataset is from 31 March 2026.
Can I use this data to check a specific vehicle's history?
No. The NZTA register data we use is aggregated — it tells you about makes and models, not individual vehicles. For a specific vehicle's history (including ownership, odometer, and stolen status), use a service like CarJam (carjam.co.nz) or a PPSR check.
Data sourced from the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) Motor Vehicle Register, current as of 31 March 2026. The raw dataset is publicly available from NZTA's Open Data portal.