How New Zealand's Car Fleet is Changing: Fuel Type Trends
The most dramatic shift in New Zealand's car fleet isn't what people buy — it's what powers it. In 2020, petrol accounted for 78% of new registrations. By 2025, it was 46%. Hybrids went from 14% to 42%.
The crossover point nearly happened in 2023. That year, 86,608 hybrids were registered against 87,952 petrol vehicles — a gap of just 1,344. Total registrations peaked at 218,650 in 2023 before settling to 181,837 in 2025.
This article breaks down the numbers behind the shift. All data comes from the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register, covering every passenger vehicle registered in New Zealand.
The Big Picture
The chart above shows the trajectory of all five fuel types across six years. Petrol's decline and hybrid's rise are the dominant story, but electric vehicles, diesel, and plug-in hybrids each tell their own part.
Petrol's Decline
Petrol registrations dropped from 136,826 in 2020 to 84,468 in 2025 — a -38% change. That's not a collapse. Petrol is still the most common fuel type for new registrations in New Zealand. But the trend is clear and consistent: every year since 2021, petrol's share has fallen.
In 2020, roughly 78 out of every 100 newly registered vehicles ran on petrol. By 2025, that number was 46. The cars haven't disappeared — many of these registrations shifted to hybrid powertrains, often the same models buyers were already choosing (Corolla, RAV4, Fit) but in hybrid form.
The Hybrid Surge
Hybrid registrations grew from 24,875 in 2020 to 75,886 in 2025 — up +205% since 2020. The peak was 2023, when 86,608 hybrids were registered, nearly overtaking petrol's 87,952.
The Toyota Aqua was the number one registered model in New Zealand in both 2022 and 2023 — a Japanese used import hybrid outselling every petrol car on the market. That single model tells the story of NZ's hybrid boom: most hybrids here aren't bought new from a dealer. They're used imports from Japan, where hybrid adoption happened years earlier. The Aqua, Prius, Fit Hybrid, and Nissan Note e-POWER make up a huge proportion of the hybrid fleet.
This matters because it means NZ's hybrid transition is driven as much by the Japanese used car supply as by consumer preference for new hybrids. The economics are straightforward: a used Aqua is cheap to buy and costs roughly half as much to run as a petrol equivalent.
Electric Growth (and Slowdown)
Electric vehicle registrations grew from 3,299 in 2020 to a peak of 26,331 in 2023. That's a dramatic increase — the EV fleet was expanding rapidly, driven by models like the Tesla Model Y, Tesla Model 3, Nissan Leaf, and BYD Atto 3.
Then the numbers dropped. In 2024, electric registrations fell to 7,241, and in 2025 they were 7,816. The Clean Car Discount — which provided rebates on low-emission vehicles — ended on 31 December 2023. Global EV pricing remained uncertain throughout 2024. The data shows the slowdown clearly; the causes are worth noting but we won't speculate beyond what the numbers tell us.
Even with the slowdown, the 2025 figure of 7,816 is still +137% from 2020's 3,299. The long-term trend is upward, even if the pace has changed.
What's Next
The data shows a clear direction: New Zealand's car fleet is moving away from petrol-only powertrains. But the pace is uncertain. Hybrids are the bridge technology dominating the transition right now — affordable, practical, and supported by a deep supply of Japanese used imports.
The top registered model has shifted over time: Toyota RAV4 led in 2020, then Mitsubishi OUTLANDER in 2021, Toyota AQUA in 2022–2023, and Toyota RAV4 again in 2024–2025. The common thread is that hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants of these models are increasingly what New Zealanders are registering.
Year-by-Year Breakdown
| Year | Total | Petrol | Hybrid | Electric | Diesel | Plug-in Hybrid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 175,547 | 136,826 77.9% | 24,875 14.2% | 3,299 1.9% | 10,117 5.8% | 397 0.2% |
| 2021 | 218,063 | 161,708 74.2% | 34,622 15.9% | 6,897 3.2% | 14,236 6.5% | 549 0.3% |
| 2022 | 216,368 | 129,207 59.7% | 51,482 23.8% | 16,545 7.6% | 12,942 6.0% | 6,138 2.8% |
| 2023 | 218,650 | 87,952 40.2% | 86,608 39.6% | 26,331 12.0% | 9,446 4.3% | 8,285 3.8% |
| 2024 | 181,869 | 96,063 52.8% | 67,520 37.1% | 7,241 4.0% | 9,931 5.5% | 1,092 0.6% |
| 2025 | 181,837 | 84,468 46.5% | 75,886 41.7% | 7,816 4.3% | 10,675 5.9% | 2,710 1.5% |
Percentages are of total registrations for that year. Minor fuel types (hydrogen, extended range) omitted for clarity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common fuel type for new registrations in NZ?
As of 2025, petrol is still the most common fuel type with 84,468 new registrations (46% of total). However, hybrids are closing fast at 75,886 registrations (42%). In 2023, hybrids nearly overtook petrol — the gap was just 1,344 vehicles.
Are electric cars becoming more popular in New Zealand?
Electric vehicle registrations grew from 3,299 in 2020 to a peak of 26,331 in 2023 — a significant increase. However, registrations dropped to around 7,816 in 2025 after the Clean Car Discount ended in December 2023. The long-term trend is still upward from 2020, but the pace has slowed.
Why are hybrids so popular in NZ?
Most hybrids registered in NZ are used imports from Japan — models like the Toyota Aqua, Toyota Prius, Honda Fit Hybrid, and Nissan Note e-POWER. These are affordable to buy (because of the large Japanese used car supply) and cheap to run (2–4 L/100km). The Toyota Aqua was the single most registered model in both 2022 and 2023, outselling every petrol car.
Where does this registration data come from?
All data comes from the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) Motor Vehicle Register, which tracks every registered passenger vehicle in the country. The data is current as of 31 March 2026. Registration counts include both NZ-new vehicles and used imports entering the fleet for the first time.
Data sourced from the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) Motor Vehicle Register, current as of 31 March 2026. Registration counts include both NZ-new vehicles and used imports entering the fleet for the first time. Percentages may not sum to 100% due to minor fuel types (hydrogen fuel cell, extended range electric) being excluded from the table above.