New Zealand new-vehicle sales July: passenger vehicles and SUVs carry the load, while utes stall

David Linklater

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Toyota RAV4 is an SUV and electrified: tick, tick for Kiwi buyers.

Toyota RAV4 is an SUV and electrified: tick, tick for Kiwi buyers.

  • Overall sales hardly changed in July compared to last year.
  • Passenger cars rose 14.7%, while utes slumped by 28.2%.
  • Buying patterns 'increasingly divergent' says Motor Industry Association.

New Zealand new-vehicle registrations for July 2026 that were almost identical to the same month last year - at 11,663, just 25 vehicles more than July 2025 - do not tell the broader story of a rapidly changing market, says the Motor Industry Association (MIA).

Ford Ranger.
Utes simply could not carry their share of the load in July registrations.

Passenger vehicle registrations increased by 14.7% in July 2026 compared to last year, while commercials dropped significantly: utes and vans were down by 28.2%, and heavy vehicles by 20.2%.

Year-to-date, the overall market is up 10.6% on the same period in 2025.

“The July result reflects a resilient market, but with increasingly divergent performance across vehicle segments,” says MIA chief executive Aimee Wiley.

“Strong passenger vehicle registrations offset a significant decline in commercial vehicle registrations during the month. Although the total market remains well ahead of last year on a year-to-date basis, the underlying results point to different purchasing conditions across vehicle segments." 

Passenger vehicles were also the main driver behind the continued strong performance of plug-in vehicles. Battery electrics (BEVs) accounted for 22.3% of passenger registrations and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) a further 14.4%.

In terms of the overall market, BEVs and PHEVs claimed nearly 30% of new-vehicle registrations in July 2026. Include non-plug-in hybrids, and the overall share of electrified models was 56.6%.

Despite the challenges facing light commercials, the Ford Ranger remained the top-selling vehicle overall in July with 738 registrations. The Toyota RAV4 came next (699), followed by the Hilux (608), Tesla Model Y (403) and Mitsubishi Triton (335).

NZ'S TOP 10 NEW VEHICLES YEAR-TO-DATE
Ford Ranger (5651)
Toyota RAV4 (3918)
Toyota Hilux (4271)
Tesla Model Y (2311)
Mitsubishi Triton (2264)
Mitsubishi ASX (1986)
Toyota Corolla Cross (1796)
Mitsubishi Outlander (1725)
Toyota Hiace (1688)
Ford Everest (1646)