New vehicle registrations in August 2026
In August 2026 there were 15,444 vehicles first registered in New Zealand. That total covers everything from trailers and motorcycles to trucks, so to keep this useful we have focused on passenger cars and vans, of which there were 9,155 in the month. The question we get asked most is how electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids are doing, so that is where we have pointed the numbers. Data Source
Passenger cars and vans by powertrain
| Powertrain | Num | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hybrid (non plug-in) | 3451 | 37.7% |
| Petrol | 2895 | 31.6% |
| Plug-in hybrid | 1136 | 12.4% |
| Electric | 1087 | 11.9% |
| Diesel | 586 | 6.4% |
The headline is that plain petrol is no longer the largest group. Ordinary hybrids now lead, and petrol sits second. Diesel has shrunk to a small share of new passenger cars and vans. Put electric and plug-in hybrid together and they made up 2,223 vehicles, or 24.3% of the month. Close to one in four new passenger cars and vans registered in August was a plug-in of some kind.
The most popular makes in August 2026
Toyota was the biggest group by a wide margin, and it was not close. Toyota alone accounted for 2,402 of the 9,155 passenger cars and vans registered in the month, which is 26.2%, more than double the next make.
| Make | Num | Share |
|---|---|---|
| TOYOTA | 2402 | 26.2% |
| MITSUBISHI | 917 | 10.0% |
| KIA | 860 | 9.4% |
| MAZDA | 460 | 5.0% |
| GWM | 351 | 3.8% |
| SUZUKI | 346 | 3.8% |
| MG | 344 | 3.8% |
| BYD | 336 | 3.7% |
| HONDA | 294 | 3.2% |
| FORD | 266 | 2.9% |
The familiar names still fill most of the top of the table, with Toyota, Mitsubishi, Kia, Mazda, Suzuki, Honda and Ford all present. What has changed is who sits alongside them. GWM, MG, BYD and Chery are now inside the top ten or just outside it, which is the same shift we saw in the electric and plug-in lists. If you widen the view to every vehicle type, including trailers and trucks, Toyota is still comfortably number one for the month.
Toyota being the biggest group is not a surprise, and it feeds straight into the next point about used parts.
How EVs and plug-in hybrids are tracking
A single month is a snapshot, not a trend, so it is worth noting where August sat against the rest of the year. The plug-in share of passenger cars and vans climbed through the middle of 2026, peaking around 38% in June and 37% in July, then eased back to 24.3% in August. Electric vehicles on their own dropped from about 22% in July to 11.9% in August, while plug-in hybrids held up better at 12.4%. Months like this bounce around with shipping timing and model availability, so we would not read too much into one dip, but the plug-in hybrid holding steady while pure electric fell is worth keeping an eye on.
Most popular electric models in August 2026
| Vehicle | Num |
|---|---|
| BYD ATTO 3 | 107 |
| TESLA MODEL Y | 81 |
| MG S5 | 69 |
| BYD SEALION 7 | 56 |
| JAECOO J5 | 51 |
| TOYOTA BZ4X | 49 |
| GWM ORA | 46 |
| LEAPMOTOR C10 | 44 |
Most popular plug-in hybrid models in August 2026
| Vehicle | Num |
|---|---|
| TOYOTA RAV4 | 485 |
| GWM HAVAL H6 | 79 |
| JAECOO J7 | 68 |
| GEELY STARRAY EM-I | 50 |
| BYD SEALION 6 | 45 |
| GWM TANK | 39 |
| CHERY TIGGO 8 | 36 |
Two things stand out. The Toyota RAV4 plug-in hybrid is in a league of its own, on its own outselling every electric model combined at the top of the list. And the electric and plug-in lists are full of newer makes, with BYD, MG, GWM, Geely, Jaecoo, Chery and Leapmotor all present. Tesla and Toyota are still there, but the brand mix looks very different from the fleet that is on the road today.
What the numbers mean for used parts
Registration numbers are not just an interest piece for us, they are a forecast of the used parts market. The vehicles being registered in large numbers now become the vehicles that arrive at wreckers in five, ten and fifteen years, and that shapes how easy a part is to find.
A make or model that registers in the thousands builds a deep pool of donor vehicles over time, so parts stay easy to source and prices stay reasonable. Toyota is the clearest example. It has been a top seller here for years, which is exactly why used Toyota parts are the easiest to find and the most affordable, and the RAV4's plug-in hybrid volumes will keep that going. By contrast, a make with only a handful of registrations in a month leaves a thin pool of donor vehicles, so when one does come in for wrecking the parts off it are scarcer and worth more.
The newer electric and plug-in brands sit in an interesting middle spot. Right now a BYD or a GWM is a rare sight in a wrecking yard, so parts are harder to come by. Given the volumes they are registering, that will change. As these vehicles age and start reaching the end of the road, the supply of used parts for them will build, and the yards that have handled them early will be the ones ready for it. Electric and plug-in vehicles also bring the extra job of safely handling the high-voltage battery, which is a large part of why they are worth recycling properly rather than sending to landfill.
If your electric, hybrid or plug-in vehicle has reached the end of the road, or you are after a used part, we can help. Take a look at our car parts and how we recycle vehicles across Canterbury.
As always, don't forget to check out our services and get in touch. Fill out the contact form or send us an email and we'll get straight back to you. We buy damaged and end-of-life vehicles and pay cash that is above market price.