Wrecking, recycling & the NZ fleet.
Data, guides and opinion on end-of-life vehicles, scrappage and the New Zealand car market.
New vehicle registrations in August 2026
A look at the vehicles first registered in New Zealand in August 2026, with a focus on how electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids are tracking. Passenger cars and vans, the powertrain split, the most popular EV and plug-in hybrid models, and what the registration numbers tell us about used parts down the track.
Read the post →Revisiting the Clean Car Discount: the dollars and the outcome
We looked at the Clean Car Discount back in 2021. It ended on 31 December 2023 and the final numbers are now in. Here is a plain summary of how the programme worked and what it cost, including the rebates paid, the fees collected, and the Crown grant used to keep it running.
Electric VehiclesSelling your vehicle to a wrecker in New Zealand
When your car reaches the end of the road, selling it to a wrecker is not the same as a normal private sale. Here is what NZTA expects you to do with the registration, the number plates and any refund of unused licence fees, and how a wrecker sale differs from selling a vehicle that stays on the road.
Auto wreckingVehicle Scrappage Programs in New Zealand: History and Impact
A look at New Zealand's vehicle scrappage programs — the Clean Car Discount, the 2009 Scrappage Scheme and the 1999 Fleet Buy-Back — and their impact on emissions and the vehicle fleet.
Cash for Cars ServicesThe top selling cars in 2021
In 2021 the New Zealand government started subsidizing electric and hybrid vehicles. Despite this the top 10 best selling makes are the traditional internal combustion engine cars. Had the subsidy kicked in at the beginning of 2021, we might have seen Tesla make this list. Data Source Table contains
Auto wreckingVehicle registrations in July 2021
There were 23072 passenger cars/vans registered in July 2021, 9955 were new and 13113 were used imports. In this blog post we publish the most popular passenger cars/vans that run on petrol or diesel based on vehicle make and model. […] Read More…
passenger carsMost Popular EVs in July 2021
In June 2021 there were 349 new and 82 used electric vehicles registered. We can see a clear impact of the clean car rebate programme. The number of new EV registrations in July more than doubled compared to June. Similarly the number of used EV registrations in July increased by more than a factor
Electric Vehicleswhat is Cash For Cars?
We give a history of “cash for cars” to explain how it began and what it means today. We explicitly define “cash for cars” for future reference. To the best of our knowledge this is the first such attempt at a formal definition of “cash for cars” and it will have major implications for second hand c
Auto wreckingGood coal Bad Cars
Importing more than a million tonnes of coal last year has had the same impact as adding about half a million passenger cars to the NZ fleet for a year. The current rate at which electric vehicles are being added to the NZ fleet, it would be at least until 2025 when we could see half a million EVs o
Auto wreckingmost popular hybrid vehicles June 2021
Of the 26621 total vehicles registered in June 2021 there were 101 plugin hybrids. For comparison there were 431 passenger EVs registered in the same month. In this blog post we publish the most popular hybrid vehicles based on vehicle make and model. Data Source […] Read More…
hybrid carsMath problems with the clean car discount
Clean Car Discount overview page provides some preliminary information on the rebate amount. Detailed information such as rebate amount about per gram/kilometre of CO2 emissions is missing. However, a graphic titled “Clean Car Programme 2022” is provided and we have shown that graphic as figure 1 he
Electric VehiclesLessons from the 2009 vehicle scrappage trial
In 2009 the Ministry of Transport, NZTA and Environment Canterbury ran a vehicle scrappage trial in Wellington and Christchurch for three and a half weeks. The trial cost $150,361 and 349 vehicles were scrapped. In this blog post we list some important lessons learnt from the trial and comment on th
Auto wreckingMost popular passenger cars in June 2021
There were 21524 passenger cars/vans registered in June 2021, 10264 were new and 11257 were used imports. In this blog post we publish the most popular passenger cars/vans that run on petrol or diesel based on vehicle make and model. Data Source […] Read More…
petrol and diesel carsMost popular commercial vehicles in June 2021
Of the 26621 total vehicles registered in June there were 5097 GOODS VAN/TRUCK/UTILITY vehicles registered in June 2021, 4638 were new and 459 were used imports. In this blog post we publish the most popular GOODS VAN/TRUCK/UTILITY vehicles that are classified as light vehicles but used in commercia
petrol and diesel carsMost popular EVs in June 2021
There were 349 new and 82 used electric vehicles registered in June 2021 [1]. Each month we create a list of the top 10 most popular EVs by make and model. In June Tesla overtook Nissan as the most popular EV. The impact of EV rebates on EV registrations will become clear in the coming months but so
Electric VehiclesClimate Commission Report & Vehicle Industry
The Climate Change Commission released their report this week. In this blog post we examine Chapter 14 of the report titled “Policy direction for transport”. We restrict our review to recommendation 17 (Improve mobility options and reduce emissions) and 18 (Accelerate emissions reductions from the l
Cash for Cars ServicesTop 10 New Vehicles May 2021
New passenger car and commercial vehicle registrations picked up again in May 2021 (the second highest monthly registrations so far this year) [1]. Toyota was the top new vehicle make added to the NZ fleet for both passenger cars and commercial vehicles. This blog lists the top 10 new vehicles added
Cash for Cars ServicesTop 10 New Vehicles April 2021
New Passenger Car and commercial vehicle registrations decreased in April 2021 compared to the previous month [1]. Toyota was still the top new vehicle make added to the NZ fleet for passenger cars but dropped to second position in the commercial vehicles list. This blog explores the top 10 new vehi
Cash for Cars ServicesNZ Vehicle Fleet Status April 2021 Update
We look at the NZ vehicle fleet status data updated for the month of April 2021 [1]. We explore graphically the data for licensed vehicles only as these are the vehicles legally allowed on NZ roads. We believe there is great value in being able to visualise these data. […] Read More…
Cash for Cars ServicesTop 10 New Vehicles March 2021
Passenger Car and commercial vehicle imports remained steady in March 2021 [1]. Toyota was the top new vehicle make added to the NZ fleet for both passenger cars and commercial vehicles. This blog explores the top 10 new vehicles added to the NZ national fleet in March 2021. […] Read More…
Cash for Cars ServicesNZ Vehicle Fleet Status March 2021
NZTA provides monthly updated data for number of vehicles in the NZ vehicle fleet [1]. We explore graphically the data for the month ending March 2021 for licensed vehicles only as these are the vehicles legally allowed on NZ roads. We believe there is great value in being able to visualise these da
Cash for Cars ServicesCars & Cows, a New Zealand problem
Last week students across the country marched in the School Strike 4 Climate protest for climate change and global warming [1]. News media are taking up related topics and electric vehicles (EVs) is a popular one [2]. This is understandable, after all about a quarter of NZ’s greenhouse gases are pro
Cash for Cars ServicesVehicle Dismantler Your Kiwisaver Expert?
Scrap car prices depend on steel market price which hit bottom during March 2020 and so did your Kiwisaver fund. In this blog post we reveal the correlation between wrecked car prices and Kiwisaver funds. […] Read More…
Cash for Cars Servicesultimate vehicle wrecking and dismantling gallery
The ultimate vehicle wrecking and dismantling gallery showcasing cars, vans and trucks bought using the cash for cars scheme. […] Read More…
Cash for Cars ServicesCar Wrecking and Recycling glossary
Everything you need to know about car wrecking and recycling. A comprehensive list of the terms used in the vehicle dismantling industry. […] Read More…
Cash for Cars ServicesTen Facts About Vehicle Recycling
We list the top ten facts related to the car wrecking industry and vehicle recycling. Most people have little knowledge of the disposal process of end of life vehicles (ELVs) and their environmental consequences. Here we want to get you thinking about the impact you are having when you sell your old
Auto wreckingvehicle dismantling News
Provides the latest news about everything that is happening in the vehicle dismantling and recycling world. Blog post is regularly updated with news from around the world. […] Read More…
Auto wreckingTo dig or to recycle? Can End of life cars be a secondary source of materials?
We all know that wrecked cars can be sold to auto Dismantlers for their metal content and parts. In this blog post we dig a little deeper to learn about the metal composition of cars. Beyond the value of a car for the salvageable parts, the metal content determines its scrap value and recycling stag
Auto wreckingMost popular cars in NZ
We look at the most popular cars in New Zealand fleet for the last 25 years and what it means for the car wrecking yards and the vehicle spare parts businesses. […] Read More…
passenger carsAnalysis of Written off vehicles in New Zealand from Jan to Jul 2019 (part one)
We take a look at the publicly available data from New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) and Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) from January to July 2019 about the number of written off vehicles that is maintained in the damaged vehicle list. Our purpose here will be to forecast the number of damaged, end o
Auto wreckingDEOL launch
Formal service launch in Christchurch and the wider Canterbury region. DEOL car solutions launches its operations to provide solutions for end of life cars in Christchurch, the wider Canterbury region, and selected cities in South and North Islands. Damaged And End Of Life Cars Solutions strives to
Auto wreckingSell your car for cash today.
No obligation, no fees, free pickup across Canterbury. Fill in the form and we'll send your cash offer.