5,876,832 vehicles from the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register, covering every registered vehicle in New Zealand.
Key figures from the complete New Zealand Motor Vehicle Register.
New vehicle registrations by year show New Zealand’s motorisation trends, including the boom years of the 2000s and the impact of economic events on fleet growth.
The composition of New Zealand’s fleet by fuel type. Petrol vehicles still dominate, but the share of electrified vehicles (hybrids, PHEVs, BEVs) is growing rapidly.
Diesel and electric vehicles pay RUC directly, while petrol vehicles currently pay via Fuel Excise Duty.
The electrification of New Zealand’s fleet has accelerated dramatically since 2018, driven by falling prices, government incentives, and growing model availability.
2025: 7.32% of new registrations are BEV or PHEV
Toyota dominates New Zealand’s fleet with nearly 1 in 5 vehicles. Japanese manufacturers collectively account for over half of all registered vehicles.
1017 distinct makes are registered, including vintage, custom-built, and specialist manufacturers.
White, silver, and grey dominate New Zealand’s roads, together accounting for over half of all vehicles. Colour preferences have shifted significantly over time - silver peaked around 2007 while white has grown steadily.
How colour preferences have shifted over time. Silver dominated through the 2000s before white took over around 2015.
Passenger cars and vans make up nearly two-thirds of all registered vehicles, followed by goods vehicles and trailers.
| Type | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Passenger Car Van | 3.7M | 62.53% |
| Goods Van Truck Utility | 920k | 15.66% |
| Trailer Caravan | 879k | 14.95% |
| Motorcycle | 190k | 3.23% |
| Motor Caravan | 56k | 0.95% |
| Tractor | 46k | 0.78% |
| Bus | 37k | 0.63% |
| Moped | 30k | 0.51% |
| Mobile Machine | 27k | 0.47% |
| Atv | 9k | 0.16% |
| Agricultural Machine | 3k | 0.06% |
| Special Purpose Vehicle | 3k | 0.06% |
| Trailer Not Designed For H Way Use | 1k | 0.02% |
| High Speed Agricultural Vehicle | 252 | 0% |
Auckland alone accounts for nearly 29% of all registered vehicles. The top 5 districts hold over 46% of the national fleet.
Japan is the dominant source of New Zealand’s vehicle fleet, reflecting the country’s long history of importing both new and used Japanese vehicles.
“New Zealand” includes NZ-assembled vehicles and trailers. 49 countries of origin are represented in the full register.
