Words: Kyle Cassidy
Published 2 June 2026
New Zealand’s new vehicle market continued its recovery in May, with registrations rising 18.1 per cent year-on-year to 11,296 units, marking the fifth straight month of growth and the strongest May performance for passenger vehicles since 2022.
Passenger vehicles accounted for 8175 registrations during the month, up 20 per cent compared with May 2025, while the commercial sector also posted healthy gains, climbing 13.4 per cent to 3121 units.
The result pushes year-to-date registrations to 58,066 vehicles, representing a 12.4 per cent increase over the first five months of last year.
While Toyota maintained its position as the country’s leading passenger vehicle brand, the standout performers in May were Tesla and BYD, both of which recorded growth as electric vehicle demand accelerated.
Tesla registered 490 passenger vehicles during the month, compared with just 56 units in May 2025. BYD followed closely behind with 471 registrations, up from only 51 vehicles a year ago. The dramatic increases propelled both brands into the passenger market’s top five manufacturers.
Read more – 2026 Tesla Model Y L Premium AWD Review
The resurgence of EV sales was highlighted by the Tesla Model Y, which secured second place among New Zealand’s best-selling passenger vehicles with 415 registrations. BYD’s Atto 3 also returned to prominence, recording 142 sales and re-entering the top 15 passenger vehicle rankings.
Toyota Still Leads the Pack
Toyota remained comfortably ahead in the passenger vehicle market, recording 1468 registrations and claiming an 18 per cent market share. Despite a slight decline in volume, the Toyota RAV4 retained its title as New Zealand’s best-selling passenger vehicle with 531 registrations.
Read more – Toyota RAV4 Hybrid first drive: still the one to beat
Kia secured second place among passenger brands with 666 registrations, while Mitsubishi rounded out the top three on 657 units.
Chinese manufacturers continued to strengthen their position, collectively accounting for almost one-fifth of all passenger vehicle registrations in May. MG posted 454 sales, while GWM climbed 35 per cent to 343 units. Chery and Dongfeng also delivered solid results, registering 175 and 118 vehicles respectively.
Among other notable performers, Honda increased sales by 21.3 percent to 256 units, while Suzuki grew 10.1 percent to 369. Hyundai experienced a tougher month, with registrations falling 30 percent to 222 units.
SUVs continued to dominate buyer preferences, with models such as the Ford Everest, Mitsubishi ASX, Kia Sportage, Mitsubishi Outlander and Toyota Corolla Cross all featuring prominently among the month’s best sellers.
Toyota and Ford Continue Commercial Battle
The commercial vehicle market remained a two-horse race between Toyota and Ford.
Toyota narrowly claimed the top spot with 997 registrations, while Ford followed closely on 910 units, giving the Blue Oval brand a substantial 29.2 percent market share.
The Ford Ranger once again led the commercial model rankings with 809 registrations, ahead of the Toyota HiLux on 776. Although both utes posted lower volumes than the same month last year, they remained comfortably ahead of the rest of the field.
Read more – Ford Ranger 2.0 – is it enough?
Mitsubishi enjoyed a strong month, increasing registrations by 20.1 percent to 322 vehicles, with the Triton securing third place among commercial models.
BYD’s commercial ambitions also gathered momentum, with registrations more than doubling to 157 units. The Shark 6 ute was responsible for all of those sales, making it the fifth-best-selling commercial vehicle in the country during May.
Kia’s new Tasman ute also made its first appearance in the commercial top 10, recording 50 registrations during its debut month.
