EV sales up 380% in March, a ‘clear shift in buyer behaviour’

Registrations of new electric vehicles skyrocketed by 380% in March as Kiwis flocked to plug-in solutions amid the rising price of petrol. And the Motor Industry Association believes the striking figures “reflect a clear shift in buyer behaviour”. 

The MIA has released confirmed new-vehicle registration data for the month of March, detailing a massive month for the industry with a surge in the registration of electrified vehicles leading to a strong month overall. 

A total of 14,908 new vehicles were registered, split across 10,061 passenger vehicles, 4319 light commercial vehicles, and 528 heavy commercial vehicles. The Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger led the registration tally, with 1182 and 1036 registrations, respectively.

The biggest story, though, was the boom of electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid registrations. The Tesla Model Y was the most popular passenger vehicle in March, and third overall with 480 registrations. EV sales were up 380% relative to the same month last year, up from 638 to 2422. March 2025 was considered a strong month for the EV market at the time. 

MIA chief executive Aimee Wiley said that the March result indicated increased engagement from both private and business customers in lower-emission vehicles. “Demand for electric vehicles has increased rapidly, as rising fuel costs are influencing purchasing decisions across the market,” she said. 

Wiley noted that some brands did not have supply to meet demand. This could mean strong EV registration results in following months as more stock arrives, even if the price of petrol normalises. “New Zealand is a long lead-time market, and supply pipelines were set against more subdued demand, so available stock has been drawn down quickly,” said Wiley.

Supply shortages were underlined by the likes of BYD reporting that they had sold out of on-the-ground stock. This is also potentially why, despite the clear surge, the Model Y is the only pure electric vehicle represented in the national top 10 for the month.

The Hilux, Ranger and Model Y were trailed by the Mitsubishi Triton (414 registrations), Nissan Navara (408), Toyota Hiace (342), Hyundai Tucson (304), Toyota RAV4 (295), MG ZS (279), Toyota Corolla Cross (277), and the 10th-placed Mitsubishi ASX (270). 

Of the vehicles represented in the top 10, two are available as plug-in hybrids (Ranger and RAV4), and five are available as conventional hybrids (Hilux, Tucson, RAV4, ZS, and Corolla Cross.

Behind the Tesla Model Y, the next most popular EV in March was the Dongfeng Box in 11th, with 260 registrations. BYD locked out the rest of the top five with the Atto 1 (112), Atto 2 (105), and Sealion 7 (102). 

Year-to-date, 3361 EVs have been registered in New Zealand. This is more than double the 1703 registrations recorded over the same period in 2025. The segment could experience an even bigger April and May, as more stock arrives in the country and pre-orders made in March come to fruition. 

The plug-in hybrid segment also saw a considerable bump. 1439 PHEVs were registered in March, marking a more than 300% increase relative to March last year. Admittedly, the PHEV market has changed considerably in the last year thanks to the arrival of numerous notable ‘Super Hybrid’ nameplates.

Super Hybrids dominated the segment, with the BYD Shark 6 leading on 220 registrations over another BYD, the new Sealion 5 (125). The pair were trailed by the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (117), Jaecoo J7 SHS (102), Haval H6 (96), and Ford Ranger Hybrid (88).