The most popular cars in New Zealand in 2023

The Toyota Aqua was the most popular, for the 2nd year running. New cars and used imports, by the year they were first registered here.

First registered
251,285
2023
Most popular
Aqua
18,133 Toyotas
Top electric
Leaf
4,629 registered
Top used import
Aqua
18,029 registered

The top 20, 2023

How many were registered, and how each moved since 2022.

  1. 1ToyotaAqua18,133Same place
  2. 2ToyotaPrius12,004Up 6
  3. 3FordRanger9,896Same place
  4. 4ToyotaRAV49,083Up 2
  5. 5ToyotaCorolla8,694Up 2
  6. 6ToyotaHilux8,017Down 2
  7. 7MitsubishiOutlander6,426Down 5
  8. 8SuzukiSwift5,697Up 1
  9. 9MazdaAxela4,815Up 2
  10. 10NissanLeaf4,629Up 4
  11. 11NissanNote4,085Up 20
  12. 12TeslaModel Y3,906Up 1
  13. 13ToyotaC-HR3,875Up 12
  14. 14NissanX-Trail3,710Down 2
  15. 15MitsubishiEclipse Cross3,616Same place
  16. 16MazdaCX-53,563Down 6
  17. 17HondaFit3,379Up 5
  18. 18BYDAtto 33,135Up 19
  19. 19MGZS3,099Down 2
  20. 20MitsubishiTriton3,088Down 15

New and used imports

Many of the cars New Zealand adds each year arrive used, most of them from Japan.

New

  1. 1FordRanger9,815Same place
  2. 2ToyotaRAV48,693Up 3
  3. 3ToyotaHilux7,956Down 1
  4. 4ToyotaCorolla4,262Up 7
  5. 5MitsubishiOutlander4,034Down 2
  6. 6TeslaModel Y3,905Same place
  7. 7SuzukiSwift3,870Same place
  8. 8MitsubishiEclipse Cross3,609Same place
  9. 9BYDAtto 33,135Up 12
  10. 10MGZS3,099Down 1

Used imports

  1. 1ToyotaAqua18,029Same place
  2. 2ToyotaPrius11,968Same place
  3. 3MazdaAxela4,792Same place
  4. 4ToyotaCorolla4,432Up 1
  5. 5NissanLeaf4,205Down 1
  6. 6NissanNote4,076Up 7
  7. 7HondaFit3,366Up 1
  8. 8MazdaDemio2,743Up 3
  9. 9ToyotaC-HR2,613Up 7
  10. 10SubaruImpreza2,582Up 2

Electric and hybrid

The most registered of each in 2023. Hybrids include plug-ins.

Electric

  1. 1NissanLeaf4,629
  2. 2TeslaModel Y3,906
  3. 3BYDAtto 33,135
  4. 4MGZS1,636
  5. 5TeslaModel 3965
  6. 6KiaEV6952
  7. 7KiaNiro765
  8. 8HyundaiKona591
  9. 9HyundaiIoniq535
  10. 10FordMustang483

Hybrid

  1. 1ToyotaAqua18,076
  2. 2ToyotaPrius11,982
  3. 3ToyotaCorolla7,938
  4. 4ToyotaRAV46,339
  5. 5ToyotaC-HR3,850
  6. 6MitsubishiOutlander3,796
  7. 7MitsubishiEclipse Cross2,762
  8. 8HondaFit2,708
  9. 9NissanNote2,129
  10. 10HondaJazz1,926

Over the years

Where 2023's top ten placed each year since 2014. Tap a year for its list.

Car2014201520162017201820192020202120222023
Toyota Aqua–––––218411
Toyota Prius–4428191515141382
Ford Ranger3312111133
Toyota RAV48686663664
Toyota Corolla1121227575
Toyota Hilux4443342346
Mitsubishi Outlander131198876227
Suzuki Swift22344341298
Mazda Axela55675559119
Nissan Leaf–––42202023201410

Cars, utes and vans by the year they were first registered in New Zealand, new or as a used import, from Waka Kotahi's Motor Vehicle Register. Counts are of those still on the register, so older years are lower than they were.

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