Who’s buying new vehicles in NZ?
Vehicle purchases fall into three buyer categories: Companies (fleets, small businesses, and rental operators), Private buyers (individuals), and Government (local and national). Due to its size, Rental is segmented into its own category.
Private vs business vs rental: NZ new vehicle sales by buyer
In October 2026, businesses bought 37.4% of new light vehicles, private buyers 27.7%, rental companies 33.6% and government 1.2%. Rental’s share was up from 32.4% a year earlier.
October saw rental operators: registrations rise 3.1% month-on-month while companies and individuals fell 13.9% and 17.7%. Rentals reached 33.6% share, echoing last years pattern.
What do private buyers, businesses and rental fleets buy?
Private buyers’ top choice in October 2026 was the Toyota RAV4 (376), businesses favoured the Ford RANGER (675), and for rental companies the Toyota COROLLA CROSS (609). Rental companies bought 609 of the 912 Toyota COROLLA CROSS registered in October 2026 (66.8%).
EV, hybrid, petrol uptake by buyer
EVs and PHEVs made up 39.6% of private new vehicle purchases in October 2026, compared with 22.9% for businesses and 8.9% for rental fleets, which mostly bought hybrids (51.9%).