Things are getting strange in the New Zealand plug-in vehicle market as sales bounce back. In March 2026, plug-ins achieved 26% of all auto sales, doubling month on month. Also, the Toyota BZ4X just outsold the Tesla Model 3! But first, some history. It wasn’t that long ago that I was touting New Zealand as the Norway of the Pacific. Then came a change of government and plug-in vehicle sales crashed. Tax incentives for electric vehicles were removed, tax charges for fossil fuelled vehicles were also removed. A road user charge (RUC) was introduced, and sales numbers for EVs went down the toilet. It’s a bit like what the USA is going through now. It’s amazing what a hike in petrol costs can cause. In March 2026, 2,370 new EVs were added to the New Zealand electric car ecosystem. This is the biggest month since government policy (the Clean Car Discount) changed in 2023. Over 26% of new cars sold in New Zealand had a plug (BEV 16.6%, PHEV 10%). Even sales of used EV imports (Nissan LEAFs from Japan) increased fourfold to 617. Hard data in this article are derived from EVDB New Zealand. Thank you, James. Although NZ is a relatively small market, it is still significant as part of ROW (Rest of World). Electric vehicle watchers in the USA are lamenting the fall in sales figures there, but the ROW is picking up the slack and moving on with the rEVolution. Empty second-hand car lots demonstrate the desire to escape from fossil fuel bondage. Plug-in vehicles achieved 2% penetration of the New Zealand light vehicle fleet. The top ten best selling battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in NZ in March 2026 were: (drum roll) Tesla Model Y — 480 Dongfeng Box — 260 BYD Atto 1 — 112 BYD Atto 2 — 105 BYD Sealion 7 — 105 BYD Atto 3 — 98 MG ZS EV — 85 MG S5 EV — 71 Toyota BZ4X — 69 Omoda E5 — 65 Tesla Model 3 — 58 Dongfeng Vigo — 55 Geely EX 5 — 54 Zeekr 7X — 50 Mini Aceman — 44 For those of you, like me, who are curious about the Dongfeng Box, here is a video review. Dongfeng is a Chinese, state owned auto company. It plans to launch in Australia this year. In NZ, the Dongfeng Box sells for the same price as the Atto 1, with an extra 100 km of range. No wonder it is doing so well. Apparently, the 2026 model will be more expensive, as the safety ratings needed to improve. Quite a few issues were noted, including structural weaknesses. You can read more here. Dongfeng Box my2026 electric. Photo Dongfeng “Previously, the New Zealand Transport Authority had specifically assigned the Box an ‘unrated’ status on its Rightcar website because it offered a lower level of crash protection than expected for a 2025 vehicle.” Certainly, it made BYD’s offerings look good. Speaking of BYD: Despite the multiplicity of BYD models, Tesla was the highest selling EV brand in March. Surprisingly, though, the Toyota BZ4X outsold the Tesla Model 3! And here’s another interesting nugget: three Cadillac LYRIQs have sold over the last 3 months. James pointed out in a recent email that the entire NZ auto market was up 25% (year on year) in March. All vehicle categories had increased — BEV, PHEV, HEV, even petrol and diesel. The Tesla Model Y was the most popular passenger vehicle over all categories. After that, it was low-cost EVs — the Dongfeng Box and the Atto triplets The Toyota BZ4X outsold the Tesla Model 3. Photo courtesy Majella Waterworth. Debate rages (in all markets, actually, not just NZ) about whether this is a tipping point or a turning point. Will demand continue? Will it flatline at 30% as Toyoda San famously predicted? Will the war in the Middle East end? How long will it take for things to return to normal? Will the Pope give Donald Trump a gold medal? Meanwhile, as EV sales and use grows, there are persistent demands for more charging infrastructure, battery recycling options, and expert-level EV-specialist technicians to handle repairs. All this is against the headwinds created by persistent misinformation and disinformation. Here is a recent example for those who like to have their blood boiled. I couldn’t make it all the way through. Though, his sideburns are worth a look. My favourite comment underneath: “Dude looks like he should be riding a horse and carriage.” Most commentators called him out for his “out of date” information. His criticism of Tesla is quite nasty. Lack of charging infrastructure is a pertinent critique. On our recent New Zealand holiday, Majella and I had to hire a hybrid RAV4 to drive around the South Island, as the charging infrastructure was very scarce. And what was available required you have your own cable. So, there’s certainly room for improvement. New cars continue to launch in New Zealand, including the BMW i3, the Farizon V7E van, the Suzuki eVitara (from India!), and from Dongfeng, the Forthing Taikon. I asked James for more detail on the top selling plug-in hybrid vehicles (both commercial and passenger). He shared this comment: “What’s interesting here is how quickly the Chinese brands have taken market share. The PHEV passenger car market has been dominated by Mitsubishi for many years. But over the last 12 months, BYD, GWM, and Chery brands (includeing Jaecoo) have taken over most of the market.Model sales: BYD Shark 6 — 220 BYD SEALION 5 — 125 Mitsubishi ECLIPSE CROSS — 117 Jaecoo J7 — 102 GWM HAVAL H6 — 96 Ford Ranger — 88 BYD SEALION 6 — 63 Chery TIGGO 8 — 60 Mitsubishi Outlander — 53 Geely STARRAY EM-I — 49 Chery TIGGO 7 — 47 Lexus NX — 46 As the second quarter of 2026 rapidly passes into history, we will see if New Zealanders continue along this turning point into a brighter and more electric future.
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