Which car brands in NZ make the top 15 sellers list?

Now that the sales figures have been tallied for the new car market in 2024, we can take a look at how the top brands performed over the past year. Toyota remains the most popular badge in NZ, but the make-up of the top 15 has changed somewhat over the past 12 months. Tesla no longer makes the list, for instance, and neither does BYD, both brands experiencing a downturn with the axing of EV subsidies.

Toyota maintained a clear lead, selling a total of 30,203 vehicles. However, it recorded a 6.7 per cent decrease in its sales compared with 2023, down 2156 units.

Ford retained its second place overall with 17,884 sales, a 10.5 per cent increase with 1706 more vehicles sold. Mitsubishi remained in third place, with its sales also rising by 748 units to 14,149  compared with 2023’s 13,401, a 5.6 per cent improvement.

Kia held on to fourth place on the list but saw a drop in its sales, selling only 8683 vehicles in 2024, down by 1382 units or 13.7 per cent on 2023 totals. Suzuki rose to fifth with 5260 vehicles sold, demonstrating resilience despite a challenging market. Nissan was up from ninth in 2023 to sixth in 2024, though its sales remained largely static (4333, down 10 units).  

Hyundai slipped down two positions to seventh,  with  4664 units sold, down 2333 or 30.7 per cent, recording one of the biggest reductions among the most prominent car brands in New Zealand.

Read our 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Calligraphy AWD review

The remaing spots featured Mazda in eighth place (up in the rankings but sales were down 4176 vs 3886), followed by Volkswagen (up two spots but sales also down), Honda (sales also down slightly but up three places) and then came MG. Its sales more than halved this year due in part to model cycle timing and the ending of the CCD. As such, it fell in the rankings from seventh to eleventh. GWM had a good year, breaking into the top 15 with sales of 3018 units. Mercedes-Benz came in at thirteenth, Subaru was next (sales up marginally) and Isuzu rounded out the top 15.   

Tesla is notably absent from the top 15 in 2024, a sharp drop from its eighth-place position in 2023. BYD also dropped off the list after placing 12th last year. 

Overall, the country’s car market experienced a significant decline, dropping from 149,006 units in 2023 to 128,828 in 2024—a decrease of 20,178 units or 13.5 per cent.