Tesla’s boat came in (literally and metaphorically) in March: the brand’s Model Y was New Zealand’s top-selling battery electric vehicle (BEV) for the month with 761 registrations, followed by the BYD Atto 3 (617, pictured below) and MG ZS EV (307).
BEVs were the favoured EV type as well, with 2637 registrations. In fact, the sales of the Tesla outstripped the entire plug-in electric hybrid (PHEV) market combined: just 515 vehicles. The top PHEV was the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (176), followed by the Kia Sorento (131) and MG HS (31).
Not even petrol-electrified hybrids could match the BEVs, stopping just short at 2503 registrations. The top models were the Toyota RAV4 (455), Honda Jazz (245) and Suzuki Swift (211).
Electrified vehicles remained strong in an overall new-vehicle market that was down 23.8 per cent on the same time last year; the Motor Industry Association (MIA) notes that March 2022 registrations were the highest on record due to the pending Clean Car Discount fees for light commercial vehicles.
READ MORE
As well as being the top EV by some margin, the Tesla Model Y was one of NZ’s top selling vehicles overall for March: third, behind the still-all-conquering Ford Ranger (1333) and Toyota Hilux (834) utes.
TOP 10 EVS IN NZ YEAR-TO-DATE
BYD Atto 3 (BEV) 995
Tesla Model Y (BEV) 991
MG ZS (BEV) 577
Mitsubshi Eclipse Cross (PHEV) 57
Kia EV6 (BEV) 335
Tesla Model 3 (BEV) 245
Kia Niro (BEV and PHEV) 241
Hyundai Kona (BEV) 171
Kia Sorento (PHEV) 170
Polestar 2 (BEV) 163