Hybrid vehicles outnumbered petrol and diesel combined in New Zealand's new vehicle registrations, with 19,424 hybrids registered in the June 2026 quarter.
The figure exceeded the combined total of 16,213 petrol and 1,842 diesel registrations. Hybrid registrations climbed 11% year-on-year, while petrol registrations fell 13% and diesel dropped 4%.
Electric vehicle registrations more than doubled to 6,099 in the same period, according to data from economics consultancy Infometrics.
Toyota NZ chief strategy officer Andrew Davis said the market is changing structurally. The company made a strategic decision some time ago to offer a broad range of powertrains, a strategy reflected in its sales mix.
For Toyota and Lexus, hybrids accounted for 70.4% of sales in the six months ending June 2026, with diesel at 21.1%, plug-in hybrids at 6.5%, full electric at 1.6% and traditional petrol at 0.4%. The company is now offering commercial buyers Hilux utes with mild hybrid and electric options, as well as alternative powertrains in its large SUV range.
Toyota introduced hybrid technology early through the Prius model, a technology that has since moved into the mainstream market.