Used imports from Aussie rise
There were 77,449 used cars imported into New Zealand during 2025, a drop of 12.2 per cent when compared with 88,180 in 2024.
The total included 74,986 from Japan, which was down from more than 86,000 a year ago, according to figures from New Zealand Customs.
Meanwhile, Australia was the source for 1,608 units, up from the previous year’s total of about 1,300, and next was the UK on 334.
During December, 6,734 units crossed our wharves. This was an increase of 1.4 per cent from 6,642 in the same month of 2024.
Monthly arrivals from Japan came in at 6,501, down slightly from about 6,650 in the same month of the previous year.
In addition, 160 used cars were imported from Australia during December and 27 arrived from the UK. The totals for Singapore and the US were 18 and 16 respectively.
As for used light commercials, imports fell by 19.5 per cent to 2,749 in 2025. This compared with 3,415 such units during the year prior.
On a monthly basis, the number of units entering the country rose 42.5 per cent from 226 a year earlier to 322 in December 2025.
Chinese cars increase share
There were 94,194 new passenger vehicles imported in 2025, an increase of 7.1 per cent from the previous year’s tally of 87,938.
Some 41,342 of these came from Japan, while China’s figures rose from about 6,900 units in 2024 to 12,369 last year.
Other key markets for sourcing cars were South Korea with 11,731, Thailand on 11,496, Belgium with 3,688 and Germany on 3,103.
The total for December was 9,010, which was up 29.7 per cent from 6,949 units in the same month a year earlier.
Japan supplied 2,976 new cars in December, with a further 1,220 shipped from China, 1,961 from Thailand and 938 from South Korea.
New light commercials tallied 25,534 last year, which was up 18.4 per cent from 21,565 in 2024.
In December, 1,986 such units crossed our wharves – an increase of 24.2 per cent from 1,599 in the same month a year earlier.
Overall, 204,262 vehicles, including trucks and buses, crossed our border last year, down from about 207,000 in 2024. The latest total included 18,512 units in December.
