Where this data comes from
Vehicle rankings and fuel consumption figures come from the NZTA Vehicle Fleet Open Data (2021–2026), which records every vehicle registered in New Zealand. Each model's figure is the average fuel consumption value across all new registrations of that model from 2021 to 2026 — covering multiple variants and model years. Models are ranked by total NZ registration count.
How we estimate real-world consumption
Official figures come from standardised conditions, no hills, no AC, no traffic. The European Commission published real-world data from mandatory on-board fuel consumption monitors (OBFCM) fitted to 600,000 vehicles. The gap between lab and road is +23.7% for petrol and +18.1% for diesel.
→ EU Commission OBFCM Report (March 2024)
Small Cars
Petrol avg: 5.5 L/100km official · 6.9 L/100km est. real-world
| Model | Fuel | Official | Real-world | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol — top 5 by NZ registrations (NZTA 2021–2026) | ||||
| Suzuki Swift10,848 NZ registrations | Petrol | 5.1 | 6.3 | +24% |
| MG 33,267 NZ registrations | Petrol | 6.6 | 8.2 | +24% |
| Mazda 21,840 NZ registrations | Petrol | 5.2 | 6.4 | +24% |
| Kia Rio1,135 NZ registrations | Petrol | 5.9 | 7.3 | +24% |
| Toyota Yaris969 NZ registrations Most NZ Yaris are now the hybrid version | Petrol | 4.9 | 6.1 | +24% |
| Diesel — no diesel small cars are sold new in NZ (confirmed by NZTA data). Not used in the calculator. | ||||
Medium Cars
Petrol avg: 6.7 L/100km official · 8.3 L/100km est. real-world
| Model | Fuel | Official | Real-world | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol — top 5 by NZ registrations (NZTA 2021–2026) | ||||
| Toyota Corolla3,320 NZ registrations Most NZ Corollas are now the hybrid | Petrol | 6.0 | 7.4 | +24% |
| Mazda 32,044 NZ registrations | Petrol | 6.2 | 7.7 | +24% |
| VW Golf2,018 NZ registrations | Petrol | 6.6 | 8.2 | +24% |
| Hyundai i301,181 NZ registrations | Petrol | 7.0 | 8.7 | +24% |
| Honda Civic797 NZ registrations | Petrol | 7.7 | 9.5 | +24% |
| Diesel — diesel medium cars have effectively exited the NZ market. Only isolated examples appear in NZTA data. Not used in the calculator. | ||||
Small SUVs
Petrol avg: 6.8 L/100km official · 8.4 L/100km est. real-world
| Model | Fuel | Official | Real-world | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol — top 5 by NZ registrations (NZTA 2021–2026) | ||||
| Mitsubishi ASX18,942 NZ registrations | Petrol | 7.6 | 9.4 | +24% |
| Kia Seltos12,156 NZ registrations | Petrol | 6.9 | 8.5 | +24% |
| Kia Stonic9,078 NZ registrations | Petrol | 6.0 | 7.4 | +24% |
| MG ZS8,112 NZ registrations | Petrol | 7.0 | 8.7 | +24% |
| Hyundai Kona4,963 NZ registrations | Petrol | 6.5 | 8.0 | +24% |
| Diesel — diesel small SUVs have very low NZ sales volumes. Not used in the calculator. | ||||
Large SUVs
Petrol avg: 7.7 L/100km official · Diesel avg: 6.8 L/100km official
| Model | Fuel | Official | Real-world | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol — top 5 by NZ registrations (NZTA 2021–2026) | ||||
| Mitsubishi Outlander21,250 NZ registrations | Petrol | 7.6 | 9.4 | +24% |
| Mazda CX-510,271 NZ registrations | Petrol | 7.5 | 9.3 | +24% |
| Nissan X-Trail6,479 NZ registrations | Petrol | 8.0 | 9.9 | +24% |
| Kia Sportage6,299 NZ registrations | Petrol | 7.8 | 9.7 | +24% |
| Subaru Outback5,044 NZ registrations | Petrol | 7.5 | 9.3 | +24% |
| Diesel — top 5 by NZ registrations (NZTA 2021–2026) | ||||
| Ford Everest10,567 NZ registrations | Diesel | 7.7 | 9.1 | +18% |
| Hyundai Santa Fe2,652 NZ registrations | Diesel | 6.1 | 7.2 | +18% |
| Kia Sorento2,320 NZ registrations | Diesel | 6.1 | 7.2 | +18% |
| Kia Sportage1,722 NZ registrations | Diesel | 6.3 | 7.4 | +18% |
| Toyota Fortuner1,527 NZ registrations | Diesel | 7.6 | 9.0 | +18% |
Utes / Pick-ups
Diesel avg: 7.9 L/100km official · 9.3 L/100km est. real-world
| Model | Fuel | Official | Real-world | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diesel — top 5 by NZ registrations (NZTA 2021–2026). Diesel dominates NZ ute sales. | ||||
| Ford Ranger52,795 NZ registrations NZ's #1 best-selling vehicle overall | Diesel | 7.7 | 9.1 | +18% |
| Toyota Hilux26,236 NZ registrations | Diesel | 7.8 | 9.2 | +18% |
| Mitsubishi Triton21,889 NZ registrations | Diesel | 8.3 | 9.8 | +18% |
| Nissan Navara11,340 NZ registrations | Diesel | 7.7 | 9.1 | +18% |
| Isuzu D-Max7,624 NZ registrations | Diesel | 7.9 | 9.3 | +18% |
| Petrol — minority of NZ ute sales | ||||
| Ford Ranger (V6 petrol)2,801 NZ registrations Includes Raptor and high-spec variants | Petrol | 11.5 | 14.2 | +24% |
| Toyota Hilux (petrol)735 NZ registrations | Petrol | 10.4 | 12.9 | +24% |
Vans / People Movers
Diesel avg: 7.6 L/100km official · 9.0 L/100km est. real-world
| Model | Fuel | Official | Real-world | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diesel — top models by NZ registrations (NZTA 2021–2026) | ||||
| Toyota HiAce8,030 NZ registrations | Diesel | 8.1 | 9.6 | +18% |
| Ford Transit4,231 NZ registrations | Diesel | 8.2 | 9.7 | +18% |
| Kia Carnival2,518 NZ registrations — people mover | Diesel | 6.5 | 7.7 | +18% |
Hybrids (self-charging)
Avg: 4.3 L/100km official · 5.3 L/100km est. real-world
| Model | Fuel | Official | Real-world | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol hybrid — top 5 by NZ registrations (NZTA 2021–2026) | ||||
| Toyota RAV4 Hybrid36,953 NZ registrations NZ's most popular hybrid by far | Hybrid | 4.8 | 5.9 | +24% |
| Toyota Corolla Hybrid8,454 NZ registrations | Hybrid | 4.0 | 5.0 | +24% |
| Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid8,096 NZ registrations | Hybrid | 3.7 | 4.6 | +24% |
| Toyota Highlander Hybrid6,224 NZ registrations | Hybrid | 5.6 | 6.9 | +24% |
| Honda Jazz e:HEV5,958 NZ registrations | Hybrid | 3.2 | 4.0 | +24% |
Electric Vehicles
Top 5 by NZ registrations
| Model | Fuel | Official (kWh) | Real-world (kWh) | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric — NZTA data has no FC figures for EVs. Official kWh/100km from manufacturer WLTP specs. Real-world estimate applies +14% (EU Commission OBFCM EV data). | ||||
| Tesla Model Y10,253 NZ registrations | Electric | 14.9 | 17.0 kWh | +14% |
| BYD Atto 35,805 NZ registrations | Electric | 15.4 | 17.6 kWh | +14% |
| MG ZS EV3,678 NZ registrations | Electric | 16.0 | 18.2 kWh | +14% |
| Hyundai Kona EV2,335 NZ registrations | Electric | 15.7 | 17.9 kWh | +14% |
| MG 42,163 NZ registrations | Electric | 15.0 | 17.1 kWh | +14% |