NEOBIOME

RD_027: Ministry of Transport (2025) — The New Zealand Vehicle Fleet 2024: Annual Fleet Statistics data spreadsheet…

Properties5
typesource
source_typereference_dataset
authorNew Zealand Ministry of Transport
year2025
topicsmobility_transport, nz_specific

11 min read

RD_027: Ministry of Transport (2025) — The New Zealand Vehicle Fleet 2024: Annual Fleet Statistics data spreadsheet…

Source

https://www.transport.govt.nz/statistics-and-insights/fleet-statistics — original source (opens in a new tab; the file is not redistributed)

The New Zealand 2024 Vehicle Fleet — Annual Fleet Statistics (RD_027)

The NZ-government vehicle-fleet primary — RT_119, the NZTA/MoT source behind OT_024's NZ EV point

Ministry of Transport annual fleet-statistics workbook (36 tabs, series 2000–2024), built on the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register. It is the NZ-government primary RT_119 sought: total fleet composition, the fuel-type stock split (BEV 78,834 in the light fleet / 82,398 all vehicle types; PHEV 34,287; petrol-hybrid 307,968), region-level travel + ownership, and — most useful for NI — per-vehicle 10,623 km/yr and per-capita 8,654 km/yr light-fleet travel plus 814.7 light vehicles per 1,000 people, which corroborate the engine’s EV_KWH_PER_EV_YR and ev_per_hh assumptions (register A11). Every figure read directly from a named worksheet cell → data_quality: verified.

Summary

This is the Ministry of Transport’s annual “New Zealand Vehicle Fleet” data spreadsheet for the 2024 fleet year — the authoritative NZ-government statistical dataset on the composition, travel, age, fuel type and turnover of the entire on-road vehicle fleet, derived from the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register (population denominators from Stats NZ Infoshare). It is the NZ primary that RT_119 sought behind OT_024’s NZ EV data point and the sales-share time series in RD_006.

For Neobiome Intelligence the workbook’s highest value is not the EV headline itself (RD_006 already holds the full 2010–2025 sales-share trajectory, and RD_011 the 66-territorial-authority breakdown) but three fleet-behaviour primaries it supplies for the D05 / transport-demand levers: (1) the fuel-type STOCK split — the counterpart to RD_006’s sales-share series, showing the diesel/petrol legacy fleet that makes stock-share lag sales-share by roughly a decade; (2) travel intensity — the light fleet drove ≈45.8 billion vehicle-km in 2024, 10,623 km per vehicle and 8,654 km per capita, the empirical basis that corroborates the NI EV_KWH_PER_EV_YR assumption (register A11); and (3) ownership + turnover — 814.7 light vehicles per 1,000 people (≈0.81 per capita) and a 14.8-year average light-fleet age (18.4 years for used imports), which together explain why fleet electrification of the stock is slow even as new-registration EV shares rise.

Key claims

- claim: "FLEET COMPOSITION 2024 (the total-fleet primary). Total NZ vehicle fleet (live at 31 Dec 2024) = 4,745,099 vehicles, of which the light fleet = 4,309,833 (90.8%). Breakdown: light passenger 3,534,392; light commercial 775,441; motorcycles/mopeds 209,417; trucks (heavy) 174,787; buses 12,057; other 39,005. The fleet has grown 76.7% since Jan 2000 (2,686,018 → 4,745,099); light-commercial (+123%) and motorcycles (+166%) grew fastest, buses +175% off a small base."
  source_location: "Tab '1.1, 1.2' (Fleet Composition), row 27 (2024): B=3,534,392 · C=775,441 · D=209,417 · E=174,787 · F=12,057 · G=39,005 · H(Total)=4,745,099 · I(Total light)=4,309,833; Q/R (change relative to 2000)=0.7666. Row 3 = 2000 baseline (Total 2,686,018)."
- claim: "LIGHT-FLEET FUEL-TYPE STOCK SPLIT 2024 (the RT_119 EV core — the STOCK counterpart to RD_006's SALES-share series). Of the 4,309,833 light vehicles: petrol 2,952,568 (68.5%); petrol hybrid (non-plugin) 307,968 (7.1%); diesel 923,050 (21.4%); battery-electric (BEV) 78,834 (1.83%); plug-in petrol hybrid (PHEV) 34,287 (0.80%); petrol-electric hybrid 7,285; diesel hybrid 4,338; hydrogen 37; LPG 764; CNG 23. BEV light-fleet stock grew 65 (2000) → 14,047 (2019) → 78,834 (2024); petrol hybrid 1 → 307,968; PHEV 0 → 34,287. Petrol light-vehicle stock has now been FALLING since 2019 (3,129,051 → 2,952,568) while diesel and all hybrid/EV categories rise — the fleet-composition signature of the NZ transition. BEV stock-share (1.83%) is far below the ~12% new-registration SALES share (RD_006) because of the large petrol/diesel legacy fleet."
  source_location: "Tab '8.4' (Light fleet by fuel type: main fuel), row 27 (2024): B(Petrol)=2,952,568 · C(Petrol hybrid)=307,968 · D(Petrol electric hybrid)=7,285 · E(Diesel)=923,050 · F(Diesel hybrid)=4,338 · H(Electric)=78,834 · K(Plugin petrol PHEV)=34,287 · L(Plugin diesel PHEV)=22 · M(LPG)=764 · N(CNG)=23 · J(Hydrogen)=37 · P(Total)=4,309,833. Petrol peak at row 22 (2019)=3,129,051."
- claim: "ALL-VEHICLE-TYPE FUEL SPLIT 2024 + most-electrified modes (Tab 8.5). Across the full 4,745,099-vehicle fleet: electric (BEV) 82,398 total = light 78,834 + motorcycles 2,698 + buses 515 + trucks 269 + other 82. Electric buses = 515 of 12,057 buses (4.3% of the bus fleet — NZ's most electrified heavy category by stock share); electric trucks 269 of 174,787 (0.15%). Hydrogen fleet-wide = 39 vehicles. Petrol dominates light + motorcycle; diesel dominates trucks (171,511 of 174,787), buses (11,381 of 12,057) and 'other' (37,169). NZTA caveat: the fuel-type upgrade applied only to LIVE vehicles, so historic/scrapped registrations cannot be tracked by this method."
  source_location: "Tab '8.5' (Fuel types in the fleet): Electric row (R9) B=78,834 · C(mcycle)=2,698 · D(trucks)=269 · E(buses)=515 · F=82 · G(Total)=82,398; Diesel row (R6) D=171,511 · E=11,381; Hydrogen row (R12) G=39; Total row (R18) G=4,745,099 · E(buses)=12,057. Method caveat at R20–R22."
- claim: "LIGHT-FLEET TRAVEL INTENSITY 2024 (VKT — corroborates the NI EV_KWH_PER_EV_YR basis, register A11). The light fleet travelled 45.78 billion vehicle-km in 2024, = 10,623 km per light vehicle per year and 8,654 km per capita (excludes motorcycles/power-cycles/mopeds). Per-vehicle travel has fallen from a ~13,250 km/yr peak (2001–02) to ~10,600 km/yr (post-2019), i.e. more vehicles each driven less. This 10,623 km/yr per-vehicle figure sits squarely on the ~10,950 km/yr MoT basis cited for the engine's EV running-energy assumption (OT_070) and within OT_029's ~11,000 km/yr — corroborating (not replacing) EV_KWH_PER_EV_YR."
  source_location: "Tab '1.4 to 1.7' (Travel and ownership trends), row 27 (2024): C(Light travel, billion km)=45.7822 · I(Light travel per capita, km)=8,654.32 · J(Light travel per vehicle, km)=10,622.73. Note rows 29–31: 'Light travel excludes motorcycles/power cycles/mopeds'; population = Infoshare DPE056AA June population."
- claim: "OWNERSHIP + POPULATION 2024 (corroborates the ev_per_hh framing). New Zealand had 814.7 light vehicles per 1,000 people in 2024 (≈0.81 per capita) — light passenger 668.1 per 1,000, light commercial 146.6 per 1,000 — against a June-2024 population of 5,290,100. Light vehicles per 1,000 rose from 646.7 (2000) to a ~825 peak (2022) and has eased since. At ~0.81 light vehicles per capita, a typical NZ household (≈2.7 people) runs ~2 light vehicles — the empirical anchor for the engine's per-household EV/vehicle counts."
  source_location: "Tab '1.4 to 1.7', row 27 (2024): E(Popn, 000)=5,290.1 · F(Light vehicles per 1000)=814.70 · G(Light passenger per 1000)=668.11 · H(Light commercial per 1000)=146.58. Row 3 (2000) F=646.7; peak F≈825.6 at row 25 (2022)."
- claim: "FLEET AGE + TURNOVER 2024 (why stock-share lags sales-share). The average NZ light vehicle is 14.84 years old (2024), up from 11.83 years in 2000; overall fleet average age 15.0 years. Light USED IMPORTS average 18.43 years vs light NEW 12.32 years — the used-import channel keeps the fleet old. Motorcycles average 18.96 years, heavy commercial 17.83, buses 16.43. A ~15-year-old, still-ageing light fleet renewing largely through old used imports is the structural reason BEV stock-share (1.83%) trails new-registration EV sales-share (~12%) by roughly a decade — directly relevant to any NI assumption about how fast a community's vehicle stock can electrify."
  source_location: "Tab '1.1extra' (Fleet Average Age), row 27 (2024): B(Light Passenger)=15.25 · C(Light Commercial)=13.01 · D(Light New)=12.32 · E(Light Used Imports)=18.43 · F(Total Light Vehicles)=14.84 · G(MCycle)=18.96 · H(Heavy Commercial)=17.83 · I(Bus)=16.43 · K(Overall)=15.00. Row 3 (2000) F=11.83."
- claim: "REGIONAL FLEET + TRAVEL 2024 (the district/region residual RT_119 named). Regional annual VKT (billion vehicle-km, 2024): Auckland 15.47, Canterbury 7.361, Wellington 4.233, Northland 1.922, Hawke's Bay 1.723, Nelson/Marlborough 1.645, Manawatū-Whanganui 2.544, Taranaki 1.216, Southland 1.192, Gisborne 0.435, plus 'other/unknown regions' 12.10. Regional light-vehicle counts (2024): Auckland 1,346,762, Wellington 382,378, Waikato 416,117, Bay of Plenty 314,350, Nelson/Marlborough/Tasman 162,353, Northland 159,980, Hawke's Bay 149,551, Manawatū-Whanganui 218,079, Taranaki 106,913, Gisborne 38,170. Region-level only (not the 66-TA granularity of RD_011); note the two regional tables use different region groupings (1.4b splits Canterbury/Southland; 1.5b groups Nelson/Marlborough/Tasman)."
  source_location: "Tab '1.4b' (Regional annual VKT in billion), row 26 (2024): B(Northland)=1.922 · C(Auckland)=15.47 · D(Gisborne)=0.435 · E(Hawkes Bay)=1.723 · F(Taranaki)=1.216 · G(Manawatu/Wanganui)=2.544 · H(Wellington)=4.233 · I(Nelson/Marlborough)=1.645 · J(Canterbury)=7.361 · K(Southland)=1.192 · L(Other/unknown)=12.10. Tab '1.5b' (Light fleet regional ownership), row 28 (2024): D(Auckland)=1,346,762 · K(Wellington)=382,378 · E(Waikato)=416,117 · L(Nelson/Marlborough/Tasman)=162,353 · C(Northland)=159,980."

Neobiome Intelligence relevance

This dataset feeds D05 (Smart Mobility & Electrified Transport) as the NZ-government fleet-composition + travel-intensity primary. It complements — does not duplicate — the existing D05 EV evidence: RD_006 holds the sales-share time series (the 27%→11%→12% Clean Car Discount signature), RD_011 the 66-TA current-state penetration, and this workbook the stock composition, VKT and ownership the others lack.

  • Fuel-type STOCK vs SALES-share — closes the interpretation gap. RD_006’s headline is a new-registration share (~12% of cars sold 2025); this workbook shows the stock reality — BEV 1.83% of the light fleet, PHEV 0.80%, all-electric 82,398 of 4.75M vehicles. The 6.56× gap between sales-share and stock-share, explained by the 14.8-year-old, used-import-fed fleet (tab 1.1extra), is the load-bearing correction for any NI narrative that reads “12% EV” as fleet penetration. It tells the model that a community starting from the NZ-average fleet electrifies its stock slowly unless it buys new/imports EVs deliberately.
  • VKT corroborates EV_KWH_PER_EV_YR (register A11) — evidence, not a new cell. The engine’s per-EV energy assumption (re-based to 2,500 kWh/yr in V0.9.0, from OT_029’s ~11,000 km/yr ⇒ ~2,000 and OT_070’s 10,950 km/yr MoT basis) now has a direct government-primary anchor: 10,623 km per light vehicle per year (2024). This sits between OT_070’s NZ-average (10,950) and the D05 note’s discussion, and confirms the mileage band the EV load is built on. Recorded as corroboration in the D05 evidence + a model-design register note; not auto-applied (the existing basis already reflects it).
  • Ownership anchors ev_per_hh. At 814.7 light vehicles per 1,000 people (≈0.81 per capita), the D27 reframing of ev_per_hh to allow shared fleets (<1) and the per-household vehicle count both gain an empirical NZ denominator. A remote community modelling its transport-energy self-sufficiency can size the EV/vehicle count off the national ~2-light-vehicles-per-household figure rather than a guess.
  • Region-level VKT/ownership for the GIS layer. Tabs 1.4b/1.5b give per-region travel and fleet counts (2024) — a coarser (region, not TA) but government-primary cross-check on the RD_011/RD_012 EECA regional EV metrics already wired for the D05 GIS view.
  • No NI cell draws a SOLE input from this page. The transport-demand cells (EV_KWH_PER_EV_YR, ev_per_hh) already have their sourced basis; this dataset corroborates and dates them. It feeds a calculation domain but touches no cell’s value.

Thesis relevance (context: both). The workbook is the quantitative backbone for the thesis transport-decarbonisation strand: a light fleet that is 68.5% petrol + 21.4% diesel (≈90% liquid-fossil by count) and ageing (14.8 years, used-import-fed) is the empirical starting point against which any “self-sufficient community electrifies transport” argument must be measured — the fleet-composition counterpart to RD_024’s finding that transport is 202.2 PJ / ~99% fossil-fuelled at the energy-flow level.

Research targets

Documents to retrieve

  • None as new RTs. This resolves RT_119 — the NZ-government vehicle-fleet primary (MoT Annual Fleet Statistics, NZTA Motor Vehicle Register basis). RT_119’s limbs are now covered across the corpus: SALES-share trajectory = RD_006; TA/district penetration = RD_011; fleet-composition + fuel-type stock + VKT/ownership + region-level breakdown = this source.

Documents noted (not raised as RTs)

  • NZTA Motor Vehicle Register monthly/rolling new-registration statistics (nzta.govt.nz/resources/new-zealand-motor-vehicle-register-statistics/, the original RT_119 URL) would add finer temporal granularity than this annual workbook, but the sales-share question it would answer is already resolved by RD_006. Low value; noted, not RT’d.
  • The workbook’s further tabs (entering/leaving flows 5.x/6.x, engine-capacity 4.x, CO2 + emissions-standards 9.x, tonne-km freight 11.x) are read but not extracted into key_claims — available on the filed raw if a later D05/freight calc needs them.

Notes

Primary NZ-government dataset (Ministry of Transport, NZTA Motor Vehicle Register basis), read directly from the .xlsx worksheet cells → data_quality: verified; every figure in Key claims carries its worksheet + cell location.

Not a duplicate. No other corpus source reproduces the MoT fleet-composition/VKT dataset: the related NZ EV sources (RD_006 IEA sales-share, RD_011/RD_012 EECA TA/region metrics, OT_024 IEA outlook) each hold different material, so this page cross-references them rather than repeating them.

Publisher note. The workbook is a Ministry of Transport publication (“Analysis produced by Ministry of Transport”, Oct/Nov 2025) built on the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register — RT_119 named the NZTA register URL as the target, and the MoT Annual Fleet Statistics is the analysed dataset derived from it. The url: points to the MoT fleet-statistics hub (transport.govt.nz/statistics-and-insights/fleet-statistics); the exact deep-link to the 2024 workbook was not captured at retrieval and should be confirmed if a citation needs it.

Routing. context: both — mirrors RD_006/RD_024: feeds D05 as NZ empirical fleet baseline and supplies transport-decarbonisation context. topics: [mobility_transport, nz_specific]. It feeds a calculation domain, but no NI cell takes a sole value from this page — the VKT/ownership figures corroborate the existing EV_KWH_PER_EV_YR / ev_per_hh basis (register A11), they do not re-base it.

Connections

Links to

Sources (4): OT_024 · RD_006 · RD_011 · RD_024

Referenced by

EDT domains (1): D05: Smart Mobility & Electrified Transport

Graph View

Backlinks