Car ad spend rises sharply in March as more auto buyers turn to electric, hybrid and plug-in options

Auckland, May 13, 2026 - New Nielsen data shows New Zealand's passenger vehicle advertising market increased in March, as the country's fuel crisis put renewed focus on electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

According to Nielsen Ad Intel, passenger vehicle ad spend increased by 37% in March, compared to February, and was up 53% compared to March 2025, as auto brands capitalised on the market to gain visibility during a period of heightened consumer attention around fuel costs, transport choices and vehicle efficiency.

The uplift also included activity around selected electric and hybrid vehicle lines from brands including Kia, Toyota, Mitsubishi and Geely, pointing to the growing role of lower-emission and fuel-efficient options in the NZ market.

Nielsen Consumer and Media Insights (CMI) data, based on the 12 months to Q4 2025, reinforces that EV and hybrid consideration had already grown before the March fuel crisis. Among Kiwis planning to buy a car in the next year, 51% were considering an electric, hybrid or plug-in hybrid vehicle - up 4% compared with the prior 12-month period.

Consideration of purely electric vehicles also increased, with 25% considering an EV - also up 4%. Among those considering an EV, hybrid or plug-in hybrid option, around one in five are aged 25 to 34. This group also has a higher-than-average household income, at $158,236, compared with $151,342 across all respondents. Nearly a quarter are looking to spend between $20,000 and $40,000 on their next vehicle.

The current crisis has also created a more complex advertising environment for fuel retailers. Nielsen Ad Intel data shows that most major service station advertisers reduced spend in March, compared to February, with only a small number of major advertisers increasing activity during the period.

Across the major service station advertisers analysed, March spend patterns show a split between brands scaling back activity and brands choosing to increase visibility as consumers paid closer attention to fuel prices. Z Energy more than doubled its investment month-on-month, increasing spend by almost 110%, while Mobil increased spend by more than 250% from a smaller base. By contrast, BP reduced spend by around 23% compared with February, despite remaining one of the biggest spenders in the category in March.

Media strategies also varied significantly across major fuel retailers. Z Energy concentrated the majority of its March activity in television, which accounted for around 71% of its media spend, supported by radio, social media, general display and a small amount of out-of-home activity. Compared with February, Z Energy significantly increased both television and radio investment, while reintroducing out-of-home into the mix.

BP took a more balanced approach across television, out-of-home and radio. Television accounted for around 46% of its March spend, while out-of-home and radio each represented around 27%. This points to a broader mix of brand visibility and reach-building activity, even as BP's overall spend declined compared with February.

Glenn Channell, Pacific Head of Advanced Analytics at Nielsen, said: "Fuel prices don't just affect the pump, they influence how people think about their next major purchase. The sharp lift in passenger vehicle advertising in March shows automotive brands moving to meet that rise, especially around electric, hybrid and fuel-efficient options. Nielsen's data also shows that more New Zealanders are actively considering EVs and hybrids, which gives brands a clearer commercial reason to invest."

Nielsen Ad Intel's Australia Commercial Lead, Rose Lopreiato added: "Service stations faced a very different advertising challenge in March. While automotive brands had a clear opportunity to speak to changing purchase consideration, fuel retailers had to balance visibility, value messaging and brand reassurance at a time when consumers were watching fuel prices closely. The variation across the category shows how different brands responded with very different media strategies".

Nielsen CMI also reveals New Zealand's changing commuter behaviour. While cars and motorbikes remain the dominant way Kiwis travel, public transport use has increased over the past four years, rising from 15% in 2022 to 18% in 2025. Around 16% of Kiwis now walk, jog, cycle or scooter to work or study.

At the same time, working from home has eased from its pandemic-era highs. The proportion of Kiwis working from home declined from 12% in 2022 to 9% in 2025, showing more people are once again commuting, even as they reassess the cost and convenience of how they travel.

Helene Maurer, Commercial Director, NZ Agencies & Advertisers added: "With more people back on the move, and fuel costs under pressure, transport has become a more active consumer decision. For advertisers, the opportunity is to understand not only what people are buying, but how their daily travel habits, household budgets and media behaviours are changing at the same time."

About Nielsen Ad Intel

Ad Intel provides the most complete source of cross-platform advertising intelligence available today. With intuitive software, review-and-compare ad activity across media, company, category or brand, plus historical data.

Note: Nielsen monitors gross advertising expenditure in major media at published rate card values. While discounts are made available from some media owners, rates are not openly available. Please also note that the category and brand/product groupings figures are grouped at Nielsen's discretion.

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