Sources of information
Where the information on this site is sourced depends, in part, on where vehicles were first registered. Information sources can be found under each vehicle detail on the “Compare” page.
Cars first registered in New Zealand (new or used)
Most information for these vehicles is supplied by manufacturers through the pre-registration of new vehicles (VINDirect). Since 2005, this has included fuel economy data.
In addition, the Motor Industry Association (MIA) provides segmentation data covering the type of vehicle (car, SUV etc), size (for some types) and price range when new.
Not all vehicles pre-registered are for sale and models may be pre-registered in advance of public launch. For this reason MIA provide the list of vehicles that are currently ‘new’.
Cars first registered in Japan (used Japanese imports)
Information for these vehicles is based on JSAE (Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan) annual publications since 2000. These are extensive, but details of safety features and vehicle transmission are based on text descriptions and can be incomplete or inconsistent in the terminology used.
Only a minority of models sold on the domestic Japanese market are resold in New Zealand. The list of used Japanese imports available for sale in New Zealand is based on an ongoing tally of the Fuel Statements importers have been required to obtain since 2005. For this reason, this site contains only used Japanese models that have been imported since 2005 and that were first registered in Japan after 2000.
Safety ratings
In addition to safety details, this site also displays ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program) ratings and Used Car Safety Ratings (UCSR). Used Car Safety Ratings are revised annually by Monash University on behalf of Australian and New Zealand land transport authorities.
See the Vehicle safety page to read more about safety features and find out how safety ratings are calculated.
Costs
The information used to turn fuel economy ratings into meaningful costs is the same as that used by Fuelsaver. In particular, current fuel prices are based on analysis by PriceWatch of service station sales around the country.
The information available on or through this web site is intended to provide general information to the public. It should be used subject to the disclaimer on this site and those made by manufacturers and other information suppliers.
