3 SEPTEMBER 2026
Market Overview
New vehicle
registrations rose 4.2 percent year on year in August to
12,216 vehicles. Passenger registrations increased 13.1
percent, while light commercial registrations fell 14.7
percent and heavy commercial registrations declined 18.8
percent.
The August result should be interpreted with
some caution. Typhoon-related disruption to shipping
schedules from Asia delayed some vehicle departures and
pushed a number of arrivals into the final days of the
month. That timing eƯect is likely to have influenced
registration volumes across parts of the market, making
individual brand and model movements less representative
than usual.
Year to date, total registrations remain
9.7 percent ahead of 2025. Passenger registrations are up
14.8 percent, while light commercial vehicles are down 2.2
percent and heavy commercial vehicles are broadly unchanged,
down 0.5 percent. The overall market therefore remains
positive, but growth is concentrated rather than
broad-based.
“August remained positive overall, but
there were two quite diƯerent stories beneath the
headline,” said MIA Chief Executive Aimee Wiley.
“Passenger registrations continued to strengthen,
increasingly supported by battery electric and plug in
hybrid vehicles, while commercial activity remained subdued.
Typhoon-related shipping disruption also aƯected vehicle
arrivals, so individual brand and model results for August
should be interpreted with appropriate
caution.”
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Passenger Market
Passenger growth
was concentrated in battery electric and plug in hybrid
vehicles. Battery electric registrations increased 172.5
percent year on year and plug in hybrids 179.1 percent,
lifting their combined share of passenger registrations to
23.9 percent from 9.8 percent a year earlier.
The
shift is also clear year to date. Battery electric
registrations are up 158.7 percent and plug in hybrids 160.8
percent, with their combined share rising to 27.9 percent
from 12.3 percent. Private registrations were 17.2 percent
higher in August and rental registrations 32.8 percent
higher, while business registrations were broadly
unchanged.
Commercial Vehicle Activity
Light
commercial registrations remained subdued, falling 14.7
percent in August and 2.2 percent year to date. Business
registrations, which account for around three-quarters of
the segment, were 16.4 percent lower than a year
earlier.
Heavy commercial registrations were also
lower in August, although the year to date position remains
close to 2025 levels. This divergence between passenger and
commercial activity remains the clearest feature of the
market beneath the overall growth rate.
Economic
Context
Broader economic conditions remain mixed, but
August registration movements should not be attributed too
heavily to the economic backdrop given the disruption to
vehicle supply during the
month