According to the latest Nielsen data, New Zealand’s passenger vehicle advertising market surged in March as a result of fuel price pressures.
Nielsen Ad Intel shows passenger vehicle advertising spend rose 37 per cent in March compared with February, and increased 53 per cent year-on-year versus March 2025. The uplift reflects a sharp competitive response from automotive brands seeking to capitalise on heightened consumer attention around fuel costs, transport efficiency and vehicle choice.
Much of the growth was driven by activity around electric and hybrid ranges from manufacturers including Kia, Toyota, Mitsubishi and Geely, underscoring the increasing centrality of lower-emission and fuel-efficient vehicles in the New Zealand market.
The advertising surge aligns with longer-term shifts in consumer intent.
Nielsen Consumer and Media Insights (CMI) data shows that in the 12 months to Q4 2025, 51 per cent of Kiwis planning to buy a vehicle in the next year were considering an electric, hybrid or plug-in hybrid model, up 4 per cent year-on-year. Pure EV consideration also rose to 25 per cent, also up four per cent.
This demand is being driven in part by younger, higher-income buyers. Around one in five prospective EV or hybrid buyers are aged 25–34, with an average household income of $158,236, above the national respondent average of $151,342. Nearly a quarter of this group is targeting a purchase price between $20,000 and $40,000.
Fuel retailers, meanwhile, faced a more complex and fragmented advertising environment during the same period. Nielsen Ad Intel data shows most major service station advertisers reduced spend in March compared with February, as brands responded differently to heightened fuel price sensitivity.
Among major players, Z Energy more than doubled its advertising investment, increasing spend by approximately 110%. Mobil lifted spend by more than 250 per cent from a smaller base, while BP reduced spend by around 23 per cent, though it remained one of the category’s largest advertisers.
Media strategies also diverged significantly. Z Energy concentrated around 71 per cent of spend in television, supported by radio, digital display and a return to out-of-home activity, while BP adopted a more balanced mix across television (46 per cent), out-of-home and radio (each around 27 per cent), signalling a broader brand-building approach despite lower overall spend.
Glenn Channell, Pacific Head of Advanced Analytics at Nielsen, said fuel prices are now directly influencing major purchase decisions.
“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.”
Rose Lopreiato, Nielsen Ad Intel’s Australia Commercial Lead, said the divergence in fuel retailer strategies highlighted a more fragmented category response.
“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.”
Broader mobility trends also point to a shifting transport mix in New Zealand. Nielsen CMI data shows public transport use has increased from 15 per cent in 2022 to 18 per cent in 2025, while around 16 per cent of Kiwis now walk, cycle, jog or scooter to work or study.
At the same time, working from home has eased from pandemic-era highs, declining from 12 per cent in 2022 to 9 per cent in 2025, signalling a gradual return to commuting alongside evolving cost-of-living considerations.
Helene Maurer, commercial director, NZ Agencies & Advertisers at Nielsen, said transport is becoming a more active and dynamic decision space for consumers.
“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,” she said.
