The Government will retain a Clean Vehicle Standard for new and used vehicle imports, following a review of its settings, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says.
"The Clean Vehicle Standard sets emissions targets for vehicles imported into New Zealand," Mr Bishop says.
"In 2025, it became clear that the Standard's settings were not well matched to market conditions. Most importers were struggling to meet the passenger vehicle targets, with the charges likely to be passed through to consumers through higher car prices and reduced choice.
"At that time, the Government made critical short-term changes to ease pressure on importers and keep cars affordable for New Zealand families and businesses. We also committed to complete a full first-principles review of the Standard.
"The first stage of that review was carried out earlier this year. It found the Standard to be the most cost-effective way to increase the availability of lower-emissions vehicles in New Zealand. Most vehicle industry stakeholders who took part in the review also supported retaining the Standard.
"In feedback on the review, industry noted that the Standard is now well established in New Zealand, with importers accumulating credits and charges over time. Removing it at this stage would be highly disruptive for the vehicle industry.
"The Government has therefore decided to retain a Standard and progress work to calibrate the settings so they are realistic and achievable for industry.
"The Government has also agreed to set different targets for used vehicle imports to reflect that they have different and older technology.
"Officials will now engage with the vehicle industry on settings and report back early next year. This work will inform new targets and settings that are due to take effect from 1 January 2028."
