Despite months of lockdown in New Zealand's largest city and the impacts of supply chain, the Ford Ranger remained the top selling vehicle for 2021 with an incredible 12,580 registrations, with the Toyota Hilux not far behind with 8430 registrations. This demonstrates that utes still reign supreme in New Zealand as a favourite choice for a new vehicle.

2021 Ford Ranger Wildtrak X - Adventure Pick Up Truck

Choosing that perfect ute

Choosing a ute isn’t an easy decision to make. In a lot of ways, it’s tougher than picking out your average, everyday car. Not only do people want something big enough to carry their work or recreational gear, they’re after a vehicle that’s reliable and functional enough to keep up with their busy lifestyle demands.

Many buyers crave their ute to be more than just a workhorse, it may need to be comfortable and spacious enough for the school drop-off, or the annual family camping trip in addition to transporting work gear.

Toyota Hilux - 2021 AA DRIVE NZ Car of the Year: Best Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV)

With so many different varieties of utes on New Zealand roads, it’s important you know what to look for on your next visit to the dealership or online marketplace.

Cab and chassis

The bare basics – rather than being fitted with a pre-assembled tray, the ute is simply a front cab with a naked rear chassis. These are typically sold to customers who have a specific purpose for the vehicle and need a custom-built unit on the back like a camper, mobile service van or custom flat deck.

Flat deck

Flat decks have been a staple of Kiwi culture for decades, and remain popular today. It’s a hardworking tradie’s ute with two doors, two seats and a big, long tray for carrying the tough stuff. They’re constructed for heavy work with the ease of loading being their key advantage. Models with flat decks are usually chosen with lesser trim options and may have removable sides attached to the cargo area to improve access – perfect for those big lock boxes.

Wellside

Wellside utes have factory-installed moulded trays with fixed sides that can’t be removed, therefore only allowing access through the tailgate. Popular add-ons include fiberglass canopies and various tray covers. Tow capacities are typically quite high as well, with some claiming to haul up to 3.5 tonnes. These are by far the most common utes on our roads today and come in a couple of options.

Extended cab

As the name suggests, this is a ute with a stretched single cab. These particular models usually have two extra-large front doors with collapsible seats allowing access to the rear passenger compartments. The back may be suitable for young children, but if you try taking some friends on a long journey, your friends are going to have a bad time because the rear seats usually have a fixed rear cushion that can’t be reclined or a fold down seat squab. Making it not the most comfortable place to be.

Double Cabs

Also referred to as Cab plus and King cabs, are designed with passenger comfort at the heart, offering more space, more seating and more technology. They take a one size fits all approach that’s perfect for the working week, and the family trip to the beach. Cabin space and comfort are continually on the rise, so if you’re intending on doing a lot of driving with the cabin loaded, you should choose carefully and go for a test drive with the family to make sure the ute fits your requirements.

If you’re shopping for a ute, understanding the types that are available before you begin your online search will hopefully help you choose the right vehicle that can cater to both your work and lifestyle requirements.

Strong Market Leader

New Zealanders soft spot for utes is clearly expressed in new vehicle registration figures. According to data from the Motor Industry Association of New Zealand (MIA) two of the three top selling new vehicles in 2021 were utes.

The bestselling passenger vehicle was the Mitsubishi Outlander with 6506 sales, which is quite a gap, with the Ford Ranger selling almost twice as many units. Utes also now hold a 23 per cent slice of all new vehicles sold in New Zealand so far.

Interestingly from 1 April 2022, it is proposed, (subject to legislation being passed), that fees and rebates will be applied according to the CO2 emission of vehicles. The higher the CO2 rating the greater the fee and the lower the CO2 rating the greater the rebate. This is pushing some buyers to expedite their purchase plans when it comes to higher emitting utes before this proposed legislation comes into effect.

While the New Zealand market currently doesn’t offer any new BEV ute options, this year Ford released their all-electric 2022 Ford F -150 Lightning in the US and it drew a lot of interest. Ford’s first ever F -Series that’s gas-free will be offered with two battery packs, their standard option will be good for 370km, and the extended-range option will be closer to 500km.

Another lesser-known American electric vehicle automaker Rivian, which was founded in 2009 - claims it’s all electric R1T will have some pretty impressive performance too, the truck will tow up to 4500kg and have an impressive claimed range of up to 640km.

Only time will tell if any of these models will be destined for our shores. Fingers crossed.

Find out more on how the AA can help you when buying a car

• AA Preferred Dealers - aa.co.nz/preferred
• AA Pre Purchase Inspections - aa.co.nz/inspections
• AA Valuations - aa.co.nz/valuations
• AA History Report - aa.co.nz/vehiclehistory
• AA Money - aa.co.nz/money
• AA Insurance - aa.co.nz/insurance
• AA Car Reviews - aa.co.nz/car-reviews

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