How many Volkswagen Vanagons are left in New Zealand?
Super rare 1 in 292,180 on the road Built 1981-1996 European
Updated from the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register, counted as at 31 August 2026. Recounted every month.
The North American name for the third-generation Transporter, sold from 1979 to the early 1990s. It was the last Volkswagen van with its engine in the tail, air-cooled at first and water-cooled from 1983. Westfalia campers and the four-wheel-drive Syncro are the versions people seek out.
Still on the road, by model year
The most are from 1982: 3 still registered. Every year is listed under the chart.
Every model year
| Model year | Still registered |
|---|---|
| 1981 | 1 |
| 1982 | 3 |
| 1984 | 1 |
| 1986 | 2 |
| 1987 | 2 |
| 1988 | 2 |
| 1991 | 3 |
| 1996 | 2 |
What Super rare means
Spotto grades every car by how many are still registered in New Zealand. With 16 still registered, the Volkswagen Vanagon is Super rare: the grade for cars with 5 to 24 left.
By how many are left it ranks 41st of the 48 Volkswagen models and equal 1,776th of all 2,903 cars in Spotto's catalogue.
The six grades: Common, 8,000 or more · Uncommon, 1,200 to 7,999 · Scarce, 175 to 1,199 · Rare, 25 to 174 · Super rare, 5 to 24 · Unicorn, fewer than 5.
Seen one?
Spotto grades every car on New Zealand roads by how many are still registered, down to the generation and the badge. Log the ones you spot, build a collection, and see who else has found one.