Vehicles that come into the country through unauthorised Land Rover retailers are called “grey imports”. Grey imports can be sourced from any country, either privately or via an independent commercial company. Most grey imports are used vehicles which come into New Zealand from a variety of sources; historically the majority have come from Japan. However, grey imports are also arriving from the United Kingdom, Australia and Singapore. Grey imports may not have the same Land Rover warranty protection or after sales support as vehicles purchased from any authorised Land Rover retailer.

There are no regulations that govern who can import vehicles into New Zealand and there are no requirements for importers to verify the authenticity of vehicles that they import. Motorcorp Distributors Limited is the only authorised importer of Land Rover vehicles into New Zealand.

Grey imports may not be configured for New Zealand conditions and may not provide the same level of comfort as to the authenticity of the relevant vehicle. In addition, vehicles imported by an unauthorised Land Rover importer may not have the same level of warranty protection or after sales support.

It is difficult to check the provenance and history of grey imports. There is a risk that a vehicle may be sold as “new”, even if it has been registered and used in its market of origin prior to import. There have also been incidents where vehicles have been crashed, damaged or stolen, and then subsequently imported into New Zealand and sold as “new” vehicles. Here is some advice from the AA

From 1 June 2018 Land Rover is introducing a regional warranty scheme for new Land Rover vehicles (the “Regional Warranty”). New Zealand and Australia are the warranty region. The Regional Warranty replaces Land Rover’s current global warranty scheme. Under the Regional Warranty scheme, if a Land Rover customer permanently exports their vehicle from one warranty region to another warranty region, they will not be entitled to rely on the warranty acquired with the purchase of the relevant vehicle. However, a customer may have an option to purchase a Regional Warranty for that vehicle in the new region. Details regarding Land Rover’s warranty coverage are available here or speak to your authorised Land Rover Retailer.

Under the Regional Warranty scheme, if a customer imports their Land Rover vehicle into a new region, then they may be able to purchase a new Regional Warranty for that vehicle in that new region. Activating the Regional Warranty will be subject to Land Rover’s origin and technical inspection reviews on the vehicle. For further details about activating the Regional Warranty, see the terms available in your Authorised Retailer.

Clarification of any warranty on imported vehicles can be obtained from the authorised Land Rover retailer network. A list of authorised Land Rover retailer s is available here

Jaguar Land Rover Limited will charge $8,000 USD to reactivate the Regional Warranty.

All imported Land Rover vehicles require standard servicing and maintenance items as per the service handbook. The cost of servicing and maintaining grey imports is handled by the owner directly. All New Zealand new Land Rover vehicles purchased from an authorised Land Rover retailer have a 3 year/100,000km warranty and a full 5 year Land Rover service plan which covers service, maintenance and repairs at no cost to the original retail customer. A full description of the service plan can be found here or at your authorised Land Rover retailer.

For grey import vehicles, any roadside assistance programs will need to be purchased separately from a third-party supplier and paid for by the owner. All New Zealand new Land Rover vehicles purchased from an authorised Land Rover retailer are covered by Land Rover’s Roadside Assistance support program – full details of this support are available here

Grey import vehicles may be included in any manufacturer safety recall, but this is only possible if the vehicle is known to exist in the local market. All New Zealand new Land Rover vehicles purchased from an authorised Land Rover retailer will automatically be covered under any manufacturer safety recall or service campaign.

Grey import vehicles may have navigation and driver assistance systems. However, these systems will not automatically work in New Zealand and it may not be possible to retrofit a local solution. All New Zealand new Land Rover vehicles purchased from an authorised Land Rover retailer are supplied with a New Zealand compatible navigation system, which includes localised navigation maps and planned regular updates.

There is a risk that grey import vehicles may not have accurate odometers.

Consumers may be able to rely on the Consumer Guarantees Act if they have acquired a grey import from a person supplying in trade. In addition to protection under the Consumer Guarantees Act, all New Zealand new Land Rover vehicles purchased from an authorised Land Rover retailer have warranty protection, roadside assistance, five year service and maintenance plans and support from the Land Rover retailer network.

Due to risks regarding provenance and authenticity and limited warranty protection and after sales support, there is a risk that grey imports may have a lower market value than a New Zealand new Land Rover vehicle purchased from an authorised Land Rover retailer.

All New Zealand new Land Rover vehicles purchased from an authorised Land Rover retailer provide the following benefits as standard:
3 Year / 100,000km warranty 3 Years Roadside Assistance 5 Year Service Plan Guaranteed vehicle origin with full provenance on the relevant vehicle Use of Land Rover certified and factory trained technicians, who only use genuine factory parts with a 1 year warranty (unless covered by the original warranty) Exclusive access to diagnostic and Land Rover factory expertise Configuration for NZ driving conditions with correct fuel and emissions ratings New Zealand wide coverage from our authorised Land Rover network of retailers, including use of courtesy vehicles