New car registrations: down 9.7% in June 2026
Growth expected as July 262 sales begin
The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) has released its official new vehicle registration statistics for June.
New car registrations for June were down 9.7% (2,200) compared to June 2025 (2,436). Registrations year to date are up 4.2% (85,203) on the same period last year (81,749).
Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) increased by 2.9% (1,082) compared to June last year (1,052). Year to date LCVs are up 14.3% (21,492). Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) registrations experienced a decrease of 25% (96) in comparison to June 2025 (128). Year to date, HGVs are down 5.9% (1,553).
Imported Used Cars have seen a 42.7% (8,149) increase in June 2026, when compared to June 2025 (5,712). Year to date imports are up 39% (47,109) on 2025 (33,895).
In June 1,123 new electric cars (battery electric cars) were registered, which was a 9.7% decrease from the 1,244 registrations in June 2025. So far this year, 20,164 new electric cars have been registered, representing a 48.0% increase compared to the same period in 2025, when 13,629 electric cars were registered.
In the new car market share by engine type, Hybrid (Petrol Electric) continues to lead the market at 25.89% as the most popular engine type, followed by Electric 23.67%, Petrol 21.06%, Plug-In Hybrid 14.21%, and Diesel 12.87%.
Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General, commenting:
“Overall, the new car market outturn for the first half of the year was positive, with 85,203 new cars sold, an increase of 4% on the first six months of last year. The clear trend in sales is the move towards Battery Electric and Hybrid Electric sales, which now account for nearly two-thirds of the market; only seven years ago petrol and diesel cars accounted for 88% of registrations. This is a fundamental market development and is particularly underlined this year by the increase in BEV sales, which at 20,164 units represent a 24% market share. Looking forward to the 262 July registration plate, we are expecting further growth in BEV sales. The extension of the SEAI purchase grants, backed up by generous offers from Distributors and Retailers, has now been further enhanced by the 2,000 customers availing of the Government’s BEV pilot scrappage scheme.”
