Its latest figures show that the share of electric-only new cars sold in the four month period was more than double that of the same period in 2021 with 6,748 vehicles sold, compared with 3,026 last year.

There was an overall increase of over a fifth in the number of new cars licensed for the first time in the month of April, the CSO’s figures show.

10,045 new cars were licensed in the month – an increase of 22% on April of last year.

In the first four months of 2022, 51,374 new private cars were licensed, an increase of 8% compared with the same period last year.

Just over a quarter of new private cars licensed in that period were diesel, compared with 37% in the same period in 2021.

Brexit and supply chain constraints continued to impact the sector which is especially apparent in the second hand car market.

The CSO figures show that there was a reduction of 40% on the number of used private cars imported and licensed in April compared with the same month last year.

The number of used cars coming in here between January and April declined by 45% compared with the same period in 2021.

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The CSO published Vehicles licensed for the first time for March 2022, figures based on the National Vehicle and Driver File compiled by the Department of Transport.

The figures show that the number of new cars licensed for the first time in March 2022 was 11,872 compared with 10,672 in March 2021, a rise of 11%.

Commenting on the data, statistician Dr Nele van der Wielen said: “Today’s figures from the CSO show the continued growth in the number of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles licensed in Ireland. The number of new electric cars licensed has more than doubled from 2,314 in the first quarter of 2021 to 5,388 in 2022. At the same time the number of new diesel cars is decreasing. For the first quarter of 2022, 10,609 new cars licensed were diesel cars compared with 14,266 in the same period in 2021.”

“The number of used cars licensed in the first quarter of 2022 was 46% less than those licensed in the same period in 2021 (11,517 compared with 21,395).”

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New car registrations for March were up 40.7% (12,935) when compared to March 2021 (9,192). Registrations year to date are up 4% (49,928) on the same period last year (48,030).

Light Commercial vehicles (LCV) are down 32.2% (2,032) compared to March last year (2,998) and year to date are down 17.3% (9,372). HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) registrations are down 25.9% (249) in comparison to March 2021 (336). Year to date HGV’s are down 8.4% (823).

Used car imports for March (3,793) have seen a decrease of 35.1% on March 2021 (5,840). Year to date imports are down 36.8% (11,641) on 2021 (18,419).

For the month of March, 1,930 new electric vehicles were registered compared to 1,034 in March 2021. So far this year 6,244 new electric cars have been registered in comparison to 2,816 on the same period 2021.

Electric Vehicle and Plug-in Hybrids and Hybrids continue to increase their market share, with a combined market share now of 44.63%. Despite a large decrease in market share for internal combustion engine type vehicles, petrol remains dominant 27.4%, with Diesel accounting for 25.83%, Hybrid 24.56%, Electric 12.51% and Plug-in Electric Hybrid 7.56%.

Commenting on the new vehicle registrations Brian Cooke, Director General SIMI said:  “While new car sales are up 41% on March last year and up 4% year to date, they still remain 22% behind that of pre-COVID (2019) levels. Commercial vehicles registrations for both the heavy and light sectors are down for March and year to date.

“There is strong demand for new and used cars among consumers, although supply continues to remain a major challenge for the industry, while the hire drive market continues to be well below pre-pandemic levels.

“The Electric Vehicle market continues to grow, with the first quarter of this year seeing over 10,000 new EVs (BEV and PHEV combined) registered, almost double the amount for Q1 2021. This acceleration in EV sales is down to both the increase in the number of models now available for sale, and the SEAI Grants supporting their purchase.

“We welcome the Government’s publication yesterday of their draft Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy 2022-2025. It is vital that Ireland delivers a modern agile charging infrastructure that keeps pace with both the increasing number of EVs and the ongoing improvements in charging technologies. By doing this, we can work together to build consumer confidence in the EV project.”

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