New car registrations for April were down 3.6% (8,591) when compared to April 2023 (8,912). Registrations year to date are up 6.0% (71,110) on the same period last year (67,063). Light Commercial vehicles (LCVs) increased by 3.0% (2,212) compared to April last year (2,148). Year to date LCVs are up 29.0% (17,543). HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) registrations are up 37.2% (332) in comparison to April 2023 (242). Year to date HGVs are up 19.5% (1,442).

Imported Used Cars have seen a 35.6% (5,206) rise in April 2024, when compared to April 2023 (3,838). Year to date imports are up 26.9% (20,694) on 2023 (16,311).

In April 1,091 new electric cars were registered, which was 41.4% lower than the 1,863 registrations in April 2023. So far this year 9,028 new electric cars have been registered which is a 19.1% decrease compared to the same period in 2023 when 11,160 electric cars were registered.

In the new car market share by engine type for 2024, Petrol cars lead the new car market at 32.92%, followed by Diesel at 23.56%, then Hybrid (Petrol Electric) at 20.44%, Electric at 12.70%, and Plug-in Electric Hybrid at 8.76%.

Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General commenting: 
“April new car registrations saw a decrease of 3.6% when compared to the same month last year. Despite the softening in demand for new cars in recent weeks, year to date new car sales remain 6% ahead of 2023. Sales of light and heavy commercial vehicles continued to grow both in April and year to date. The Electric Vehicle segment experienced another month of decline in registrations, a trend which is being replicated across most EU markets. With the supply of new EVs no longer an issue, and with an increasing number of brands and models present in the EV segment, the drop in EV sales is demand driven. In Ireland private consumers have been the key drivers of the EV market, and these buyers need greater re-assurances to be convinced to make the change. This means rapid investment by the Government in a reliable, convenient, and affordable electric charging infrastructure, while at the same time extending current incentives such as the purchase grant. For businesses and their employees, extension of the Benefit-In Kind (BIK) relief and thresholds at current levels beyond 2024, will create greater confidence that an EV is the right choice for their companies”.

• 5 Top Selling New Car Brands 2024 were: 1. TOYOTA, 2. SKODA, 3. VOLKSWAGEN, 4. HYUNDAI, 5. KIA
• 5 Top New Car Model’s 2024 were: 1. HYUNDAI TUCSON, 2. SKODA OCTAVIA, 3. KIA SPORTAGE, 4. TOYOTA RAV 4, 5. TOYOTA YARIS CROSS
• 5 Top Selling Electric Vehicles (EVs) Brands 2024: 1. VOLKSWAGEN, 2. HYUNDAI, 3. TESLA, 4. BYD, 5. KIA
• 5 Top Selling Electric Vehicle Models (EVs) 2024: 1. VOLKSWAGEN ID.4, 2. HYUNDAI KONA, 3. TESLA MODEL 3, 4. SKODA ENYAQ, 5. MG MG4
• Top Selling Car (April) 2024: HYUNDAI TUCSON
• Top Selling Electric Car (April) 2024: VOLKSWAGEN ID.4
  • Market share by engine type 2024: Petrol 32.92%, Diesel 23.56%, Hybrid (Petrol Electric) 20.44%, Electric 12.70%, Plug-In Electric Hybrid 8.76%
• Tables below shows total new car registrations by county 2024 and total new Electric car registrations by county 2024.

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New car registrations for March were down 16% (14,936) when compared to March 2023 (17,685). Registrations year to date are up 8.0% (62,807) on the same period last year (58,151).

Light Commercial vehicles (LCVs) increased by 31.7% (4,410) compared to March last year (3,348). Year to date LCVs are up 34.1% (15,356). HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) registrations are up 28.2% (350) in comparison to March 2023 (273). Year to date HGVs are up 15.0% (1,110).

Imported Used Cars have seen an 11.0% (5,216) rise in March 2024, when compared to March 2023 (4,698). Year to date imports are up 24.2% (15,487) on 2023 (12,473).

In March 2,009 new electric cars were registered, which was 41.1% lower than the 3,412 registrations in March 2023. So far this year 7,971 new electric cars have been registered which is a 14.3% decrease compared to the same period in 2023 when 9,297 electric cars were registered.

In the new car market share by engine type for 2024, Petrol cars lead the new car market at 33.37%. followed by Diesel at 23.05%, then Hybrid (Petrol Electric) at 21.33%, Electric at 12.69%, and Plug-in Electric Hybrid at 7.92%.

Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General commenting: 
“While the new car market started strongly in the first two months of the year, March proved to be much more difficult. New car sales showed a 16% decrease on the same month last year, although sales for the first quarter remain 8% ahead of 2023. Sales of light and heavy commercial vehicles both show growth in registrations for March. Sales across all fuel types were behind last year, with the Electric Vehicle segment seeing a notable decline. This highlights the ongoing challenge of transitioning to electrification, as we move into the mainstream car market. The electrification of the fleet requires increased collaboration between all stakeholders to bridge this current chasm in the market. For the Industry, this means investment and delivery of EV technology. For Government, this means increased support in terms of extension of current incentives, including purchase grants and Benefit-In -Kind (BIK) relief for companies, and working with private enterprise to upgrade the national charging infrastructure, to boost consumer confidence in making the switch to electric vehicles.”

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New car registrations for February were up 25% (16,455) when compared to February 2023 (13,122). Registrations year to date are up 18.3% (47,882) on the same period last year (40,466).

Light Commercial vehicles (LCVs) increased by 36.8% (3,515) compared to February last year (2,569). Year to date LCVs are up 35.6% (10,987). HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) registrations are up 14.2% (305) in comparison to February 2023 (267). Year to date HGVs are up 10.3% (763).

Imported Used Cars have seen a 24% (4,945) rise in February 2024, when compared to February 2023 (3,989). Year to date imports are up 32.1% (10,270) on 2023 (7,775).

In February 1,866 new electric cars were registered, which was 15.5% lower than the 2,207 registrations in February 2023. So far this year 5,968 new electric cars have been registered which is a 1.4% increase compared to the same period in 2023 when 5,885 electric cars were registered.

In the new car market share by engine type for 2024, Petrol cars continue to lead the new car market at 32.97%. Diesel is next at 23.76%, then Hybrid (Petrol Electric) at 21.51%, Electric at 12.46%, and Plug-in Electric Hybrid at 7.76%.

Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General commenting: 
“New car registrations for February show a 25% increase on the same month last year, and year to date are now 18% ahead of 2023. Supply chain issues prevalent at the start of 2023 are no longer impacting on sales. Registrations of light commercial vehicles also show a positive start to the year, up over a third on last year. Electric vehicle (EVs) registrations are down on February last year and are only marginally ahead of the first two months of 2023. 

This slowing down in EV sales is not unique to Ireland and is reflective of other new car markets. It is typical of the life cycle in the adaption of any new technology, where there is a gap between early adapters and the early majority consumers. This is happening at a time when we need to accelerate the growth in EV sales. The electrification of the car fleet is strategically important. It will cut transport emissions and shape the future of the Motor Industry. To speed up the move to EVs in the wider motoring public, the Industry and Government must keep working together. For the Industry, this means the rolling out of more EV models. For Government, it means extending incentives and investing in the national charging infrastructure.”

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Light Commercial vehicles (LCV) are up 35.3% (7,500) compared to January last year (5,542). HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) registrations are also showing an increase of 7.8% (458) in comparison to January 2023 (425).

Imported Used Cars seen a 40.7% (5,326) increase in January 2024, when compared to January 2023 (3,786).

Electric Vehicle (EV) sales seen continued growth, with a record breaking 4,109 new electric vehicles registered for the month of January when compared to 3,674 in January 2023 (+12%).

In terms of the new car market share in 2024, Petrol cars continue to dominate at 31.83%, with Hybrid (Petrol Electric) 23.95% surpassing, Diesel 21.77%, followed by Electric 13.06%, and Plug-in Electric Hybrid 6.96%.

Automatic transmissions account for (65.77%) of market share, while manual transmissions continue to see a decline (34.11%). The hatchback is Ireland’s top selling car body type of 2024.

Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General said “January 2024 has seen a positive start to the year for the Irish Motor Industry. New car registrations are 15% ahead of 2023, although they remain 3% behind 2019 (pre-covid levels). Sales of commercial vehicles, both Light (LCV) and Heavy (HGVs) registrations, are showing increases on last year, a positive signal from the business sector. Electric vehicles (EVs) sales continue to grow, with 4,109 registrations in January, up 12% on the same period last year. Petrol cars (31.8%) retained the top market share, while Hybrid-electric cars (23.9%) surged to overtake Diesel cars (21.7%) claiming second place for the first time.

“While EV sales can be viewed positively, the growth is slightly less than the overall increase in the new car market. This highlights the ongoing challenge as we move away from the early adapter stage into a more mainstream market. The Industry continues to supply a greater range of Electric Vehicles (EVs) with over 70 different EV models available for sale in Ireland. As we move forward, ongoing Government support in terms of incentives and charging infrastructure will play a vital role in ensuring the success of the next phase in the transition to electrification.”

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• 121,850 new cars registered in 2023 compared to 105,398 for the same period in 2022 (+16%) and 117,109 in 2019 (+4%).

• 22,789 new electric cars registered in 2023 comparison to 15,678 on the same period 2022 (+45.4%) and 3,444 in 2019 (+561.7%).

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) has released their official new vehicle registrations statistics for 2023.

Total new car registrations for 2023, finished at 121,850 +16% on 2022 (105,398) and up 4% on 2019 (117,109).

New Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) registrations in 2023 saw an increase of 25.1% (29,403) compared to 2022 (23,510) and a 16.1% increase on 2019 (25,336). While New Heavy Commercial Vehicle registrations (HGV) saw an increase of 20.4% (2,655) in comparison to 2022 (2,205) and 19.9% on 2019 (2,214).

Imported Used Cars saw 50,716 registrations in 2023, an increase of 9.09% on 2022 (46,490) and a decrease of 55.48% on 2019 (113,926).

A total of 22,789 new electric cars were registered in 2023, an increase on the 15,678 registrations seen in 2022 (+45.4%) and 3,444 in 2019 (+561.7%).

Market share for 2023 seen Petrol account for 30.07%, Diesel 22.16%, Electric 18.70%, Hybrid 18.54% and Plug-In Hybrid 8.28%. Petrol continues to remain the most popular engine type for 2023, while Electric, Hybrid, and Plug-in Hybrid account for 45.5% of the market.

Automatic transmissions now account for (64.54%) of market share, while manual transmissions have declined (35.35%).

The hatchback continues to remain Ireland’s top selling car body type of 2023. While grey retains the top selling colour title for the eight year running.

Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General commenting: 
“2023 was a year of progress for the Irish Motor Industry, both in terms of new vehicle registrations and electric vehicle sales. New car registrations finished at 121,850 units, up 16% on last year and 4% ahead of pre-COVID 2019. The growth in electric vehicle sales continued into 2023, with an increase in market share from 15% in 2022 to nearly 19% in 2023.This represented a 45% increase in EV sales for the year. We do expect to see some growth in EV sales again in 2024, but key to this will be the ongoing Government support, both in terms of vehicle and taxation incentives and investment in a fit for purpose charging infrastructure. The mix in the new car market however, from electric to hybrid to more traditional engine types, highlights the diverse nature of Irish motorists’ driving requirements, and reducing the age of the national fleet, as well as moving to zero emission vehicles, will be vital if we want to get close to Ireland’s climate goals. The commercial vehicle sector both light and heavy vehicles also delivered a solid performance in 2023. Light commercial vehicles finished 25% ahead of last year and Heavy Goods Vehicles saw a 20% increase on 2022.”  

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