EVs and hybrids make up two-thirds of new car market
Michael McAleer
Hybrids and all-electric models now account for two-thirds of all new car sales in Ireland.
New car registration figures for the first six months show regular hybrids had a 27.7 per cent share, EVs had 23.7 per cent, while plug-in hybrids had 14.7 per cent.
In comparison, new petrol cars accounted for 21 per cent of sales while diesel cars made up just 12.9 per cent.
According to figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI), total new car sales are up 4.2 per cent so far this year, with 85,203 new cars registered in the first six months of the year.
SIMI director general Brian Cooke said he expects the share of EV sales to grow further during the new 262 registration plate period on the back of interest in the Government's recent pilot scrappage scheme that allowed 2,000 drivers of petrol or diesel cars 13 years of age or older to secure up to €8,500 in grants towards a new EV. The scheme was already oversubscribed with applicants before today's official start date.
Toyota was the best-selling new car brand with 11,912 registrations, followed by Volkswagen with 9,544, and Skoda with 8,368. The two Korean brands, Hyundai and Kia, held fourth and fifth place respectively, while premium brand Audi is sixth, ahead of BMW.
BYD is the best-selling Chinese brand, with 2,732 registrations so far this year.
The best-selling new car model is Toyota’s Yaris Cross with 2,778 registrations. The best-selling EV brand is Volkswagen, with its ID.4 being the best-selling all-electric model on the car market. It’s followed by Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y, both of which have benefited from significant price changes in the last year.
Used imports
The market for used imports is also performing strongly, up 39 per cent so far this year at 47,109. Japan is now the main source of these cars for the Irish market, accounting for 25,647, compared to 6,898 from the UK.
Volkswagen, Toyota and BMW models are the most popular import brands, while the leading model imported is the VW Golf, followed by the VW Polo, Audi A3 and BMW 3 Series.
Petrol models account for 38.4 per cent of used imports, ahead of diesel with 19.2 per cent, hybrids at 17 per cent, plug-in hybrids at 15 per cent and EVs at 10 per cent.
The majority of used imports are six years of age or older, with 61 per cent in this category, while 19.3 per cent are between one and three years old.
In the commercial market, van sales are up 14.4 per cent with 21,492 new light commercial vehicles registered up to the end of June, with Ford the best-selling brand after 4,175 new registrations, ahead of Volkswagen with 3,408. The best-selling model is the Renault Trafic with 1,565 sales.
In contrast, the truck market is down 6 per cent, with 1,553 new heavy commercial vehicles registered this year.
