Registrations of new cars in Ireland have powered ahead in September, climbing by a whopping 45 per cent compared to last September and propelling the figures for the whole year back up to the same levels seen in 2021.
Registrations actually ahead of last year
6,340 new cars were registered in Ireland in September, compared to 4,449 in the same month last year. It means that total registrations for the year to date are now 0.7 per cent ahead of where they were last year, with 101,492 cars registered so far in 2022, compared to 100,745 by September 2021.
While that should be good news, the Society of the Irish Motor Industry continues to express worries over the car market, noting that the total number of registrations is still 11 per cent lower than it was in 2019, the last full year before COVID hit us.
Van and truck sales down
Commenting on the new vehicle registrations Brian Cooke, Director General SIMI, said:
"New vehicle registrations, hampered by global supply issues, continue to remain challenging. New car sales year to date, while strong in September and breaching the 100,000 barrier for the year, are only marginally ahead of last year, and are 11 per cent behind 2019 (pre-COVID levels). Sales of commercial vehicles, both Light (LCVs) and Heavy Good Vehicles (HGVs), also remain subdued. On a more positive note, Electric Vehicle Sales continue to power ahead, with over 14,500 new EVs sold this year, up 86 per cent on last year, with EVs accounting for 29 per cent of new car sales in the month of September. This strong performance of the EV market is down to increased supply from Vehicle Manufacturers, particularly in the family segment, and the vital support of the SEAI grant scheme. The early Budget, with no VRT increases and the extension of the EV grants for the first half of next year, provides some stability in what is highly volatile retail environment, and will hopefully encourage car buyers into dealerships for the vital selling period between now and the end of the year."
Electric car sales rising rapidly
Electric vehicle sales are indeed racing ahead, with 1,858 new EVs registered in September. A mere 770 were registered in September 2021. Electric vehicle sales have very nearly doubled from 2021 to 2022.
As far as the sales charts are concerned, Toyota is still the best-selling car brand overall, followed by Hyundai, Volkswagen, Kia, and Skoda. The Hyundai Tucson remains the best-selling model, followed by the Toyota Corolla, Kia Sportage, Toyota C-HR, and Toyota RAV4. The Tesla Model 3 was the best-selling car in September, a reflection of Tesla's delivery schedule, which often sees a large consignment of Model 3s arrive at this time of year. The Volkswagen ID.4 is the best-selling EV overall for the year, followed by the Hyundai Ioniq 5, the Tesla Model 3, the Kia EV6, and the Volkswagen ID.3.