CompleteCar

Ireland new car registrations January 2025

Electric cars climb by 20 per cent as 251 sales accelerate.

Registrations of new cars in Ireland appear to have taken off in January, with the figures for the end of the - usually - busiest month for car sales showing a seven per cent climb.

Best EV sales month ever

More significantly, registrations of electric cars, which had fallen by 24 per cent in 2024, continued a recovery which started last November, posting a 20 per cent increase compared to January 2024.

Indeed, EV sales experienced a record-breaking month, with the highest sales recorded to date: 4,925 registrations in January, compared to 4,093 in January 2024. In total, 33,521 new cars were registered.

Brian Cooke, Director General of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI), which compiles the registration figures, said: “The new car market has started positively, with 33,521 new cars registered in January, an increase of seven per cent on the same month last year. For the commercial sector, registrations were mixed, with Light commercial vehicles (LCV) experiencing a decline of 16 per cent, while Heavy Goods registrations (HGVs) saw an increase of eight per cent on last year. Most notably, battery technology cars (BEV, PHEV, HEV) all saw significant growth, with their combined market share exceeding over half (55 per cent) of the market. In particular, Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) sales surged in January, with 4,925 registrations, up 20 per cent on the same period last year, the highest monthly total number of EVs sold, although their overall market share of 15 per cent has yet to reach 2023 levels (19 per cent). The underlying EV market continues to be dependent heavily on private sales which benefit from SEAI grant support, highlighting the importance of ongoing Government incentives to help stimulate the market. However, while there is cautious optimism over the trajectory of EV sales, one good month of sales does not necessarily define the whole year, and we still have a long way to go in the transition to electrification. The supply of EVs is there, with more newer EV models coming on stream across a range of price points, so the focus must be clearly on supporting demand in what is still a relatively new market.”

Broader economic activity

The fall in van (LCV) sales will concern those watching the overall health of the Irish economy - van sales are usually seen as a major indicator of broader economic activity.

However, the rise in EV sales has been welcomed by GeoTab, a company that provides telematic services and which has been closely monitoring EV performance, both in sales and technical terms.

Phil Barnes, GeoTab’s Business Development Manager - Ireland & UK, said: “2025 has gotten off to an amazing start, with three consecutive months of year-on-year sales increases after a turbulent 2024 for the industry. Not only has the market decline finally levelled off, we have recorded the highest level of EV sales recorded in the first month of the year ever. The start of the year was clearly a green January and bodes well for sales performance for the rest of 2025.

“While the Government should be extremely pleased, it’s important that we don’t take the foot off the accelerator. While record sales in January is a brilliant achievement, we still remain way off the pace of hitting the target of having 945,000 EVs on Irish roads by 2030. Realistically we would need to see sales of approximately 12,000 zero emission vehicles per month to achieve this, which makes it even more important for the Government to quickly deliver on the measures to boost EV sales as set out in the new Programme for Government. There is plenty of ambition, with recognition of the need to boost incentives for buyers, but if we have to wait until October for this to be introduced as part of the Budget 2026 package, then we run the risk of being stuck in the slow lane. There is clearly an appetite for change among Irish car buyers. Over four in ten new car sales are now EVs [including hybrids and PHEVs — Ed]. With an increasing number of makes and models, particularly at better value price points, the pendulum will continue to swing towards zero emission vehicles. There remains a mindset challenge however, with many people seeing hybrids as a more attractive option than battery electric vehicles. That said, it is a step in the right direction and the ever-expanding charging network and the new Government’s commitment to substantially increase the number of public charging points should help address this. This will be a key factor in helping to reduce carbon emissions, as the only true zero emission vehicles are battery electric vehicles.”

Petrol still on top, as is Toyota

In January, petrol cars remain the leader (despite a decline in share) at 28.24 per cent, followed by hybrid (petrol-electric) at 24.89 per cent, diesel at 16.31 per cent, electric at 14.69 per cent, and plug-in hybrid electric at 14.17 per cent.

Automatic transmissions account for 71.71 per cent of market share, while manual transmissions continue to see a decline with 28.28 per cent.

The top ten selling car brands more or less followed 2024’s template, with Toyota on top, followed by Hyundai, Volkswagen, Skoda, Kia, Peugeot, Nissan, Ford, Dacia, and Audi.

The top-selling model in January was - surprise, surprise - the Hyundai Tucson, followed by the Toyota Yaris Cross, the Kia Sportage, the Toyota RAV4, the Hyundai Kona, the Skoda Octavia, the Toyota Corolla, the Toyota C-HR, the Skoda Kodiaq, and the Toyota Yaris.

In terms of electric cars, the best selling January brands were Volkswagen, Kia, Hyundai, Nissan, Peugeot, Volvo, BYD, MG, Ford, and Skoda.

The best-selling EV model in January was the Volkswagen ID.4, followed by the Kia EV3, Hyundai Kona, Kia EV6, Nissan Leaf, Skoda Enyaq, Volvo EX30, MG 4, Ford Explorer, and Hyundai Ioniq 5.

Written by
Published on February 4, 2025