Registrations of new cars in Ireland (never quite the same as actual sales, but close enough for most purposes…) rose by 4.3 per cent in July, and are now up by 3.7 per cent for the year as a whole.
How many cars were sold?
Registered, not sold - not necessarily the same thing let's not forget. According to figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI), 26,787 new cars were registered in July, and that brings the total for the year to date to 108,531 cars.
Were lots of those electric?
Yes, they were. 4,913 new electric cars were registered in July, a 57 per cent increase compared to the same month last year. It means that 18,542 new EVs have been registered so far this year, which is 33 per cent up on this time last year. That's good news, but SIMI's reckoning that: “We have surpassed the 175,000 EV target for 2025 contained in the Government's Climate Action Plan” only holds water if you combine the sales of both fully-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), which seems like a bit of a fudge to us (even if that's an official fudge in that self-same Climate Action Plan).
Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General, said: “New car registrations in July saw a four per cent increase on the same month last year, with 26,787 units registered. Year to date sales are also close to four per cent ahead of last year, with a total of 108,531 new cars registered. New battery-electric car registrations increased by 57 per cent when compared to July 2024, with 4,913 units sold, while year to date they have reached 18,542, a 34 per cent increase on the same period last year, and are now back to 2023 levels. This important landmark on the road to electrification could not have been achieved without the significant levels of Government incentives. If we want to continue this momentum, these supports must be maintained and extended well beyond the end of this year. Light Commercial Vehicle sales, which had been disappointing during Q1, have bounced back since then, with the July LCV market up 23 per cent on last year, and are now less than one per cent behind 2024 year to date. Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) registrations are down 19 per cent in July and down 11 per cent year to date. The mixed results and market fluctuations in the commercial sector reflect the current economic and political uncertainty.”
Strong van sales means a strong economy?
It seems so. Sales of vans and other light commercial vehicles were up by 22.8 per cent in July, which means that the cumulative figure for the year is a decrease of 0.9 per cent, which is a bit healthier than things were looking earlier in the year. Generally, sales of vans are considered to be a solid indicator of underlying economic activity, so in spite of the whims of Trumpanomics and other political upheaval in the world, we seem to be doing OK.
Have electric sales moved ahead of petrol sales?
No, but electric cars have almost eclipsed diesel cars, as diesel currently holds a 17.13 per cent market share compared to EVs on 17.08 per cent. That's quite the turnaround from diesel's one-time 75 per cent market share. Petrol-engined cars still hold on to the biggest chunk of the market - 26.9 per cent. However, if you combine full-electric registrations with PHEV registrations, you end up with a figure of 31.79 per cent, which means that electrified powertrains, as opposed to fully-electric, are indeed more popular. Add in hybrid registrations (i.e: regular, non-plug-in hybrids) with 22.72 per cent and plain old petrol is put well and truly in the shade.
What are the best selling cars and brands?
Toyota is still the top-selling brand, followed by Volkswagen, Hyundai, Skoda, and Kia. The Hyundai Tucson continues its decade-long stranglehold on the Irish new car market as the best-selling model, followed by the Toyota Yaris Cross, the Skoda Octavia, the Toyota RAV4, and the Kia Sportage.
The top-selling electric car brand is Volkswagen, followed by Kia, Hyundai, Tesla, and Skoda. The best-selling electric cars for the year so far are the Volkswagen ID.4, followed by the Kia EV3, TTesla Model 3, Kia EV6, and the Hyundai Inster.
The best-selling car in July was the Hyundai Tucson, while the best-selling electric car in July was the Volkswagen ID.4.