The registrations of new cars in Ireland — not exactly the same as sales, but close enough — rose by one single per cent in August, compared to the same month last year.
How many new cars were registered?
7,615 new cars were registered, compared to 7,546 in August 2024. It means that total registrations for the year to date are up by 3.4 per cent compared to 2024, with a total of 116,099 new registrations.
Sales of vans also took off in August, reaching 2,660 vehicles, some 56.7 per cent better than last August. Van sales are up 2.8 per cent so far this year, which is good news for the underlying economic performance of the country.
Imports of second-hand cars were also up, by 9.9 per cent compared to August last year, and 9.48 per cent for the year to date. In total, 46,662 used cars have been imported so far this year.
What about electric cars?
Electric car registrations are leaping ahead — registrations of EVs were up by a huge 69 per cent in August, compared to the same month last year, with 2,126 new electric cars compared to 1,256 in August 2024. So far this year, 20,656 new EVs have been registered, 37 per cent more than in the same period last year.
Brian Cooke, director general of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) which collates the figures, said: “August new car registrations were one per cent ahead of the same month last year, with 7,615 units registered. Year-to-date new car sales are just over three per cent ahead of last year, with a total of 116,099 new cars registered. New battery-electric car registrations increased by 69 per cent when compared to August 2024, with 2,126 units sold, while year-to-date they have reached 20,656, a 37 per cent increase on the same period last year. This means electric car sales have now recovered to 2023 levels. This recovery in EV sales is one that we must build upon and would not have been possible without Government incentives. With Budget 2026 fast approaching, the Government must recommit to the EV project, extend the current incentives (the SEAI Grant, Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) relief, and Zero per cent Benefit-In-Kind (BIK) threshold), and consider additional targeted measures which focus on the business sector or the second-hand EV market. In addition, investment in the high-powered public charging infrastructure is vital. The Battery Electric Vehicle market is still developing, and any diminution of support will negatively impact widespread EV adoption, which is such a critical part of achieving our climate change goals. Now is the time to invest in the EV project.”
Which cars and brands were the biggest sellers?
The top selling brands so far in 2025 have been Toyota, Volkswagen, Skoda, Hyundai, and Kia. The Hyundai Tucson maintains it's stranglehold on the Irish number one model sales slot for the year to date, followed by the Skoda Octavia, which has bounced back into the No.2 spot it occupied for most of last year, then the Toyota Yaris Cross, Kia Sportage, and Toyota RAV4.
When it comes to electric cars, the best-selling brands for the year to date are Volkswagen, Kia, Hyundai, Tesla, and Skoda, while the year's best-selling EV models are the Volkswagen ID.4, Kia EV3, TTesla Model 3, Kia EV6, and the Hyundai Inster.
The best-selling car overall in August was the Skoda Octavia, and the best-selling electric car was the BYD Sealion 7.