New car sales (well, actually technically registrations) as compiled by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) rose by three per cent in 2025 compared to 2024, topping out at 124,954. That's 3,638 extra cars registered in the past year.
Is that good?
It's about average for the Irish new car market, but the real stars of the new registrations were electric cars, which saw their sales rise by 35.1 per cent in 2025, compared to the previous year, reaching a total of 23,601. It means that EVs (not counting hybrids and plug-in hybrids) now hold a market share of 18.89 per cent. Petrol power is still the overall leader in the Irish market with 25.11 per cent, while hybrids hold 22.48 per cent, and plug-in hybrids have 14.82 per cent, and their sales grew even faster than EVs, rising by more than 52 per cent. Diesel has slumped to 17.09 per cent.
What does that mean for 2026?
It means that we're likely to see further increases in electric car sales, even if they probably won't rise as dramatically as they did in 2025.
According to Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General: “The new car market in 2025 finished in line with projections, as new car registrations reached 124,954 units, an increase of three per cent on 2024. Light Commercial Vehicles sales were seven per cent ahead of last year, while HGV registrations were down five per cent on 2024. Battery-electric cars reached 23,601 units, an increase of 35 per cent on 2024, the highest level of sales annually, surpassing the previous record year of 2023, with an increase in registrations in every county. This, along with the increase in plug-in hybrid registrations, meant that Ireland comfortably surpassed the 2025 Climate Action Plan targets. Hybrid-electric vehicles also continued to gain momentum in 2025, while traditional fuels — petrol and diesel — have seen a decline in their market share. The 261 sales period has now commenced, and the Irish Motor Industry is optimistic for the year ahead. Retailers and manufacturers have a variety of offers and different models available for both new and used cars to suit all buyers, making it a good time to shop around.”
What were the best sellers for the year?
Toyota finished on top of the brand sales charts, a position which it held all through 2025.
Zoe Bradley, Head of Marketing Communications and Corporate Affairs in Toyota Ireland, said: "We are delighted to remain in the top position as Ireland's best-selling car brand for the fifth-year running. This achievement reflects the trust Irish drivers place in Toyota and our customer-focused Dealer Network and the continued shift toward low- and zero-emission vehicles across the market.”
In second place was Volkswagen, followed by Skoda, Hyundai, and Kia.
The best-selling car in 2025 was, as it has been for almost all of the past decade, the Hyundai Tucson. In second place was the Skoda Octavia, followed by the Kia Sportage, Toyota Yaris Cross, and Toyota RAV4.
In terms of electric sales, the best-selling EV brands were Volkswagen, Kia, Tesla, Hyundai, and Skoda, while the best-selling EV model was once again the Volkswagen ID.4, followed by the Tesla Model 3, Kia EV3, Tesla Model Y, and Hyundai Inster.
The best-selling colours were grey, black, and blue, and the hatchback was the most popular body style (although that's not quite accurate as SIMI catalogues some small SUVs as hatchbacks or even MPVs).
Any surprises in the stats?
A couple. Fiat managed to sell 17 new Tipos in 2025, which was a bit of a shock. The Volkswagen Golf broke back into the top ten sales charts, proving (alongside the much bigger-selling Skoda Octavia and Toyota Corolla) that we haven't all gone SUV-mad. Ford almost lost its place in the top ten sales to Dacia, while BYD nearly overtook Tesla. Six people bought (or at least registered) a new Jaguar, while only two new Ferraris received Irish number plates, although that's still better than Bentley, Maserati, or Morgan, which all only managed one apiece.