Sales of new cars (or, to be more accurate, registrations, which are not entirely the same thing) in Ireland grew by an impressive 7.4 per cent in February, double the rate of increase seen in January. It remains to be seen if car sales can continue in that vein, given the likely economic fallout from current global events, but it's good work for now.
Electric market share slips back slightly
That 7.4 per cent growth included an impressive 14.4 per cent increase in the number of electric cars registered, compared to February 2025. Indeed, for the year as a whole, electric sales have gone up by 36.6 per cent, although in February that still meant that EVs slipped back behind petrol-engined cars as a proportion of the total market, having gotten ahead in January.
Hybrid power is the most popular right now, holding 27.26 per cent of the car market, followed by petrol on 21.84 per cent, EV on 20.53 per cent, plug-in hybrids on 14.51 per cent, and diesel on its lowest ebb since the 1990s on 13.27 per cent.
What's the outlook for the market?
SIMI, the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, which compiles these figures, is being cautious but happy for now. Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General, said: "The positive start to the new car market this year has continued into February with 15,033 cars registered, a seven per cent increase compared to February last year. Year-to-date registrations increased by four per cent on last year, with a total of 49,557 new cars registered. The move towards electric and hybrid cars is also reflected in the figures; Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) reached 2,871 units in February, a 14 per cent increase on the same month last year, while year-to-date 10,172 new BEVs have been registered. Private consumers account for 75 per cent of BEV sales and remain the main driver of sales, a trend seen across all counties. New Hybrid electric (HEV) and Plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) registrations have also seen continued growth for February. Battery technology cars (BEV, PHEV, HEV) combined market share now accounts for over 62 per cent of registrations. The commercial sector continues to experience mixed results. Light commercial vehicles (LCVs) saw an increase in February of 15 per cent, while Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) registrations saw a decrease of 5 per cent on February last year.”
What are the best-sellers?
The Hyundai Tucson has re-taken its place at the top of the sales leaderboard, pushing January's best-seller, the Toyota Yaris Cross, back into second place. Those two are followed by the Kia Sportage, Toyota Corolla Cross, and the Hyundai Kona.
Toyota is still the best-selling brand overall, followed by Hyundai, Volkswagen, Skoda, and Kia.
The best-selling electric car remains the Volkswagen ID.4, and that's followed by the Hyundai Inster, the Kia EV3, the Hyundai Kona, and the Toyota bZ4X. Hyundai is the best-selling EV brand, followed by Volkswagen, Kia, BYD, and Renault.
The best-selling car overall in February was the Hyundai Tucson, while the best-selling EV was the VW ID.4.