Irish car sales (well, technically registrations, which aren't necessarily the same thing, but there is a correlation) are bucking the gloomy global outlook and rose dramatically in May, up by 39 per cent compared to the same month last year.
Were electric car sales up too?
Yes, and in fact it's EV sales that are currently in the driving seat ('scuse the pun). In May, 2,335 new electric cars (that's fully-electric, not plug-in hybrids) were registered, which was 115 per cent higher than the 1,086 registrations in May 2025. So far this year, 19,050 new electric cars have been registered, representing a 53.82 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2025, when 12,385 electric cars were registered.
Where does electric power stand as a share of the market?
Hybrids are still the most popular form of car on sale in Ireland, but the gap is narrowing. Hybrids hold 26.14 per cent of the total car market, but electric cars are catching up fast, on 22.94 per cent. Petrol on its own holds 21.41 per cent, plug-in hybrids are on 14.28 per cent, and diesel holds a mere 12.94 per cent of the market.
What about other vehicles?
Imported used cars - the majority of which come from Japan these days - have seen a 31.2 per cent rise in May 2026 to 7,808 vehicles, when compared to May 2025 (5,948 vehicles). Year-to-date imports are up 38.2 per cent to 38,960 vehicles, compared to 2025.
Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) - vans, basically, and these are a good indicator of underlying economic activity - increased by 22.3 per cent compared to May last year. Year to date, 20,140 new vans have been sold, up 15 per cent compared to last year. Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) registrations were up 28 per cent in comparison to May 2025 . Year to date, HGVs are down 4.3 per cent.
Does the industry now basically go on hiatus till the new reg plate in July?
Sort of. Emma Mitchell, Operations Director at the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, said: "May's new car registrations saw a 39 per cent increase when compared to the same month last year, with 8,068 units registered. Year-to-date new car sales are 4.7 per cent ahead of last year, with a total of 83,038 new cars registered. New electric vehicle registrations continue to experience strong growth across all counties, with 2,335 units registered in May, up from 1,086 units in May of last year. Notably, consumers are driving this growth, accounting for 77 per cent of EV registrations so far this year, with incentives continuing to encourage the switch to electric vehicles. Year-to-date EV registrations reached 19,050 units, representing a 23 per cent market share. While EV registrations are positive, we are now at a critical juncture to sustain the strong growth in a market that is not yet fully established. The government must capitalise on this momentum by maintaining and extending current incentives for consumers, and encourage more businesses to change to electric vehicles.”
What were the best-sellers?
Toyota continues its reign at the top of the brand sales charts, followed by Volkswagen, Skoda, Hyundai, and Kia. So far in 2026, the best-selling car is the Toyota Yaris Cross, followed by the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Toyota Corolla, and Skoda Kodiaq.
Here's our Toyota Yaris Cross review.
Here's our Hyundai Tucson review.
When it comes to electric cars, Volkswagen is the best-selling brand, followed by Hyundai, Kia, Skoda, and BYD. The best-selling electric model is the VW ID.4, followed by the Skoda Enyaq, Skoda Elroq, Kia EV3, and Toyota BZ.
Here's our Volkswagen ID.4 review.
Here's our Kia EV3 review.
The best-selling new car in May was the Toyota RAV4, while the best-selling EV in May was the Volkswagen ID.4.