Sales of electric cars up by more than 33%

New car registrations for July were up 4.3% (26,787) when compared to the same month last year, according to the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI). Overall, registrations so far this year are up 3.7% (108,531) on the same period last year (104,655).  But one of the standout trends emerging from the latest figures has been the continued growth of the electric car market. In July, 4,913 new electric cars (battery electric cars) were registered, which was 57% higher than the 3,129 registrations in July 2024. So far this year, 18,542 new electric cars have been registered, representing a 33.7% increase compared to the same period in 2024, when 13,866 electric cars were registered. Even still, sales of EVs can vary hugely across the country. In Wicklow, they command an impressive 25% market share, but in Mayo, it’s just 10.3%. While in it's Donegal 11.5% in Donegal, 9.7% in Roscommon and under 9% in Leitrim. Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General said: "New battery-electric car registrations increased by 57% when compared to July 2024, with 4,913 units sold, while year to date they have reached 18,542, a 34% increase on the same period last year, and are now back to 2023 levels. "Notably, this means that we have surpassed the 175,000 EV target (BEV & PHEV combined) for 2025 contained in the Government’s Climate Action Plan. "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." In the new car market share by engine type for 2025, Petrol cars continue as the new car market leader at 26.90%, followed by Hybrid (Petrol Electric) at 22.72%, Diesel at 17.13%, Electric at 17.08%, and Plug-in Electric Hybrid at 14.71%. Toyota leads the 2025 market with 15,288 sales, ahead of Volkswagen (12,722), Hyundai (10,619) and Škoda (10,367). The top-selling model remains Hyundai’s Tucson (4,220), followed by Toyota’s Yaris Cross (3,171), Škoda’s Octavia (3,115) and Toyota’s RAV4 (3,072). Amongst EVs, Volkswagen leads the way with 2,690 sales, ahead of Kia (2,338), Hyundai (2,171) and Tesla (1,719). The most popular EV models are the VW ID.4, Kia EV3 and Tesla Model 3. The best-selling Chinese brand was BYD with 1,952 registrations. Although the MG brand – now under Chinese ownership – has 1,240, there’s a big gap between these and the next new Chinese brand, Xpeng, with just 117 registrations. In the luxury car bracket, BMW is on top with 4,222 registrations, just ahead of Audi with 4,060. Mercedes-Benz has 2,650, Volvo has 1,716, and Lexus 1,120. Jaguar has registered just six new cars so far in 2025. Meanwhile, BMW’s bestselling SUV model is the X5 with 780 registrations, three times as many as the once-dominant 3 Series. So far this year, 18,542 new electric cars have been registered, representing a 33.7% increase compared to the same period in 2024, when 13,866 electric cars were registered BMW also sold 129 of its high-performance M5s, while Porsche recorded 22 sales for its 911, bringing its overall new car sales this year to 362 and putting it ahead of brands like Jeep, Smart, DS, Polestar and Alfa Romeo and just three car sales short of Honda. In the commercial sector van sales dipped slightly by less than one per cent at 24,945,while heavy goods vehicles are down 16.5% to 2,349.

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