New electric car sales in Ireland drop by 22% so far this year

Source: Irish Sun

DUBLIN, Ireland: Sales of new electric vehicles (EVs) have dropped by 21.85 percent compared to last year, reducing their share of the overall new car market to below 13 percent. EV sales have declined in seven out of the last nine months.

In contrast, the overall new car market has seen a 3.8 percent increase in sales so far this year, despite a decrease in registrations in May. Sales of new petrol and diesel cars have risen, with petrol models making up 33.3 percent of the market and diesel models accounting for 23 percent.

While fully electric vehicle sales have declined, hybrids remain popular. Regular hybrids represent 22 percent of sales, and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) account for 9 percent.

By the end of May, new car sales totaled 77,453. However, May itself saw a 15 percent decrease in sales compared to last year, with only 6,407 units sold.

Toyota is the best-selling car brand, with 11,479 registrations, an 8.3 percent increase from last year. Volkswagen follows with 8,332 registrations, Skoda with 8,012, Hyundai with 7,061, and Kia with 5,559.

Hyundai's Tucson is the best-selling new car with 3,366 registrations, followed by Skoda's Octavia with 3,100, and Kia's Sportage with 2,524.

Brian Cooke, director general of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI), emphasized the need to refocus efforts on private consumers to boost EV sales. "We need to re-focus our efforts on these buyers; they need greater reassurances on their EV investment, which includes as a minimum the extension of current incentives and delivery on an electric charging infrastructure," Cooke said.

He also highlighted the importance of encouraging the company car market, where Ireland has lagged behind other markets. He suggested delaying the phasing out of the Benefit-in-Kind concession until EVs become more firmly established.