New car registrations for May were down 15pc (6,407) when compared to May 2023 (7,545) while registrations year-to-date are up 3.8pc (at 77,453) on the same period last year (74,612), writes Trish Whelan.
Sales of Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) dropped by 22.3pc (1,950) compared to May last year (2,511) and year-to-date LCVs are up 21.3pc (19,543). Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) registrations are up 24.4pc (265) in comparison to May 2023 (213) and year-to-date HGVs are up 20.2pc (1,707).
Imported used cars saw a 22.9pc (5,514) rise in May this year compared to May 2023 (4,486) and year-to-date imports are up 26.00pc (26,207) on 2023 (20,797).
Figures from The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) also show fewer new electric cars registered in May (1,044) which was a 39.1pc drop over the 1,715 registrations for May 2023. So far this year, some 10,062 new electric cars have been registered which is a 21.8pc decrease compared to the same period in 2023 at 12,875.
The top selling car brands 2024 are: 1. Toyota, 2. Volkswagen, 3. Skoda, 4. Hyundai, 5. Kia. The top selling EVs are: 1. VW ID.4, 2. Tesla Model Y, 3. Hyundai Kona, 4. Tesla Model 3, 5. MG MG4. The top selling car for May was the Dacia Sandero (pictured above) and the top selling electric car was the Tesla Model Y (pictured below).
Petrol cars continue lead the new car market at 33.30pc followed by diesel at 23.06pc, Hybrid (petrol electric) at 20.18pc, Electric at 12.99pc, and Plug-in Electric Hybrids at 8.86pc. Electric cars have seen a fourth consecutive month of decline in sales with the EV share of the market now at just 13pc, down from 17pc on last year. Commenting on the figures, Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General, said the private consumer is the driver of EV sales in Ireland and 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 as well as encouraging the company car market - and to delay the phasing out of the BIK concession until such time as EVs become firmly established.
