Although the number of passenger cars sold in Ireland in 2024 was about static, with a marginal decrease of 1pc recorded, 2025 could be much better, according to Skoda Ireland, writes Brian Byrne.
In total, 121,012 units were registered during the year, but the Skoda estimate for this year is an achievable 125,000 units. Brand director John Donegan says that with inflation under control and unemployment remaining low, he is optimistic for that figure despite global uncertainties.
Small and medium SUVs continued to dominate, accounting for 55pc of sales, while standard petrol-powered cars represented 30pc of the market. Diesel-powered vehicles, which had experienced eight consecutive years of decline, saw a slight recovery in 2024, with a 1.3pc increase in sales, totalling 27,480 units.
Electric vehicle (EV) sales declined by 24pc in 2024, with 17,450 units registered, but that still marked the second-best year on record for the segment.
There's a growing preference for automatic transmissions, which accounted for 66% of all vehicles sold in 2024. This marks a significant shift from just five years ago when manual vehicles outsold automatics by 2 to 1.
