EVs and plug-in hybrids lead new car sales in July

Michael McAleer

All-electric and plug-in hybrid cars accounted for 34 per cent of the new cars registered in July, making them the most popular powertrains for 252 registrations.

Sales of EVs and PHEVs are ahead of petrol versions on 26 per cent of the market, and diesels on 17 per cent. Conventional (non-plug-in) hybrids had a 22.5 per cent share.

Overall, 26,787 new 252-registration cars were registered last month, up 4.3 per cent on July 2024. For the year to date, registrations total 108,531, an increase of 3.7 per cent.

While EVs account for 17 per cent of the market, popularity varies sharply across the State. In Wicklow, they hold a 25 per cent market share – the county’s best-selling type of car – but in Mayo it’s just 10.3 per cent. Shares are 11.5 per cent in Donegal, 9.7 per cent in Roscommon and under 9 per cent in Leitrim. In comparison EVs make up 18.8 per cent of Dublin's new car sales, 23 per cent in Kildare, 14.6 per cent in Cork and even 14.4 per cent in Kerry.

The rental market has yet to embrace electric: of 10,530 new hire cars registered this year, just 20 were EVs.

According to Brian Cooke, director general of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI), sales of EVs and PHEVs are now back to 2023 levels.

"This means that we have surpassed the 175,000 EV target (BEV & PHEV combined) for 2025 contained in the Government’s Climate Action Plan, he said. "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."

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).

In the EV segment, Volkswagen tops the chart 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.

Among the recently arrived Chinese brands, BYD leads with 1,952 registrations. While the reborn MG brand – now under Chinese control – has 1,240, there’s a big gap between these and the next new Chinese brand, Xpeng, with just 117 registrations.

At the premium and luxury end of the market, BMW leads with 4,222 registrations, just ahead of Audi with 4,060. Mercedes-Benz has 2,650, Volvo has 1,716, and Lexus has 1,120. Jaguar has registered just six new cars so far in 2025. In a sign of the dominance of SUVs in all segments of the Irish market, BMW’s best-selling model is the X5 with 780 registrations, three times as many as the once-dominant 3 Series.

BMW also sold 129 of its high-performance M5s this year, 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 vehicle market, often a barometer for economic activity in the State, van sales are static, down less than 1 per cent at 24,945 so far this year. However, sales of heavy goods vehicles are down 16.5 per cent to 2,349.