EV sales set to overtake petrol as hybrids dominate new car market
Michael McAleer
Electric car sales look set to overtake petrol this year, with EVs trailing by just 653 registrations after the first two months of the year.
Sales of electric cars are continuing to surge, up 37 per cent on last year and accounting for more than 20.5 per cent of the new car market, continuing their climb from just 4.6 per cent of the market five years ago.
By the end of February, 10,172 new EVs had been sold, while there were 10,825 petrol cars and 6,575 diesels, according to figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (Simi). Regular non-plug-in hybrids are the most popular power choice, accounting for 14,555 registrations, while plug-in hybrids made up 7,430 sales.
It means 64 per cent of the Irish market is now electrified in some form.
Brian Cooke, Simi's director general, said "Private consumers account for 75 per cent of EV sales and remain the main driver of sales, a trend seen across all counties."
Overall, new car sales are up 4.35 per cent in the first two months, with 49,557 newly registered passenger cars on our roads at the end of February.
Last month, 15,033 new cars were registered, an increase of 7.4 per cent on the same month last year.
Toyota remains the best-selling brand with 6,514 sales, ahead of Hyundai with 5,191, Volkswagen with 5,154, Skoda with 4,269 and Kia with 3,888.
Audi is performing particularly strongly, with the premium brand currently the sixth best-seller on the market on 2,005, ahead of the likes of Peugeot, Nissan and Ford.
That’s well ahead of its premium rival BMW in 12th place, while Mercedes-Benz is in 15th position. Audi’s strong performance has not been down to a single model, though new generations of its Q3 and Q5 models are selling strongly.
The best-selling new car model is the Hyundai Tucson with 1,950, though it is being closely pursued by Toyota’s Yaris Cross on 1,880.
In the EV market, Hyundai remains the best-selling brand with 1,409 registrations, ahead of VW with 1,353.
Chinese brand BYD has more than doubled its EV sales compared to last year with 802 registrations, putting it fourth in the EV market.
In contrast, Tesla has seen its sales drop 44 per cent, driven in large part by a significant drop in Model 3 registrations. In total, the brand has recorded just 301 registrations so far this year. The firm's market lead for Ireland, Kieran Campbell, said the slow start was due to its new car stock only arriving now, while deliveries of Model 3s built in Shanghai were delayed.
Hyundai also has the lead in the plug-in hybrid market, ahead of BMW and BYD in this segment, while Toyota dominates the regular hybrid market with 5,957 registrations, well ahead of second-place Kia with 1,679.
With so many EVs and hybrids on the market, it’s unsurprising that automatic transmissions are now the most common format, featuring in 78 per cent of new cars this year.
Crossovers and SUVs continue to dominate, with eight of the top 10 best-selling models featuring the faux off-road style.
In the colour charts, green is the growth shade right now. While it still doesn’t come near grey or black in popularity, there have been 3,011 green cars registered this year, up 53 per cent on last year and from a mere 198 in 2021.
Meanwhile, there has been an early rise in car hire registrations this year, up 34 per cent on this time last year with 3,130 new vehicles entering the hire drive fleet.
In the commercial market, sales of vans - LCVs – are up 20 per cent with 11,201 new registrations. The market is led by Ford with 2,133, followed by Renault with 1,568, Toyota with 1,441, and VW with 1,344.
However, sales of trucks – HGVs – are down 12 per cent to 669, with the four best-selling brands – Scania, Volvo, Daf, and Renault - all recording a drop in registrations.