The headline figure to be taken from the latest car sales figures is that for the first time, over 10,000 sales of EV and PHEV sales combined have been posted for the first quarter of the year. It’s a sign that the market is changing substantially, although it’s still not enough to meet the Government targets for EV vehicles on our roads.
Sales were up by over 40% in March, with a total figure of 12,935, compared to 9,192 sales this time last year. Year to date, sales are so far running 4% ahead of last year.
Light Commercial Sales were down by over 32% while sales of HGVs were also down, by almost 26%.
Used car imports are following the trend established by Brexit and have decreased by 35% over the same period last year, with just 3,793 cars imported in March.
1,930 EVs were registered in March, which compares very favourably with the 1,034 registered in March 2021. In the first three months of the year, 6,244 electric cars have found new homes, compared to 2,816 in Q1 2021.
Hybrids and plug-in hybrids are also continuing to grow with almost 45% of the market when combined with pure electric vehicles. Petrol retains its position as the most popular choice with 27% of the market, followed by diesel at 26%. Hybrids make up a quarter of the market with EVs on 12.5%, followed by PHEVs with almost 8% of the total.
Commenting on the new vehicle registrations Brian Cooke, Director General SIMI said:
“New car sales still remain 22% behind that of pre-Covid (2019) levels. There is strong demand for new and used cars among consumers, although supply continues to remain a major challenge for the industry, while the hire drive market continues to be well below pre-pandemic levels.
“The acceleration in EV sales is down to both the increase in the number of models now available for sale, and the SEAI Grants supporting their purchase. We welcome the Government’s publication of their draft Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy 2022-2025. It is vital that Ireland delivers a modern agile charging infrastructure that keeps pace with both the increasing number of EVs and the ongoing improvements in charging technologies. By doing this, we can work together to build consumer confidence in the EV project.”
Top five car brands 2022
1. Toyota
2. Hyundai
3. Kia
4. Skoda
5. Volkswagen
Top five cars 2022
- Hyundai Tucson
2. Toyota Corolla
3. Toyota C-HR
4. Toyota Rav-4
5. Toyota Yaris
Top 5 EVs 2022
1. Hyundai Ioniq 5
2. Volkswagen ID.4
3. Kia EV6
4. Nissan Leaf
5. Tesla Model 3
