Electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles (EVs and PHEVs) have overtaken petrol and diesel models to become the top-selling powertrains in Ireland for July, accounting for 34% of all new car registrations. This marks a significant shift in consumer preference, with petrol cars making up 26%, diesels 17%, and non-plug-in hybrids 22.5%.
A total of 26,787 new cars were registered in July, up 4.3% on the same month last year. For the year to date, registrations are up 3.7% to 108,531 units.
While EVs now represent 17% of the overall market, regional uptake varies. Wicklow leads with 25% EV share, followed by Kildare (23%) and Dublin (18.8%). Meanwhile, Mayo, Leitrim, and Roscommon remain under 11%.
Despite the growth, the rental market remains slow to adapt, with only 20 electric hire cars registered this year out of over 10,500.
Volkswagen leads EV sales with 2,690 units, followed by Kia, Hyundai, and Tesla. Among all carmakers, Toyota holds the overall lead in 2025 with 15,288 registrations.
Brian Cooke of SIMI credited government incentives for helping surpass Ireland’s 2025 EV target early and urged continued support to maintain momentum.