A significant 25 per cent decline was recorded in the number of new electric cars licensed during the first nine months of 2024 in Ireland, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
A total of 15,460 electric cars were registered in this period, compared to 20,517 in the same timeframe last year. This marks a notable shift away from the previous upward trend in electric vehicle adoption.
Meanwhile, the licensing of petrol-electric hybrid vehicles saw robust growth. The number of these vehicles increased by 31 per cent, rising from 17,228 in the first nine months of 2023 to 22,604 in the same period this year.
This indicates that more consumers are gravitating towards hybrid models as a transitional option between traditional and fully electric cars.
Petrol car licensing saw a modest decline, with 34,779 new petrol cars licensed so far this year—a 4 per cent drop from the 36,407 recorded in the same period of 2023.
Whereas, new diesel car registrations experienced a 5 per cent uptick, rising from 24,058 to 25,221.
Overall, the total number of new private cars licensed in Ireland increased slightly to 109,621 in the first nine months of 2024, compared to 109,482 during the same time last year.
Toyota remained the top choice for new car buyers in September 2024, followed by Skoda, Volkswagen, Kia, and Hyundai.
The Tesla Model 3 led the electric car segment, followed closely by the Volkswagen ID.4 and Tesla Model Y.