Electric Vehicle Market Surges in Ireland: Insights from SIMI's Latest Data
The electric vehicle (EV) market has reached its highest-ever share of new car sales, accounting for 18.4% of new cars this year, surpassing the previous record set in 2023. Petrol cars remain the top-selling category at 25%, followed by regular hybrids at 23.8%, diesel at 17.1%, and plug-in hybrids at 15%. Volkswagen leads the EV market with 3,265 registrations, followed by Kia with 2,821 and Tesla with 2,622, according to data from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI).
SIMI's director general, Brian Cooke, noted that the growth in new EV registrations has been widespread across all counties this year. Overall, the new car market has seen a 3% increase compared to last year, with 124,680 registrations by the end of November. Toyota is poised to be the top-selling new car brand in Ireland for 2025, holding a lead of 2,460 registrations over Volkswagen. December typically sees fewer than 500 new car sales.
Despite a 3.8% decline in sales, Toyota maintains its lead, followed by Skoda, Hyundai, and Kia. BMW and Audi have surpassed more mainstream brands like Peugeot, Ford, Dacia, and Renault, with BMW leading in plug-in hybrid sales at 3,134 registrations. The Hyundai Tucson remains the best-selling model, followed by Skoda Octavia, Kia Sport, and Toyota Yaris Cross. Chinese brand BYD leads new entrants with 2,628 registrations, ahead of MG with 1,487.
In the commercial vehicle segment, new van sales have increased by 6.2% to 32,476, with Ford leading at 7,412 registrations, followed by Volkswagen and Renault. The Renault Trafic is the top-selling van model. While diesel still dominates the van market, EVs now represent nearly 6% of sales, doubling their market share from last year. On the other hand, heavy goods vehicle registrations have decreased by 6.75% to 2,653, with Scania and Volvo leading the market.