The number of new cars licensed for the first time fell last year marginally, even as imports of used vehicles surged compared to the previous year.
The data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) also underlined a decline in the number of electric vehicles sold during the year, although the battery vehicles still accounted for a sizeable share of the market.
The CSO figures showed petrol and diesel cars combined largely maintained their market share during the year, reducing by 1 per cent to 54 per cent. But the number of electric cars licensed for the first time fell 24 per cent year on year, with hybrid vehicles growing in popularity.
A total of 116,683 vehicles were licensed for the first time in 2024, with almost 62,000 used vehicles registered during the same period. That compared with 117,424 new private cars and 50,381 used vehicles in the previous year.
During the year, almost 17,200 of the new private cars registered for the first time were electric, a 15 per cent share of the market. That was compared with 19 per cent in 2023, when volumes stood at 22,493. Concerns over charging infrastructure and changes to the grant for electric vehicles have chilled consumer demand.
Still, electric vehicle sales were ahead of 2022 figures, when they accounted for 15 per cent of the market but recorded a lower sales volume of just over 15,000 vehicles.
More than 36,400 cars were petrol, down 6 per cent year on year, while diesel cars increased 3 per cent over the same period. Hybrids surged by 25 per cent to 25,270.
There were similar trends seen in used imported vehicles.
“There were 7,698 used (imported) plug-in hybrid electric private cars licensed in 2024, up 87 per cent on the total of 4,111 licensed in 2023,” said Damien Lenihan, statistician in the transport section of the CSO.
The most popular make of new private car licensed during the year was Toyota, followed by Volkswagen, Skoda, Hyundai and Kia.
The latest figures are in line with those published earlier this month by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (Simi), which indicated a 1 per cent decline in overall sales.
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