Sales of electric cars have jumped 55 per cent so far this year, according to the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (Simi).
Over one in four off all cars sold up to the end of August was battery electric. That’s just over 32,000 new registrations this year compared to some 20,600 in the first eight months of 2025.
Total new car registrations were up 5 per cent from last year, the trade association said, with 121,979 cars registered.
Electric engines accounted for 26.3 per cent of the new vehicle market share, with hybrid (petrol-electric) cars coming in a close second with 24.14 per cent.
Petrol-driven cars represented 20.09 per cent of all registrations in the first eight months of the year, with plug-in hybrids accounting for 14.95 per cent and diesel cars 12.56 per cent.
Toyota led the way as the top selling new car brand across all engine types so far this year, with Volkswagen, Skoda, Hyundai and Kia the next most popular. Among the most popular electric vehicle (EV) brands were Kia, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Skoda and Tesla.
Brian Cooke, Simi’s director general, said the market shift towards battery electric vehicles “is clearly evident, and it is crucial that the Government supports this trend with incentives that build on this momentum in what is still a developing market”.
He called on the Government to extend and retain current incentives, such as the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) grant, vehicle registration tax relief and the zero per cent benefit-in-kind threshold “that are vital in sustaining consumer confidence”.
“This would enable more households and businesses to make the switch, while also supporting our climate change goals,” Cooke added. “Now is the time to invest in incentives to drive change.”
“Additional targeted measures like the scrappage scheme, investment in high-powered public charging infrastructure and a focus on the business sectors can also help increase our national fleet and our second-hand BEV [battery electric vehicle] market,” he said.
Imported used cars have also seen a significant increase in sales this year to date, with just over 63,800 being registered so far, a 37 per cent increase on last year according to Simi.
The group added that the registration of light commercial vehicles, such as standard vans, had risen by 7 per cent to the end of August – to 29,600. However, when comparing on a monthly basis, sales were down 10 per cent this August compared to last.
While sales of heavy goods vehicles, such as trucks are down 1 per cent year-on-year, they were up 9 per cent last month compared to August 2025.
Bus and coaches have also seen a year-on-year increase in sales, with 457 registered so far in 2026, up 34 per cent from 340 last year.