Toyota has come out on top of the Irish sales charts in January for the fifth year in a row and is celebrating by offering special deals on some of its increasingly popular plug-in hybrid models (and the regular hybrid lineup).
Why is it important to be big in January?
Well, because Irish car sales are highly seasonal, and January to March is the busiest period, as people want to have the latest registration plate on their shiny new car (July is busy too, with the second plate change, but less frantic) and January is the all-important month to get your year off to a good start.
Toyota did just that, with five of its models - Yaris Cross, RAV4, Corolla, Toyota C-HR and Yaris - taking slots in the top-ten best-sellers list. Hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and fully electric models accounted for 96 per cent of Toyota’s sales in January.
Indeed, plug-in hybrids saw considerable gains in January, with a sales surge of 61 per cent compared to January 2025. Toyota reckons that this is because Irish buyers fancy a ‘best of both worlds’ scenario when it comes to going (partly) electric.
So what’s Toyota doing to celebrate?
To mark the fifth year of being on top of January, Toyota Ireland is rolling out some tempting offers, including the Toyota Yaris Hybrid with a ‘Power-Up’ trade-in booster of up to €750 or finance on a 5.90 per cent APR deal and the Toyota Corolla Hatchback or Touring Sport estate with a ‘Power-Up’ booster up to €1,500 or the same interest rate as the Yaris Hybrid.
The Toyota Corolla Saloon gets the same offer, while the Corolla Cross can be had with either the €1,500 trade-in booster or 4.9 per cent APR finance. The C-HR Hybrid crossover comes with either €1,750 on top of your trade-in or 5.9 per cent APR finance, while the C-HR plug-in hybrid in Sport trim gets a €1,000 booster or 5.9 per cent APR finance while the same model in Sol, GR, or Premium trims gets a €2,000 booster or 4.9 per cent APR finance.
Finally, there’s the Prius PHEV (€2,500 booster or 3.9 per cent APR finance), the all-electric bz4X (on 4.9 per cent finance), the Yaris Cross Hybrid (5.9 per cent finance), or the little Aygo X (5.9 per cent APR finance).
Anything else?
Yes, as it happens. January was a big month for Toyota, but also for the C-HR, which passed the one-million sales mark in Europe and crossed the 20,000 sales barrier here in Ireland. January’s figures also saw that hybrids and plug-in hybrids combined now command 39 per cent of the total car market, which is more than petrol power alone, way more than diesel (which has fallen off something of a cliff again), and considerably more than battery-electric cars, which held a 20 per cent market share in January. Toyota Ireland reckons that this is proof that its ‘multi-path strategy’ is working.
Speaking on the continued success of Toyota’s electrified range, Zoë Bradley, Head of Marketing Communications and Corporate Affairs at Toyota Ireland, said: “We are thrilled to once again be Ireland’s top-selling brand for January. This month is the most contested sales period of the year and getting into number one position early is a positive start to the year. With the widest range of electrified vehicles, Toyota’s multi-path approach truly empowers Irish customers with the power of choice—whether hybrid (no plug-in), plug-in hybrid, or fully electric—ensuring everyone can make a sustainable choice suited to their lifestyle and charging needs.”