So far this year, Irish car buyers have bought 10,000 new electrified models, and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 has risen to become the single best-selling EV in the country.
Registrations up by 40 per cent
New car registrations in March jumped significantly and were up by 40 per cent compared to the same month last year. 12,935 new cars were registered in March 2022, compared to 9,192 in March last year. Overall, new car sales in 2022 have risen by four per cent compared to 2021 and now stand at 49,928.
Very nearly 2,000 new EVs were registered in March (1,930 to be exact) and when you combine the sales of electric vehicles, hybrids, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, you end up with a total figure of 10,000 registrations or 44 per cent of the market.
On an individual basis, cars powered by petrol alone are still in the majority - 27 per cent - with diesel's share falling to 25 per cent. Hybrids are on 24 per cent, plug-in hybrids on seven per cent, and electric cars on 12.5 per cent.
Further fall in imports
A paltry 3,793 used cars were imported in March, 35 per cent down on the figures for March 2021. The total number of cars being imported has fallen by 36 per cent so far this year.
In terms of brands, Toyota remains on top for 2022 so far, followed by Hyundai, Kia, Skoda, and Volkswagen - that's an exceptional showing by Kia, which only broke into the top-ten sellers list relatively recently.
So far this year, the Hyundai Tucson remains the best-selling model, followed by the Toyota Corolla, Toyota C-HR, Toyota RAV4, and Toyota Yaris. As mentioned, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is the best-selling EV for the year to date, followed by the Volkswagen ID.4, Kia EV6, Nissan Leaf, and Tesla Model 3. The Toyota Yaris was the best-selling car in March.
Charging infrastructure
Commenting on the new vehicle registrations Brian Cooke, Director General SIMI said:
"While new car sales are up 41 per cent on March last year and up four per cent year to date, they still remain 22 per cent behind that of pre-COVID (2019) levels. Commercial vehicles registrations for both the heavy and light sectors are down for March and year to date. There is strong demand for new and used cars among consumers, although supply continues to remain a major challenge for the Industry, while the hire drive market continues to be well below pre-pandemic levels. The Electric Vehicle market continues to grow, with the first quarter of this year seeing over 10,000 new EVs (BEV and PHEV combined) registered, almost double the amount for Q1 2021. This acceleration in EV sales is down to both the increase in the number of models now available for sale, and the SEAI Grants supporting their purchase. We welcome the Government's publication yesterday of their draft Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy 2022-2025. It is vital that Ireland delivers a modern agile charging infrastructure that keeps pace with both the increasing number of EVs and the ongoing improvements in charging technologies. By doing this, we can work together to build consumer confidence in the EV project."