Last year saw Irish new car registrations top 105,000 for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, after a marginal increase compared with 2021. Electric car sales led the way in percentage terms, but the commercial vehicle and used car import markets were both down compared with the year before.
Electric cars charge on
Figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) showed 105,253 new cars were registered in 2022 - up very slightly on the 104,932 registered in 2021 despite ongoing supply issues. However, the result is still a 10 per cent decrease compared with pre-pandemic 2019, when more than 117,000 new cars were registered.
More positive was the uplift in electric car registrations, with 15,678 new electric vehicles (EVs) registered in 2022. That figure represents an 81 per cent increase on 2021's total, and an almost five-fold increase on 2019's.
The result is indicative of the ongoing shift towards more eco-friendly vehicles, with electric cars now comprising 14.9 per cent of all new registrations. Similarly, hybrid cars represent more than 19 per cent of the total, while plug-in hybrids account for almost seven per cent of registrations. Petrol engines are still the most popular, but they only account for 30 per cent of sales, while diesel engines powered 26.9 per cent of the new cars registered last year.
As in the previous six years, grey was the most popular colour for a new car in Ireland in 2022. However, perhaps in light of the increase in hybrid and electric car registrations, automatic transmissions are now more popular than manuals, making up 57 per cent of all new car registrations.
Commercial headwinds
While the car industry performed solidly in 2022, the commercial vehicle market was less buoyant. With 23,653 new light commercial vehicles registered in 2022, the market was down by almost a fifth compared with 2021. However, a 6.6 per cent decline compared with 2019 made more positive reading.
Similarly, heavy commercial vehicle registrations were also down by 8.1 per cent compared with 2021, and down by 6.2 per cent compared with 2019.
Meanwhile, the number of used cars imported from abroad was down by 26.9 per cent compared with 2021, as 46,490 cars made the journey to Ireland.
A challenging year
"Total new car registrations for 2022 were marginally ahead of 2021 but remain 10 per cent behind that of pre-Covid 2019," said Brian Cooke, the SIMI director general. "Despite the re-opening of the economy and strong economic growth, 2022 was another challenging year for the Irish motor industry, with new car sales as well as commercial vehicles being impacted by supply constraints.
"On a more positive note, the electric car segment continues to grow strongly with 15,678 new electric cars registered in 2022, an increase of 81 per cent on 2021. Looking forward to the new 231 registration period, retailers are reporting strong new car orders, which will also attract vital trade-ins for the used car market. Like the last two years, we again are expecting further growth in electric vehicles sales this year. However, the extent of this growth will be determined not only by supply but also government support in the EV project, both in terms of extending the current EV grant support and supporting investment in the national charging infrastructure.
"The combination of government support and industry investment is essential if we want to create an active used EV market in as short a timeframe as possible. We have a huge challenge in reaching emission reduction targets over the next decade and this can only be achieved with the right economic and taxation environment that supports the sale of new low- and zero-emission vehicles."