Ireland reports a 46% increase in its new electric car licensing in the first four months of 2023, per the latest data from the Central Office Statistics.
“Today’s figures from the CSO show the continued growth in the number of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles licensed in Ireland.”
Nele van der Wielen, CSO’s Transport Section Statistician
It is worth noting that registrations and licensing may differ due to several reasons:
- Time-lapse between registration and initial licensing
- a dealership might register a car before it is sold
- It may not be necessary to obtain a license for registered vehicles that are not used in a public setting (such as tractors operated only on private property)
New car licensing in April
The Central Office Statistics disclosed that new electric cars licensed in the country hit 9,828 units, representing a substantial growth from the 6,748 units recorded in the same period last year.
In essence, all-electric cars accounted for 17% of the market, up from 13% in 2022.
However, new petrol-powered car licensing has climbed by 45%, from 14,015 in the same period in 2022 to 20,265. Meanwhile, new diesel-powered car licensing declined by 7% YoY from 13,340 to 12,456 units.
Overall, the number of new private cars licensed in April grew 12% YoY to 1,232 units. Year to date, it grew 11% to 57,130 units from 2022’s record of 51,374 units.
As for the used private car market, Ireland reported that diesel-powered units declined 3% YoY from 5,974 to 5,779. Meanwhile, the overall number of used vehicles registered from January to April grew 5% from the same period last year.
Number of vehicles licensed for the first time
| April | 2022 | 2023 | Change | January – April | 2022 | 2023 | Change | ||
| New private cars | 10,045 | 11,277 | 1,232 | 12% | New private cars | 51,374 | 57,130 | 5,756 | 11% |
| New goods vehicles | 1,851 | 2,388 | 537 | 29% | New goods vehicles | 8,706 | 10,109 | 1,403 | 16% |
| New other vehicles | 1,137 | 1,225 | 88 | 8% | New other vehicles | 4,882 | 5,372 | 490 | 10% |
| Total new vehicles | 13,033 | 14,890 | 1,857 | 14% | Total new vehicles | 64,962 | 72,611 | 7,649 | 12% |
| Used private cars | 3,770 | 4,145 | 375 | 10% | Used private cars | 15,287 | 16,022 | 735 | 5% |
| Used goods vehicles | 655 | 775 | 120 | 18% | Used goods vehicles | 2,753 | 2,962 | 209 | 8% |
| Used other vehicles | 976 | 1,000 | 24 | 2% | Used other vehicles | 3,517 | 3,668 | 151 | 4% |
| Total used vehicles | 5,401 | 5,920 | 519 | 10% | Total used vehicles | 21,557 | 22,652 | 1,095 | 5% |
See Also:
- 70% of buyers consider purchasing EV in Ireland
- Electric vehicle registrations in Ireland grow by over 80%
- Deal for the first Power interconnector between Ireland and France has been reached
- DC fast chargers to replace old phone boxes in Ireland
- Leicester abandons diesel buses in a £22 million EV transition
Bestselling brands
According to the data released by the Central Office Statistics, Volkswagen dominates the market with licensed units of 1,409. Japanese automaker Toyota followed it with 1,346 car-licensed units.
The top five were completed by Skoda (1,054), Kia (900), and Peugeot (613).
| Brands | Licensed units | Share |
| Volkswagen | 1,409 | 12% |
| Toyota | 1,346 | 12% |
| Skoda | 1,054 | 9% |
| Kia | 900 | 8% |
| Peugot | 613 | 5% |
| Other | – | 53% |
Combined, these top five brands accounted for 47% of the new private cars licensed in April 2023.
