There was a record number of new electric car registrations (3,682 ) here, according to the latest figures released today by Society of the Irish Motor Industry.
This represents a 36.5 per cent increase on January 2022, with EVs now accounting for 13.5 per cent of the Irish market.
Hyundai lead the way in EV sales last month, with its Ioniq 5 and Kona the top two best sellers. They are followed by the Volkswagen ID.4, Kia EV6, and BMW i4.
SIMI director general Brian Cooke says while supply chains for EVs are improving, continued growth will not only be down to vehicle supply, but also to the level of Government supports.
“We are still in the early stages of the EV project and the recent announcement of increased funding by the State for the national charging infrastructure will help allay range anxiety concerns and encourage more motorists to look at an EV,” he says.
“However, this increased investment must not be at the expense of purchase supports, which are essential in encouraging the behavioural change required to convince more consumers to go electric.
“The extension of grants, reduced tolling charges and VRT reliefs, as well as halting the reduction in the EV Benefit-In-Kind reliefs, should be on the agenda.”
Mr Cooke says the removal of purchase supports will also delay the creation of an active used EV market.
SIMI figures also show 27,364 new 231-plate cars were registered for the month of January, a 9.4 per cent rise on January 2022 (25,014 ).
Imported used cars are down 6.3 per cent year-to-date (3,786 ) compared to January of last year (4,041 ).
While the Hyundai Tucson was the best selling car in January, Toyota was the most popular car brand with its Yaris Cross, Yaris, C-HR, and Corolla making up the top five best selling car models so far in 2023. Toyota sold 4,446 passenger cars last month, over 700 more than the next best seller, giving it a market leading share of 16.25 per cent.
According to SIMI’s figures, automatic transmissions have risen in popularity, with a 58.11 per cent share of the market, while manual transmissions now account for 41.81 per cent.
The hatchback remains Ireland’s top selling car body type so far this year, with grey, black, and blue the top selling car colours.
Meanwhile, LCV/van sales are up just over 10 per cent (5,559 ) compared to January last year (5,051 ). HGV registrations are also showing an increase of 52.5 per cent (424 ) in comparison to January 2022 (278 ).
