Vehicle history and data expert Cartell.ie has announced the results of an analysis on electric vehicle (EV ) sales in the Irish market in the year-to-date. Cartell.ie looked at the numbers of EVs sold by manufacturer in the year to date and the results show Hyundai is tops, with Kia in second position and Volkswagen (the leader in the equivalent analysis last year ) now in third. Tesla, the premium brand, has sold 800 vehicles during the period under review, leaving it in fifth overall.
The top selling EV model is the Hyundai Ioniq 5 so far and it was helped by good availability. It is going to get an upgraded battery and upgrade soon and that may close the price advantage it currently holds.
The total number of EVs sold by model in the year to date shows the top best-selling model so far this year is the Hyundai Ioniq 5, followed by the Nissan Leaf and VW ID 4. The Tesla Model 3 is currently in fourth position, and Kia Niro is in fifth place.
EVs change of ownership Cartell.ie also reports that, compared with petrol and diesel counterparts, owners of EVs tend to hold onto their vehicle longer. Cartell looked at all private cars in the fleet, all fuel types, to consider ownership changes. The company found that 75 per cent of EVs registered are still on their first owner – this contrasts with a figure of 29 per cent for the private fleet as a whole.
Overall numbers of EVs
Finally Cartell.ie looked at the overall number of EVs sold in Ireland between January and March each year for the last four years. In 2022, 7,078 EVs were sold in the period under consideration, more than treble the equivalent figure for last year over the same period. In 2019, the figure was only 923; in 2020, it rose to 1,400, and last year it was 2,285.
John Byrne, of Cartell.ie, said: "EV sales are definitely taking off: we have seen a trebling of new EV car sales so far in 2022 over last year’s numbers. In terms of models the Ioniq 5 is proving the most popular with consumers so far this year. Hyundai lead the way with Kia close behind.
"Volkswagen, which was on top when we ran the equivalent analysis last year, are still close to the summit with over 1,000 EV sales in 2022. Tesla has sold 800 EVs in the period under consideration with the Model 3 proving their most popular model constituting 592 of those new car sales. Supply-side issues may be having an impact in the ordering of the manufacturers too."
