The decline in electric vehicle sales has continued to deepen with latest data showing a 25 per cent decrease so far this year.
The number of EVs licensed for the first time reached 15,460 in the first nine months compared to 20,517 in the same period last year, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
At the same time, the number of petrol and electric hybrids increased by 31 per cent in comparison with the previous year.
Petrol remains the most popular fuel type for cars licensed in September 2024 (1,512) with diesel following close behind (1,468).
However, over the first nine months of 2024, the 36,407 new petrol cars licensed represented a fall of 4 per cent in comparison with the same time last year, said CSO transport statistician Damien Lenihan, .
Comparing the same nine-month periods in 2023 and 2024, the number of new diesel cars licensed rose by 5 per cent from 24,058 to 25,221.
Electric vehicles refer to cars that use electricity as their only source of power, such as a Tesla or a Nissan Leaf. Hybrid electric engines and plug-in petrol and electric hybrid vehicles both use fuel and batteries.
The battery in a hybrid electric engine is recharged when the fuel engine is running, while users of plug-in petrol and electric hybrid vehicles plug in their vehicle to recharge the battery.
The number of new petrol and electric hybrid cars licensed increased by 31 per cent from 17,228 in the first nine months of 2023 to 22,604 in the same period of 2024. The number of petrol and electric hybrid cars licensed during September was 1,253.
Toyota was the most popular car in September with 772 models licensed. It was followed by Skoda (718); Volkswagen (691); Kia (564); and Hyundai (504).
Together, these models make up 53 per cent of all new private cars sold in September 2023.
In total, the number of new private cars licensed over the first nine months of the year increased marginally in comparison to 2023, up from 109,482 to 109,621.
The most popular EVs in September this year were the Tesla Model 3 at 205, followed by the Volkswagen ID.4 at 94 cars and then the Tesla Model Y at 74 cars.
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