July sees record sales of electric cars

Of these, 4,161 were electric — a 52.5% jump compared to the 2,729 EVs registered in July 2022. It brings the total electric car sales so far this year to 18,458, a 65.17% increase on the number of new EVs registered over the same period in 2022.

Brian Cooke, director general of the SIMI, said electric car sales in July was a “record monthly total” as improved supply and a greater range of new models available have made them more appealing.

He said the SEAI grant is the “main driver” for this growth among consumers as those who qualify for it account for over 76% of sales. The top five selling electric car models so far this year are the Volkswagen ID.4, the Tesla Model Y, the Hyundai Ioniq, the Skoda Enyaq and the MG MG4.

Brendan Keary, of Kearys Motor Group in Cork, said there are a number of reasons why people are now making the switch to electric cars including an increasing awareness of their own carbon footprint as well as more options being rolled out by car manufacturers.

“Last year, there wasn’t a selection of new electrics whereas now most brands will have an electric car. So where they previously had one model, they now have three,” he said, adding that the trend was likely to continue.

“I would say electric vehicle sales will get stronger over the next few months just in what is arriving. There tends to be more pre-orders on electric vehicles rather than on the diesel or internal combustion engine cars at the moment."

July was the first month of the new 232 registration. This mid-year switch is usually marked by a growth in sales.

So far this year, a total of 104,641 new cars have been registered, up 20.1% compared to the same period in 2022.

According to the figures from SIMI, petrol cars still retain the largest share of the market at 32.3% with diesel accounting for 22.1%. Hybrid cars make up 18%, fully electric cars are now at 17.6%, while plug-in electric hybrids are at 7.7%.