Electric car sales fall by 23.6% as consumer confidence collapses
Ireland, A From 23 Electric In Picture: New Registered 2024, Were In 17,459 Pa Fall 6% 2023 Cars
Electric car sales fell sharply, while the purchase of used imports soared, according to full-year figures for 2024 released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry.
It said that in all, total new car registrations in Ireland last year stood at 121,195, a slight decrease of 1% compared to the 122,400 sold in 2023.
The market share across the various kinds of cars saw petrol on top with 30.31% of car sales, followed by diesel (22.8%), hybrid (20.92%), electric (14.41%), and plug-in hybrid (10%).
Combined, hybrids, electric cars, and plug-in hybrids make up just 45% of the market, with petrol and diesel vehicles still on top.
A key feature of the market has been the fall-off in electric vehicle sales.
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In 2024, 17,459 new electric cars were registered in Ireland. This was a fall of 23.6% from the 22,852 sold in 2023.
In Cork, the number of new electric cars registered fell almost 30% while they fell 31% in Kerry and 24% in Limerick.
Speaking to the industry figures said that consumer confidence in EVs had collapsed in recent times due to negative commentary around electric cars and they urged the Government to take “decisive action” to get it back on track.
While the last Government cut grants for electric vehicles, costs for such cars have also come down in recent times and the industry believes that sales can rebound this year.
“Electric is the future,” said Denis Murphy, managing director of Blackwater Motors. “It’s not going anywhere. Even if you increase the grant again, that’d just make them cheaper than they’ve already become.
“Thankfully our order take for 2025 is significantly higher than at this time last year. That wouldn’t be hard as it collapsed then, and it’s still not as good as two years ago but it’s coming back.”
Pointing to positive December sales figures, Brian Cooke, director general of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, said: “There has, however been some tentative signs of a turnaround in EV sales towards the end of 2024, and the industry is anticipating an increase in EV sales in 2025.”
The top-selling new car brands last year were Toyota, Volkswagen, Skoda, Hyundai, and Kia.
The best-selling models, meanwhile, were the Hyundai Tuscon, Skoda Oktavia, Kia Sportage, Toyota Rav4, and Toyota Yaris Cross.
By county, the number of new cars sold in Cork and Dublin — the two biggest markets — were among those recording a fall compared to 2023 figures.
Meanwhile, there was a surge in sales of imported used cars last year, with 61,583 registrations. This was a 21.4% rise on the 50,716 registered in 2023.
The most popular body type for a car sold last year was a hatchback, while the most popular colour was grey for the ninth year running.
According to the industry figures, the registrations of new light commercial vehicles increased by 7% to 30,786 in 2024.
Similarly, new heavy commercial vehicle sales also rose, by 8% to 2,865.