January New Car Registrations Up 15%

01/02/2024

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) today released their official 241 new vehicle registrations statistics for January.

New car registrations for the month of January were up 15% (31,470) when compared to January 2023 (27,337). However, despite this growth, registrations remain 3% lower than pre-Covid levels in 2019. 

Light Commercial vehicles (LCV) are up 35.3% (7,500) compared to January last year (5,542). HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) registrations are also showing an increase of 7.8% (458) in comparison to January 2023 (425).

Imported Used Cars seen a 40.7% (5,326) rise in January 2024, when compared to January 2023 (3,786).

Electric Vehicle (EV) sales seen continued growth with a record breaking 4,109 new electric vehicles registered for the month of January when compared to 3,674 in January 2023 (+12%).

In terms of the new car market share in 2024, Petrol cars continue to dominate at 31.83%, with Hybrid (Petrol Electric) 23.95% surpassing, Diesel 21.77%, followed by Electric 13.06%, and Plug-in Electric Hybrid 6.96%. 

Automatic transmissions account for (65.77%) of market share, while manual transmissions continue to see a decline (34.11%). The hatchback is Ireland’s top selling car body type of 2024.

Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General commenting: 

“January 2024 has seen a positive start to the year for the Irish Motor Industry. New car registrations are 15% ahead of 2023, although they remain 3% behind 2019 (pre-covid levels). Sales of commercial vehicles, both Light (LCV) and Heavy (HGVs) registrations, are showing increases on last year, a positive signal from the business sector. Electric vehicles (EVs) sales continue to grow, with 4,109 registrations in January, up 12% on the same period last year. Petrol cars (31.8%) retained the top market share, while Hybrid-electric cars (23.9%) surged to overtake Diesel cars (21.7%) claiming second place for the first time. 

While EV sales can be viewed positively, the growth is slightly less than the overall increase in the new car market. This highlights the ongoing challenge as we move away from the early adapter stage into a more mainstream market. The Industry continues to supply a greater range of Electric Vehicles (EVs) with over 70 different EV models available for sale in Ireland. As we move forward, ongoing Government support in terms of incentives and charging infrastructure will play a vital role in ensuring the success of the next phase in the transition to electrification.” 

2024 Total New Vehicle Stats

  • New Car sales total January (2024) 31,470 v (2023) 27,337 +15%
  • New Car sales total January (2024) 31,470 v (2019) 32,370 -3%
  • New Light Commercial Vehicles sales total January (2024) 7,500 v (2023) 5,542 +35.3%
  • New Light Commercial Vehicles sales total January (2024) 7,500 v (2019) 5,548 +35.2%
  • New Heavy Goods Vehicle total sales January (2024) 458 v (2023) 425 +7.8%
  • New Heavy Goods Vehicle total sales January (2024) 458 v (2019) 294 +55.8%
  • New Buses/ Coaches total sales January (2024) 71 v (2023) 37 +91.9%
  • Used Car Imports total January (2024) 5,326 v (2023) 3,786 +40.7%
  • Used Car Imports total January (2024) 5,326 v (2019) 9,003 -40.8%
  • New Electric Vehicles sales total January (2024) 4,109 v (2023) 3,674 +12%
  • New Electric Vehicles sales total January (2024) 4,109 v (2019) 799 +414.27%
  • 10 Top Selling New Car Brands 2024 were: 1. TOYOTA, 2. HYUNDAI, 3. VOLKSWAGEN,4. SKODA, 5. KIA,  6. NISSAN, 7. PEUGEOT, 8. AUDI, 9. FORD, 
    10. DACIA
  • 10 Top New Car Model’s 2024 were: 1. HYUNDAI TUCSON, 2. TOYOTA YARIS CROSS, 3. TOYOTA RAV 4, 4.KIA SPORTAGE, 5. TOYOTA COROLLA, 
    6. HYUNDAI KONA, 7. TOYOTA C-HR, 8. SKODA OCTAVIA,  9. NISSAN JUKE, 10. VOLKSWAGEN GOLF
  • The 10 Top Selling Electric Vehicles (EVs) Brands 2024: 1.HYUNDAI, 1.VOLKSWAGEN, 2.BYD, 3.KIA, 4.MG, 5. NISSAN, 6. BMW, 7. SKODA, 
    8. MERCEDES-BENZ, 9. VOLVO, 10.AUDI.
  • 10 Top Selling Electric Vehicle Models (EVs) 2024: 1. HYUNDAI KONA, 2. VOLKSWAGEN ID.4,3. BYD SEAL, 4. MG MG4, 5. VOLKSWAGEN ID.3, 6. SKODA ENYAQ, 7. HYUNDAI IONIQ 5, 8. NISSAN LEAF, 9. KIA EV6, 10. BYD ATTO 3
  • Top Selling Car (January) 2024: HYUNDAI TUCSON
  • Top Selling Electric Car (January) 2024: HYUNDAI KONA
  • 3 Top Selling Car Colours 2024: 1. Grey 2. Black 3. Blue
  • Top New Car Body Type 2024: Hatchback
  • 2024 % Share of Cars by Transmission Type: Automatic 65.77%, Manual 34.11%, CTB / Linear Gear 0.12%
  • Market share by engine type 2024 (January/YTD): Petrol 31.83%, Hybrid 23.95%, Diesel 21.77%, Electric 13.06%, Plug-In Hybrid 6.96%
  • Tables below shows total new car registrations by county for January 2024 and total new Electric car registrations by county for January 2024. 

New Car Registrations by County 2024 (January)

County

2024 Units

2023 Units

% Change

2024 % Share

2023 % Share

Carlow

398

320

24.38

1.26

1.17

Cavan

387

332

16.57

1.23

1.21

Clare

696

606

14.85

2.21

2.22

Cork

3907

3398

14.98

12.41

12.43

Donegal

765

657

16.44

2.43

2.4

Dublin

11271

10306

9.36

35.82

37.7

Galway

1345

1184

13.6

4.27

4.33

Kerry

714

623

14.61

2.27

2.28

Kildare

1580

1237

27.73

5.02

4.53

Kilkenny

650

538

20.82

2.07

1.97

Laois

455

341

33.43

1.45

1.25

Leitrim

139

102

36.27

0.44

0.37

Limerick

1110

982

13.03

3.53

3.59

Longford

184

131

40.46

0.58

0.48

Louth

821

665

23.46

2.61

2.43

Mayo

593

522

13.6

1.88

1.91

Meath

1173

986

18.97

3.73

3.61

Monaghan

300

248

20.97

0.95

0.91

Offaly

411

345

19.13

1.31

1.26

Roscommon

329

278

18.35

1.05

1.02

Sligo

360

274

31.39

1.14

1

Tipperary

891

774

15.12

2.83

2.83

Waterford

782

705

10.92

2.48

2.58

Westmeath

507

428

18.46

1.61

1.57

Wexford

896

730

22.74

2.85

2.67

Wicklow

806

625

28.96

2.56

2.29

New Electric Cars by County 2024 (January)

County

2024 Units

2023 Units

% Change

2024 % Share

2023 % Share

Carlow

32

31

3.23

0.78

0.84

Cavan

21

27

-22.22

0.51

0.73

Clare

59

60

-1.67

1.44

1.63

Cork

420

417

0.72

10.22

11.35

Donegal

57

58

-1.72

1.39

1.58

Dublin

1923

1616

19

46.8

43.98

Galway

145

149

-2.68

3.53

4.06

Kerry

58

68

-14.71

1.41

1.85

Kildare

242

197

22.84

5.89

5.36

Kilkenny

57

49

16.33

1.39

1.33

Laois

53

40

32.5

1.29

1.09

Leitrim

12

8

50

0.29

0.22

Limerick

106

115

-7.83

2.58

3.13

Longford

18

8

125

0.44

0.22

Louth

97

83

16.87

2.36

2.26

Mayo

44

45

-2.22

1.07

1.22

Meath

173

170

1.76

4.21

4.63

Monaghan

18

13

38.46

0.44

0.35

Offaly

28

33

-15.15

0.68

0.9

Roscommon

22

22

0

0.54

0.6

Sligo

44

28

57.14

1.07

0.76

Tipperary

59

76

-22.37

1.44

2.07

Waterford

97

75

29.33

2.36

2.04

Westmeath

53

52

1.92

1.29

1.42

Wexford

118

92

28.26

2.87

2.5

Wicklow

153

142

7.75

3.72

3.86