New car registrations up in April, driven by strong demand for Electric Vehicles
The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) today released its official 261 new vehicle registration statistics for April.
New car registrations for April were up 17% (10,184) compared to April 2025 (8,707). Registrations year to date are up 2.1% (75,074) on the same period last year (73,491).
Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) decreased by 3% (2,450) compared to April last year (2,525). Year to date LCVs are up 14.2% (18,101). Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) registrations are down 20.5% (221) in comparison to April 2025 (278). Year to date, HGVs are down 9.5% (1,191).
Imported Used Cars have seen a 43.1% (7,510) rise in April 2026, when compared to April 2025 (5,248). Year to date imports are up 40.1% (31,154) on 2025 (22,235).
In April 2,779 new electric cars (battery electric cars) were registered, which was 109.7% higher than the 1,335 registrations in April 2025. So far this year, 16,779 new electric cars have been registered, representing a 48.5% increase compared to the same period in 2025, when 11,299 electric cars were registered.
In the new car market share by engine type, Hybrid (Petrol Electric) leads at 26.67% as the most popular engine type, followed by Electric 22.35%, Petrol 21.25%, Plug-In Hybrid 14.41%, and Diesel 12.96%.
Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General, commenting:
April’s new car market saw a 17% increase when compared to the same month last year, with 10,184 units registered. Year-to-date new car sales are 2% ahead of last year, with a total of 75,074 new cars registered. New battery electric vehicles for April delivered another positive performance across all counties, with 2,799 units registered, compared to 1,335 in April 2025. Year-to-date BEV sales have reached 16,779 units, a 49% increase on the same period last year. The strong performance in BEV sales is driven by private consumers, who account for 77% of sales, with this sector of the market being supported by strong Government incentives. However, the BEV’s new car market share of 22% is still below the level required to meet national climate targets. The momentum behind the EV project is there, and we must build on this. Now is not the time to reduce supports. The Government must maintain and extend current incentives for consumers and businesses while investing in infrastructure, along with a range of targeted measures to encourage widespread EV adoption before 2030.
The commercial sector experienced a decline in registrations during April. Light commercial vehicles (LCVs) decreased by 3% in April, however year to date LCV sales are up 14 %. Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) registrations decreased by 21% in April, and year to date they are down nearly 10%.”
2026 Total New Vehicle Stats
• New Car sales total year to date (2026) 75,074 v (2025) 73,491 +2.15%
• New Car sales total April (2026) 10,184 v (2025) 8,707 +17.0%
• New Light Commercial Vehicles sales year to date (2026) 18,101 v (2025) 15,847 +14.2%
• New Light Commercial Vehicles sales total April (2026) 2,450 v (2025) 2,525 -3.0%
• New Heavy Goods Vehicle total sales year to date (2026) 1,191 v (2025) 1,316 -9.5%
• New Heavy Goods Vehicle total sales April (2026) 221 v (2025) 278 -20.5%
• New Buses/ Coaches sales year to date (2026) 338 v (2025) 194 +74.2%
• Used Car Imports total year to date (2026) 31,154 v (2025) 22,235 +40.1%
• Used Car Imports total April (2026) 7,510 v (2025) 5,248 +43.1%
• New Electric Vehicle sales total year to date (2026) 16,779 v (2025) 11,299 +48.5%
• New Electric Vehicles sales total April (2026) 2,799 v (2025) 1,335 +109.7%
• 5 Top Selling New Car Brands 2026 were: 1. TOYOTA, 2. VOLKSWAGEN, 3. SKODA, 4. HYUNDAI, 5. KIA
• 5 Top New Car Models 2026 were: 1. TOYOTA YARIS CROSS, 2. HYUNDAI TUCSON, 3. KIA SPORTAGE, 4. SKODA KODIAQ, 5. TOYOTA COROLLA
• 5 Top Selling New Electric Vehicles (EVs) Brands 2026: 1. HYUNDAI, 2. VOLKSWAGEN, 3. KIA, 4. BYD, 5. SKODA
• 5 Top Selling New Electric Vehicle (EVs) Models 2026: 1. VOLKSWAGEN ID.4, 2. KIA EV3, 3. HYUNDAI INSTER, 4. SKODA ENYAQ, 5. SKODA ELROQ
• Top Selling New Car (April) 2026: TOYOTA RAV 4
• Top Selling New Electric Car (April) 2026: SKODA ENYAQ
• Market share by engine type 2026: Hybrid (Petrol Electric) 26.67%, Electric 22.35%, Petrol 21.25%, Plug-In Hybrid 14.41%, Diesel 12.96%.
• Tables below show total new car registrations by county for April 2026 and total new Electric car registrations by county for April 2026.
|
New Car Registrations by County 2026 (January-April) |
|||||
|
County |
2026 |
2025 |
% Change |
2026 Share |
2025 Share |
|
Carlow |
831 |
858 |
-3.15 |
1.11 |
1.17 |
|
Cavan |
821 |
747 |
9.91 |
1.09 |
1.02 |
|
Clare |
1641 |
1589 |
3.27 |
2.19 |
2.16 |
|
Cork |
9072 |
8487 |
6.89 |
12.08 |
11.55 |
|
Donegal |
1679 |
1667 |
0.72 |
2.24 |
2.27 |
|
Dublin |
30307 |
30885 |
-1.87 |
40.37 |
42.03 |
|
Galway |
3204 |
3069 |
4.4 |
4.27 |
4.18 |
|
Kerry |
1635 |
1541 |
6.1 |
2.18 |
2.1 |
|
Kildare |
3536 |
3226 |
9.61 |
4.71 |
4.39 |
|
Kilkenny |
1236 |
1211 |
2.06 |
1.65 |
1.65 |
|
Laois |
958 |
972 |
-1.44 |
1.28 |
1.32 |
|
Leitrim |
305 |
285 |
7.02 |
0.41 |
0.39 |
|
Limerick |
2606 |
2436 |
6.98 |
3.47 |
3.31 |
|
Longford |
304 |
334 |
-8.98 |
0.4 |
0.45 |
|
Louth |
1791 |
1692 |
5.85 |
2.39 |
2.3 |
|
Mayo |
1323 |
1295 |
2.16 |
1.76 |
1.76 |
|
Meath |
2578 |
2488 |
3.62 |
3.43 |
3.39 |
|
Monaghan |
575 |
600 |
-4.17 |
0.77 |
0.82 |
|
Offaly |
811 |
836 |
-2.99 |
1.08 |
1.14 |
|
Roscommon |
724 |
665 |
8.87 |
0.96 |
0.9 |
|
Sligo |
779 |
696 |
11.93 |
1.04 |
0.95 |
|
Tipperary |
1902 |
1897 |
0.26 |
2.53 |
2.58 |
|
Waterford |
1665 |
1554 |
7.14 |
2.22 |
2.11 |
|
Westmeath |
1020 |
1016 |
0.39 |
1.36 |
1.38 |
|
Wexford |
1931 |
1793 |
7.7 |
2.57 |
2.44 |
|
Wicklow |
1840 |
1652 |
11.38 |
2.45 |
2.25 |
|
New Electric Car Registrations by County 2026 |
|||||
|
County |
2026 |
2025 |
% Change |
2026 Share |
2025 Share |
|
Carlow |
186 |
101 |
84.16 |
1.11 |
0.89 |
|
Cavan |
141 |
67 |
110.45 |
0.84 |
0.59 |
|
Clare |
377 |
184 |
104.89 |
2.25 |
1.63 |
|
Cork |
1993 |
1093 |
82.34 |
11.88 |
9.67 |
|
Donegal |
265 |
169 |
56.8 |
1.58 |
1.5 |
|
Dublin |
6564 |
5325 |
23.27 |
39.12 |
47.13 |
|
Galway |
620 |
370 |
67.57 |
3.7 |
3.27 |
|
Kerry |
333 |
206 |
61.65 |
1.98 |
1.82 |
|
Kildare |
1064 |
692 |
53.76 |
6.34 |
6.12 |
|
Kilkenny |
288 |
143 |
101.4 |
1.72 |
1.27 |
|
Laois |
241 |
152 |
58.55 |
1.44 |
1.35 |
|
Leitrim |
42 |
22 |
90.91 |
0.25 |
0.19 |
|
Limerick |
556 |
314 |
77.07 |
3.31 |
2.78 |
|
Longford |
56 |
29 |
93.1 |
0.33 |
0.26 |
|
Louth |
408 |
266 |
53.38 |
2.43 |
2.35 |
|
Mayo |
203 |
123 |
65.04 |
1.21 |
1.09 |
|
Meath |
798 |
484 |
64.88 |
4.76 |
4.28 |
|
Monaghan |
89 |
68 |
30.88 |
0.53 |
0.6 |
|
Offaly |
131 |
87 |
50.57 |
0.78 |
0.77 |
|
Roscommon |
134 |
56 |
139.29 |
0.8 |
0.5 |
|
Sligo |
146 |
92 |
58.7 |
0.87 |
0.81 |
|
Tipperary |
403 |
241 |
67.22 |
2.4 |
2.13 |
|
Waterford |
357 |
226 |
57.96 |
2.13 |
2 |
|
Westmeath |
272 |
155 |
75.48 |
1.62 |
1.37 |
|
Wexford |
481 |
282 |
70.57 |
2.87 |
2.5 |
|
Wicklow |
631 |
352 |
79.26 |
3.76 |
3.12 |
Visit https://stats.simi.ie/for full stats info