New EV sales down 20% so far this year, CSO data shows

The number of new electric cars sold in the first five months of the year dropped by 20% compared with the same time last year, new data shows.

The figures from the Central Statistics Office show that 9,458 new EVs were licensed between January and May, down from 11,918 during the same period in 2023.

So far this year, 13% of all new cars sold for the first time were electric, down from 18% last year.

Overall, there was a 7% rise in the number of new cars sold in the five month period, when compared to 2023.

23% of new private cars licensed were diesel, compared with 22% in the same period in 2023.

Meanwhile, the number of petrol and electric hybrid cars increased by 49%.

Today’s data shows that Volkswagen was the most popular make of new private car licensed in May, followed by Toyota, Skoda, Hyundai, and Dacia.

Together, these five makes represented almost half of all new private cars licensed during the month.