The trend of declining new electric vehicle (EV) sales persisted into October, with a fall of 12.3 per cent compared to the same month the previous year, despite a 10 per cent growth in the general market. This year, registrations of new EVs have hit 16,656, a decrease of 25.4 per cent compared to the same time frame in the preceding year.
Brian Cooke, the Society of the Irish Motor Industry’s (Simi) director general noted that there has been an ongoing decline in EV registrations for nine consecutive months, a trend that raises concern. He pointed out the importance of continued governmental support and initiatives to stimulate this market segment due to the falling EV sales.
Some brands have felt the impact more than others with the decline in EV sales. Both Volkswagen and Hyundai have seen a 37.5 percent drop in EV sales compared to the previous year, while Skoda, Renault, Opel, Mini and Cupra have had over a 50 per cent decrease. Tesla has experienced a decrease in sales of 20.3 per cent this year.
The VW ID. 4 and the Tesla’s Model 3 hold the top spots as bestselling EVs, although the former has seen a 48 per cent decrease in registrations and the latter experienced an 18.7 per cent increase in sales. Tesla Model Y is down by 41.5 per cent and Kia’s EV6 has seen a drop of 18.5 per cent.
The total amount of newly registered cars this year is currently at 119,668, which is 1.2 per cent lower than last year. The preferred choice of engine in Ireland remains petrol, accounting for 30.79 per cent of the market, followed by diesel at 22.94 per cent. While regular hybrids make up 20.99 per cent of the market, plug-in hybrids constitute 9.8 per cent. Fully electric sales represent 13.9 per cent of all new sales.
Toyota, Volkswagen, Skoda, Hyundai and Kia are the top-selling car brands with the Hyundai Tucson, Skoda Octavia and Kia Sportage being the favourite models.
On a positive note, the declining new car sales trend did not extend to the commercial market, an economic indicator, where van sales have risen by 8.0 per cent with 30,167 new registrations. Further, sales of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) increased by 10.4 per cent to 2,757 compared to last year.