Data from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (Simi) indicates a sustained downturn in the sales of electric vehicles (EVs), which persisted to trail behind last year’s records. The overall registration of new cars in April saw a 3.6% drop compared to the same period last year, with only 8,591 cars getting registered within the month. Furthermore, EV sales also experienced a notable slump, falling 41.4% lower than the previous April’s record with only 1,091 recorded registrations.
Electric vehicle sales for the first four months of this year were 19.1% lower than they were during the corresponding period in 2023, further highlighting the continuing downfall in recent months. By the end of March, year-to-date figures were 14.3% weaker than the previous year, despite an overall 6% increase in total registrations this year.
Simi’s Director General, Brian Cooke, attributed the decline in EV registrations to dip in demand, a trend mirrored in most European Union territories. He pinpointed the need for the Irish government’s investment in a reliable and affordable electric charging infrastructure alongside extending current purchase grants to encourage more private consumers to switch to EVs.
Extending the benefit-in-kind (BIK) relief beyond 2024 for businesses and their staff could also bolster their certainty in choosing an EV for their companies, Cooke further suggested.
David Savage, the EMEA Vice-president of transport software group Geotab, labeled the shrinking EV registrations as “uninspiring” and underlined the need for a swift revamp of the Irish Government’s zero-emission vehicles strategy. He drew particular attention to the deteriorating public charging framework, which placed Ireland as the third poorest performer in the EU27 regarding achieving its 2024 EU goals, based on data from Transport & Environment.
In the recent news shared by Simi, there’s been a consistent surge in purchases of vans and lorries. As of April, there’s been a yearly increment of 3% in the registration of light commercial vehicles, pushing the growth so far this year to 29%. Moreover, the registration of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in April witnessed a substantial hike, rising by 37.2% compared to the same period last year. Consequently, the yearly registration to date of HGVs has swelled by 19.5%.
Interestingly, the data also highlights resurgence in growth amongst imported pre-owned vehicles. In April alone, 5,206 imported second-hand cars were registered, a striking 35.6% elevation from the same month of the previous year. Additionally, the total number of such imports recorded till now in 2024 shows a significant 27% increase compared to last year.