The official numbers for 2024 have been realesed by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry and they make for interesting reading. First off, a total new car registrations for the last twelve months finished at 121,195, a slight decrease of 1% compared to 2023 (122,400).  New Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) registrations in 2024 saw an increase of 7% (30,786) compared to 2023 (28,854). New Heavy Commercial Vehicle registrations (HGV) increased by 8% (2,865) in comparison to 2023 (2,655). Imported Used Cars saw 61,583 registrations in 2024, an increase of 21.4% on 2023 (50,716). 17,459 new electric cars were registered in 2024, a decrease of 23.6% from the 22,852 registrations seen in 2023. 

Market share for 2024 seen Petrol account for 30.31%, Diesel 22.80%, Hybrid 20.92%, Electric 14.41%, and Plug-In Hybrid 10.02%. Petrol remains the most popular engine type for 2024, while Electric, Hybrid, and Plug-in Hybrid account for over 45% of the market.  Automatic transmissions now account for 66.09% of the market share, while manual transmissions have declined to 33.80%. The hatchback continues to remain Ireland’s top-selling car body type of 2024. While grey has retained the top-selling colour title for the ninth year running. 

Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General commenting: “The new car market in 2024 was in line with the previous year, with new car registrations finishing at 121,195 units, slightly behind 2023 (122,400 units). Commercial Vehicles Sales, underlining the growth in employment and activity across the Irish economy, were more positive with LCV registrations finishing 7% ahead of last year and HGVs up 8% on 2023. The key feature of the 2024 new car market was the decline in Electric Vehicle sales, a reduction of 24% compared to 2023. There has however been some tentative signs of a turnaround in EV sales towards the end of 2024, and the Industry is anticipating an increase in EV sales in 2025. The start of the new registration period, 251, this week, is an optimistic time for the Irish Motor Industry. With the variety of incentives and offers from retailers and manufacturers it is a good time for customers to shop for a new or used car.”

• 5 Top Selling New Car Brands 2024 were: 1.TOYOTA, 2.VOLKSWAGEN, 3.SKODA, 4.HYUNDAI, 5.KIA

• 5 Top New Car Model’s year 2024 were 1.HYUNDAI TUCSON, 2.SKODA OCTAVIA, 3.KIA SPORTAGE, 4.TOYOTA RAV 4, 5.TOYOTA YARIS CROSS

• 5 Top Selling New Electric Vehicles (EVs) Car Brands 2024: 1.TESLA, 2.VOLKSWAGEN, 3.KIA, 4.HYUNDAI, 5.BYD              

• 5 Top Selling New Electric Vehicles (EVs) Models 2024: 1.TESLA MODEL 3, 2.VOLKSWAGEN ID.4, 3.TESLA MODEL Y, 4.KIA EV6, 5.HYUNDAI KONA

• Top Selling New Car 2024: HYUNDAI TUCSON

• Top 3 Top Selling New Car Colours 2024: 1.Grey, 2.Black, 3.Blue

• Top New Car Body Type: Hatchback

• 2024 % Share of Cars by Transmission Type: Automatic 66.09% Manual 33.80% 

• Market share by engine type 2024: Petrol 30.31%, Diesel 22.80%, Hybrid 20.92%, Electric 14.41%, Plug-in Hybrid 10.02%