The drive towards hybrid and electric continues apace, with more than two thirds of Irish people preferring them over conventional petrol or diesel engines.
A new survey from the European Investment Bank says 71% of Irish new car buyers say they plan to purchase either a hybrid or electric car.
The figure is 42 per cent higher than the percentage of those who said they would buy a diesel or petrol vehicle (29%). More specifically, 43% said they would purchase a hybrid vehicle and 28% would opt for an electric vehicle.
The survey says Irish car buyers who are over the age of 65 are particularly interested in purchasing a hybrid vehicle (51%), while young people are more likely to choose an electric vehicle (37%).
Of the older age cohort, only 23% of them say they would buy an electric car.
Hybrid vehicles are the preferred choice for Irish people aged 30-64: 45% say they would opt for one, 10 points higher than the figure for people younger than 30 (35%).
Meanwhile, 11% of the overall Irish population say they do not have a vehicle now and are not planning to buy one. This is two points below the EU average.
The survey follows the publication of the latest car sales statistics in Ireland, which show that hybrid model sales grew year on year by 38 %, with Toyota taking the market lead. It now has 20% of the overall car market. The company says 98% of its total sales are now hybrid.
This January, there were 25,093 new car sales registered, 27% of which were hybrid electric, with diesel accounting for just 22%.
Petrol passenger cars made up 29% of new sales, just over two percentage points ahead of hybrid electric. Toyota says that when factoring in all electrified models including battery electrics (11%) and plug-in hybrids (8%), the low and zero emissions sector accounted for more than 47% of all new car sales.
Diesel cars ales have now dropped by more than 37% year on year, and petrol sales have dropped by almost 18%.
