Figures from the Central Statistics Office show the number of vehicles licensed in August fell 4.4%, compared to the same month last year, with Toyota and Ford cars the most popular.
There were 6.8% fewer new cars taxed for road use for the first time compared to August last year, with 10,741 cars licensed in August. Second hand cars being licensed for the first time fell by 0.7%, or 33 cars.
The number of new good vehicles licensed was 3,273, a fall of 1.2%.
The highest number of new private cars on the roads in August were Toyota (1,329), Ford (1,327), Volkswagen (1,148), Opel (878) and Nissan (661).
