Official figures show that the number of new cars licensed in July was up by almost 3% on the same month last year. This was the first rise since January, though it had been expected as it was thought many buyers were waiting for the introduction of the new car tax system on July 1.
The Central Statistics Office said 16,175 new cars were licensed in July. The figure for the first seven months, however, is still showing a 15% drop compared with a year earlier to 130,744.
Under the new tax system, cars which produce more carbon dioxide emissions attract higher rates of VRT, while motor tax is also linked to emissions.
The CSO also gave figures for the 13,576 new cars which were rated for CO2 emissions. Just under 11% were in Band A, the lowest category, while almost half were in Band B and 27% in Band C. 14% were in the remaining higher-emission categories.
Meanwhile, the number of new goods vehicles licensed in July showed a drop of 44% compared with July last year.
