New car sales for May were 16.2% higher when compared with the same month in 2014, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office.
9,027 new cars were sold throughout the month, compared with 7,767 for the corresponding period last year.
However, the number of private car imports into the country dropped last month by nearly a quarter when compared with 2014, with 3,748 used cars brought into Ireland.
Overall for 2015 up until the end of May, new car sales have increased by 26.9%, with 74,736 new private car registrations, compared with 58,890 during the first five months of 2014.
The most popular manufacturer for new car sales so far this year is Volkswagen, accounting for 12.1% of the new car market with 9,301 registrations.
Toyota (8,009) is second, followed by Ford (7,357), Nissan (6,916), and Hyundai (6,814).
Meanwhile, the number of new goods vehicles registered in May was 2,134, a 17.8% increase on statistics for the same month in 2014.
New car sales for June are expected to be somewhat slower, ahead of the introduction of 152 registration plates in July.
