The amount of unleaded petrol cleared for excise duty in December showed an unprecedented increase, according to figures today from the Central Statistics Office.
The CSO said there was a 37.2% increase in December compared to November, indicating "a very substantial increase in car traffic by households".
This coincided with the lifting of restrictions on travel in the run up to Christmas.
Normally there is little difference in the volumes of petrol cleared between November and December. In 2019, it declined by 1.7%. In 2018, there was an increase of 1.8%.
Today's figures also showed that autodiesel clearances increased by 9%. This had fallen by as much as 55.3% in April, its lowest level in 20 years.
Demand had risen over the summer but declined again during the second lockdown in October and November.
Annually, unleaded petrol volumes were 26% lower in 2020 compared to the previous year.
A total of 773 million litres were cleared, the lowest amount in 20 years.
The CSO said that changes to engine types and the increased use of electric cars and hybrids also contributed to this.
Autodiesel was also down 14% compared to 2019, although the amount cleared - 3.2 billion litres- is far greater than for unleaded petrol.
Colder weather and more people working from home were possible contributors to more kerosene being sold. Kerosene is used in home heating systems.
The amount of kerosene cleared in December was 7.9% higher than in December 2019. In fact, the 162 million litres cleared was also the highest December figure in 20 years.
