Electric cars were the biggest-selling engine type in May, according to new figures from Society of the Irish Motor Industry.
A total of 2,335 new electric cars (battery electric cars) were registered last month, marking a 115% jump on the 1,086 registrations in May 2025.
So far this year, SIMI said that a total of 19,050 new electric cars have been registered, representing a 53.82% increase compared to the same time in 2025, when 12,385 electric cars were registered.
Today's figures show that hybrid (petrol electric) continues to lead the market at 26.14% as the most popular engine type, followed by electric at 22.94%, petrol at 21.41%, plug-in hybrid 14.28%, and diesel at 12.94%.
Meanwhile, new car registrations for May were up 38.58% to 8,068 from 5,822 the same month last year. Registrations year to date are up 4.7% to 83,038 on the figure of 79,313 the same time last year.
Imported used cars have seen a 31.2% increase to 7,808 in May compared with 5,948 in May of last year. Year to date imports are up 38.2% to 38,960 on 28,183 in 2025.
Emma Mitchell, Operations Director at SIMI, said that new battery electric vehicles (BEVs) registrations continue to experience strong growth across all counties, with 2,335 units registered in May, up from 1,086 units in May of last year.
"Notably, consumers are driving this growth, accounting for 77% of BEV registrations so far this year, with incentives continuing to encourage the switch to electric vehicles," she said.
"Year-to-date BEV registrations reached 19,050 units, representing a 23% market share. While BEV registrations are positive, we are now at a critical juncture to sustain the strong growth in a market that is not yet fully established," she said.
"The Government must capitalise on this momentum by maintaining and extending current incentives for consumers, and encourage more businesses to change to Battery Electric Vehicles," she added.
Today's SIMI figures show that the top selling new car in May was the Toyota RAV 4, while the top selling new electric car was the Volkswagen ID.4.
The top five selling new car brands were Toyota, Volkswagen, Skoda, Hyundai and Kia.
The five top new car models were the Toyota Yaris Cross, the Hyundai Tucson, the Kia Sportage, the Toyota Corolla and the Skoda Kodiaq.
Meanwhile, the five top selling new electric vehicles brands were Volkwagen, Hyundai, Kia, Skoda and BYD.
