New car registrations were up by 3 per cent in 2025 to 124,954 with particularly strong growth in electric and hybrid vehicles, which made up more than half of the total for the first time, according to new figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (Simi)
Petrol remained the most popular type of car registered over the past 12 months, with just over 25 per cent of the market, but that was down from 30.3 per cent in 2024, while registrations of diesel cars declined more steeply and accounted for 17.1 per cent of the market last year.
The numbers of new electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars on the road grew substantially last year, accounting for more than half of total registrations (56.2 per cent). This compared with just over 45 per cent in 2024 when registrations of such vehicles had actually declined amid changes to the grants available and apparent concerns over charging infrastructure.
In 2025, “battery-electric cars reached 23,601 units, an increase of 35 per cent on 2024, the highest level of sales annually, surpassing the previous record year of 2023, with an increase in registrations in every county”, Simi director generalBrian Cooke said.
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“This, along with the increase in plug-in hybrid registrations, meant that Ireland comfortably surpassed the 2025 Climate Action Plan targets. Hybrid-electric vehicles also continued to gain momentum in 2025,” he said.
Forty-two per cent of all new car registrations were in Dublin, down 1 per cent on the previous year, while the figure for EVs was 47.2 per cent, down from 51.7 per cent.
The number of imported used cars registered also grew by 16.6 per cent last year to reach 71,813. The figure had been up by more than 20 per cent in 2024.
Automatic transmission cars now account for just more than three quarters of all new cars registered, while hatchbacks continue to be the most popular body type and grey the most popular colour.
Toyota was the top selling brand, followed by Volkswagen, Skoda and Hyundai, while the Hyundai Tucson, Skoda Octavia and Kia Sportage were the bestselling models, in that order.
In the EV market, Volkswagen was the bestselling brand, followed by Kia and Tesla.
Registrations of light commercial vehicles were up by 7 per cent last year but sales of heavy commercial vehicles and buses/coaches were both down, by 5.1 per cent and 28.7 per cent respectively.
