Electric car sales rose in April, despite an overall decline in the number of new private cars licensed during the period, new data from the Central Statistics Office found.
But there was little difference between April and March when the figures were seasonally adjusted. Used private cars licensed rose by 3 per cent.
Overall, new car sales fell 8 per cent April compared to the previous year, with a total of 11,930 cars licensed during the month. Of that number, 3,089 were electric vehicles (EVs), a rise of 73 per cent year on year. That brings the share of electric vehicles licensed between January and April to 23 per cent, compared with 16 per cent in the same period of 2025.
Petrol and diesel cars fell to 44 per cent during the same period, compared to 34 per cent in 2025.
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Electric car sales have been gaining ground in recent months as fears over rising fuel costs push motorists to more eco-friendly alternatives.
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles rose 3 per cent to 1,810 in April, with the year-to-date share at 15 per cent. But overall there was a decrease in the licensing of hybrid vehicles, declining 14 per cent from 3,233 in April 2025 to 2,796 new private cars in April 2026.
Overall, Toyota was the most popular make of new private cars licensed during the month, followed by Volkswagen, Skoda, Kia and Hyundai. The Toyota C-HR was the most popular make of electric car, with the Skoda Enyaq in second place.
Imported vehicle sales fared better overall, with the number of new licensed rising 40 per cent to 7,732. The share of electric vehicles rose to 9 per cent, from3 per cent in 2025.
New goods vehicles were up 21 per cent year on year.
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