New car registrations year to date are marginally up on the same period last year but 10.1% behind that of pre-Covid levels in 2019, but data from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry shows that electric vehicle registrations have seen a massive jump in the period January to November 2022 .

Electric Vehicle, Plug-in Hybrids and Hybrids continue to increase their market share, with a combined market share through 2022 of 41%.

For the month of November 343 new electric vehicles were registered compared to 190 in November 2021. Year to date, 15,590 new electric cars have been registered compared with 8,530 in the same period in 2021, an increase of 83%.

According to SIMI data, the Top 5 car models year to date are Hyundai Tucson, Toyota Corolla, Kia Sportage, Toyota C-HR, and Volkswagen ID.4.

The bestselling EV models are Volkswagen ID.4, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Tesla Model 3, Kia EV6, and Volkswagen ID.3.

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Light Commercial Vehicles registration are down 18.0% on last year and Heavy Goods Vehicle registrations are down 8.7%.

Used car imports are down 26.6% on 2021 figures.

Petrol is still the market leader at 30.2% of new car registrations, followed by diesel (26.8%), Hybrid (19.3%), Electric (14.8%) and Plug-in Electric Hybrid (6.8%).

Tom Cullen, deputy director general at SIMI, commented: “For the first time in 2022, Electric Vehicles were the top selling engine type for the month of November. With the forthcoming announcement of the revised Climate Action Plan, it is fundamental that policymakers support their climate ambitions and invest in the electrification project.

“The strong performance of the electric vehicle market is down to the vital support of the SEAI grant scheme and incentives encouraging consumers to make the switch to EVs. Any early removal or reduction in supports will only lead to less demand, increased cost to change, restrained consumer confidence, and place Ireland further down the manufacturers' list in terms of EV supply availability.

“The new car market is already experiencing challenges with supply and rising energy costs. Any further constraints could hamper the growth of the EV market,” Cullen added.

“The national charging infrastructure is fundamental to instilling confidence in the Electric Vehicle transition and its development also needs to remain ahead of demand.”