The Volkswagen Golf was the most viewed model of car on the Carzone website during the first quarter, although interest in electric vehicle is rapidly increasing, according to the Irish online car marketplace.

The VW Golf has been the site's most searched car since 2016, ahead of the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class, but interest in electric vehicles accounted for six of the top 10 most viewed new cars on Carzone while one was hybrid.

Research from the Auto Trader-owned website shows that half (49%) of people planning to change their car in the next 12 months plan to purchase an electric or hybrid vehicle, and the Hyundai Ioniq is the most-viewed new car in Ireland, ahead of Kia Sportage and the Volkswagen ID.4.

The Hyundai Ionic has risen in popularity in the past year, registering as the seventh most popular new or used electric vehicle on the site in 2021, and it is now the most searched EV, beating out the Audi e-tron and the Nissan Lead.

The most viewed hybrids are the BMW 5 Series, the BMW 3 Series and the Toyota Corolla, while premium executive models -- the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and Audi A6 -- also fill the ranks of the most viewed diesel cars.

In Association with

Hatchbacks, meanwhile dominated the petrol model standings, with the VW Golf coming out as the most-viewed car ahead of the VW Polo and the Ford Fiesta.

"So far this year we have seen several new models introduced to the market, but our data shows that car buyers are sticking to what they know when it comes to researching a car purchase," said Karl Connolly, audience manager at Carzone.

"The most-viewed cars on our platform have remained mostly unchanged from 2021. However, we have seen the most change in the EV category where the market continues to expand rapidly in accordance with consumer demand, and more models are made available."

See the full lists of most searched cars on Carzone in Q1 2022 below:

Most viewed models

1. Volkswagen Golf
2. BMW 5 Series
3. Mercedes-Benz E-Class
4. BMW 3 Series
5. Audi A6
6. Mercedes-Benz C-Class
7. Ford Focus
8. Hyundai Tucson
9. BMW X5
10. Audi A4

Most viewed hybrid models

1. BMW 5 Series
2. BMW 3 Series
3. Toyota Corolla
4. Toyota RAV4
5. BMW X5
6. Hyundai Tucson
7. Volvo XC90
8. Toyota C-HR
9. Mercedes-Benz C-Class
10. Toyota Yaris

Most viewed petrol models

1. Volkswagen Golf
2. Volkswagen Polo
3. Ford Fiesta
4. Ford Focus 
5. Audi A3 
6. Audi A1 
7. Nissan Qashqai 
8. Nissan Micra 
9. Toyota Yaris 
10. Renault Clio 

Most viewed diesel models

1. BMW 5 Series
2. Mercedes-Benz E-Class 
3. Audi A6 
4. Volkswagen Golf 
5. Audi A4 
6. Hyundai Tucson 
7. Volkswagen Passat 
8. BMW 3 Series 
9. Mercedes-Benz C-Class 
10. Ford Focus 

Most viewed electric models

1. Hyudai Ioniq
2. Audi e-tron 
3. Nissan Leaf 
4. Tesla Model 3 
5. Volkswagen ID.4 
6. Kia EV6 
7. Porsche Taycan 
8. Tesla Model S 
9. Volkswagen ID.3 
10. MG ZS

Most popular new vehicles

1. Hyundai Ioniq
2. Kia Sportage
3. Volkswagen ID.4
4. Hyundai Tucson
5. Kia EV6
6. Audi e-tron
7. Mercedes-Benz E-Class
8. Skoda Kodiaq
9. Cupra Formentor
10. BMW X5

Photo: A 2022 Volkswagen Golf GTI automobile during the media preview for the Chicago Auto Show in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., on Wednesday, July 14, 2021 (Pic: Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)