Electric car registrations in Ireland have surged by 55% in the first eight months of 2026, highlighting a strong shift among motorists towards battery-powered vehicles, according to new figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry.
A total of 32,079 new electric cars were registered between January and August, compared with 20,642 during the same period last year. SIMI said electric car registrations also increased in August, rising 7% to 2,265 from 2,115 in August 2025.
Battery electric vehicles now hold the largest share of Ireland’s new car market. They accounted for 26.3% of registrations in the year to August, ahead of petrol-electric hybrids at 24.14%, petrol cars at 20.09%, plug-in hybrids at 14.85% and diesel vehicles at 12.56%.
The overall new car market also recorded growth. New registrations in August rose 3% to 7,811 from 7,581 a year earlier. During the first eight months of the year, 121,979 new cars were registered, an increase of 5% from the 116,068 recorded during the same period in 2025.
The market for imported used cars has expanded at an even faster pace. Imports increased 36% in August to 8,093 from 5,963 a year earlier. For the first eight months of 2026, used car imports reached 63,815, up 37% from 46,661 during the same period last year.
The Toyota RAV4 was the best-selling new car in August, while the Volkswagen ID.4 topped the electric vehicle rankings for the month.
Toyota was the best-selling new car brand in the year to August, followed by Volkswagen, Skoda, Hyundai and Kia. The leading models were the Toyota Yaris Cross, Hyundai Tucson, Skoda Octavia, Kia Sportage and Skoda Kodiaq.
Among electric vehicles, Kia led sales, followed by Volkswagen, Hyundai, Skoda and Tesla. The Volkswagen ID.4 was the best-selling EV model so far this year, ahead of the Tesla Model Y, Skoda Enyaq, Skoda Elroq and Toyota bZ4X.
SIMI Director General Brian Cooke said the figures showed that the move towards battery electric vehicles was becoming increasingly clear.
He called on the Government to maintain incentives that support EV purchases, including the SEAI grant, vehicle registration tax relief and the 0% Benefit-in-Kind threshold.
Cooke said Budget 2027 could help maintain consumer confidence and encourage more households and businesses to switch to electric vehicles. He also backed measures such as a scrappage scheme, greater investment in high-powered public charging infrastructure and additional support for business fleets.
“Now is the time to invest in incentives to drive change,” Cooke said.