Battery electric cars remain Ireland’s most popular new car choice in 2026, with the latest figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry showing continued growth in demand. New electric car registrations increased by 55% in October, comfortably outpacing the wider market, while total new car registrations rose by 15% compared with the same month last year. A total of 2,501 new cars were registered during October, up from 2,180 in October 2025. This brings registrations for the first ten months of the year to 130,754, an increase of approximately 6% on the 123,855 recorded during the corresponding period last year. Although October accounts for a relatively small share of annual registrations, the figures show the market maintaining its momentum as attention begins to turn towards the January registration period.
Electric vehicles were once again a significant contributor to that growth. There were 1,092 new battery electric cars registered in October, compared with 706 a year earlier. That means fully electric models accounted for almost 44% of all new cars registered during the month. Across the year to date, electric car registrations have reached 36,270, an increase of 57% on the 23,082 registered during the same period in 2025. Battery electric vehicles now hold a 27.74% share of the new car market, ahead of conventional petrol electric hybrids on 23.54%. Petrol models account for 19.43%, followed by plug-in hybrids at 14.99% and diesel at 12.31%. Taken together, battery electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars represent just over two thirds of new registrations, highlighting how substantially the mix of cars entering Irish ownership has changed.
According to SIMI Operations Director Emma Mitchell, demand for electric cars continues to benefit from government support and the offers available across the market. She also highlighted the geographical spread of that demand, with 61% of new electric cars registered outside Dublin this year. SIMI reports strong increases in both urban and rural areas, indicating that the growth in electric ownership extends well beyond the capital. The used import market also continues to expand at a considerably faster rate than the new car market. A total of 7,831 used cars were imported during October, an increase of 15% on the 6,791 recorded in the same month last year. Year to date, used imports stand at 79,969, up 32% from 60,452 in 2025. That represents almost 20,000 additional imported cars entering the Irish market over the first ten months of the year.
Commercial vehicle registrations also finished October ahead of last year. Light commercial vehicle registrations increased by 2% to 1,727 units, bringing the year to date total to 33,638, a rise of 7%. Heavy goods vehicles recorded a stronger monthly increase of 45%, with 205 registrations compared with 141 in October 2025. Across the year so far, HGV registrations are up 2% at 2,586 units. The latest figures leave the Irish new car market ahead of its 2025 performance, with electric vehicles providing much of the growth. With battery electric cars now leading the annual powertrain rankings and accounting for an even larger proportion of October registrations, the closing months of 2026 will set an interesting backdrop to the forthcoming 271 sales period.
• 5 Top Selling New Car Brands 2026 were: 1. TOYOTA, 2. VOLKSWAGEN, 3. SKODA, 4. HYUNDAI, 5. KIA
• 5 Top New Car Models 2026 were: 1. TOYOTA YARIS CROSS, 2. HYUNDAI TUCSON, 3. SKODA OCTAVIA, 4. KIA SPORTAGE, 5. SKODA KODIAQ
• 5 Top Selling New Electric Vehicles (EVs) Brands 2026: 1. KIA, 2. VOLKSWAGEN, 3. HYUNDAI, 4. TESLA, 5. SKODA
• 5 Top Selling New Electric Vehicles (EVs) Models 2026: 1. VOLKSWAGEN ID.4, 2. TESLA MODEL Y, 3. SKODA ENYAQ, 4. TESLA MODEL 3, 5. SKODA ELROQ
• Top Selling New Car (October) 2026: VOLKSWAGEN ID.4
• Top Selling New Electric Car (October) 2026: VOLKSWAGEN ID.4
