Hybrid car sales up 43% as electric car slump continues

The proportion of all new cars licensed for the first time which are electric has dropped to 14% from 19% last year

The number of electric cars licensed for the first between January and June fell by 25% compared to the same period last year. 

The number of newly-licensed electric cars dropped by 25% during the first six months of the year as hybrid cars surged in popularity, new figures from the Central Statistics Office shows.

Between January and June, there were 10,344 electric cars licensed for the first time which is down from 13,701 during the same period in 2023. Over the same months, the number of petrol and electric hybrid cars licensed increased by 43% to 15,182.