Surge in electric car sales softens fall in new-car registrations in March

Sales of new electric car saw a significant 52.1% increase compared to the same period last year, new data shows

3,851 new electric cars were registered last month — an increase from 2,531 last year.

Despite a 10.4% fall off in the number of new-car registrations during March, electric car sales saw a significant 52.1% increase compared to the same period last year, new data from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) shows.

Last month, a total of 15,485 new cars across all engine categories were registered, a fall from the 17,291 recorded in March 2025. Registrations in the year to the end of March are up just 0.28% compared to the same three month span last year.

However, 3,851 new electric cars were registered last month — an increase from 2,531 last year. So far this year, 14,004 new electric cars have been registered, representing a 40.5% increase compared to the same period in 2025.

Petrol-electric hybrid cars maintained their top stop in market share in March, accounting for 27.36% of all new cars registered. Fully electric cars were in second place at 21.56%, followed by petrol at 21.24%, plug-in hybrids at 14.41%, and diesel at 12.92%.

This comes as the war in Iran, which began in February, sent oil prices soaring, resulting in prices paid by customers at the petrol pumps also increasing significantly. Despite Government cuts to excise duties, the prices still remain elevated compared to what they were before the war began.

The higher petrol and diesel prices may push consumers more towards electric cars over the coming months.

SIMI director general Brian Cooke said following a “strong start to new-car sales in the first two months of the year, March new-car registrations indicate a softening in demand, with a decline of 10%”.

“Despite the slowdown in March, new battery electric car registrations continue to grow, with 3,851 units registered. A better guide perhaps is that the battery electric car market share stands at 21.5%, compared to 18.9% for the full year 2025,” he said.

The strong growth in electric car registrations has been reflected across all counties.

Mr Cooke added new-car registrations in the first quarter of this year had seen continued growth for hybrids, while traditional petrol and diesel cars continue to see a decline, with their “combined market share now just 34% of the new car market”.

Toyota is the best-selling new car brand so far this year, followed by Volkswagen and Hyundai. The top-selling car model this year is the Toyota Yaris Cross.

Hyundai was the top selling new electric car brand so far this year, but the best selling new electric car in March was the Tesla Model 3.

Registrations of imported used cars also saw a 37.7% increase to 7,970 in the month. Year to date imports are up 39.2% to 23,646.