Tesla surge cushions fall in new electric car registrations

Tesla is expected to lose its title as the world’s top seller of fully electric cars to Chinese carmaker BYD once again

New car registrations declined by 9.7% during the month of June, with even electric cars seeing a decline compared to the same period last year, new figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) shows.

In total, there were 2,200 new cars registered last month, down from the 2,436 recorded in June 2025. June is traditionally a slow month for new car registrations as it is the final month before licence plates change.

Of these, new electric cars accounted for over half, at 1,123, but this is also down from the 1,244 recorded last year.

Other vehicle categories saw increases during the month. Light goods vehicle registrations increased by 2.9% to 1,082, while the number of imported used cars registered increased by 42.7% to 8,149.

Heavy goods vehicle registrations experienced a decrease of 25% to 96.

So far this year, there have been 85,203 new car registrations, up 4.2% from the 85,203 recorded last year. Of these, 20,164 were new electric cars, representing a 48% year-on-year increase.

Hybrid petrol electric cars continue to lead the market, accounting for 25.89% of all new cars registered this year. Fully electric cars market share stands at 23.67%, followed by petrol at 21.06%, plug-in hybrid’s at 14.21%, and diesel at 12.87%.

SIMI director general Brian Cooke said the clear trend in sales is the move towards battery electric and hybrid electric sales, “which now account for nearly two-thirds of the market”.

“Only seven years ago petrol and diesel cars accounted for 88% of registrations. This is a fundamental market development and is particularly underlined this year by the increase in battery electric vehicle sales.

“Looking forward to the 262 July registration plate, we are expecting further growth in battery electric vehicle sales.” 

The best-selling new car in June was the Tesla Model 3, with new Tesla registrations up nearly 45% year-on-year to 782. 

The top selling new car so far this year is the Toyota Yaris Cross, followed by the Hyundai Tucson, and Kia Sportage. The best selling electric vehicle so far this year is the Volkswagen ID.4, followed by the Tesla Model 3, and Tesla Model Y.

While Tesla might be performing well in Ireland, it is expected to lose its title as the world’s top seller of fully electric cars to Chinese carmaker BYD once again. BYD delivered 557,090 battery-electric models in the three months through June, according to figures released on Wednesday. While that is fewer than in the same period last year, it will probably be enough to beat Tesla.

The US manufacturer is expected to report quarterly sales of about 396,500 vehicles next week, according to analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

However, in Ireland, Tesla still has a sizable lead over BYD when it comes to fully electric cars. In the first six months of the year, Tesla has sold 1,976 units across its models while BYD has sold 1,385.

BYD first overtook Tesla in the fourth quarter of 2024, and maintained a significant lead through 2025 as Elon Musk’s political activities and close ties with US president Donald Trump disenchanted consumers, particularly in Europe.

However, Tesla retook the lead in the first quarter of this year, outselling BYD by about 48,000 vehicles as softening demand in China dragged down the rival’s sales in its home market.

Additional reporting Bloomberg