Electric cars represent just 4% of all cars on Irish roads 

New CSO figures show electric vehicle adoption is accelerating, although petrol and diesel models still dominate Irish roads

Electric vehicles account for 4% of Ireland's cars despite surge in new registrations. File picture

Fully electric vehicles account for just 4% of the total number of registered vehicles in Ireland, despite a sharp increase in new registrations in recent years, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

At the end of June, there were 134,475 electric vehicles on Irish roads, out of a total national vehicle fleet of 3.34 million. Petrol and diesel vehicles still account for 85.3% of the fleet.

According to the CSO, the first electric vehicles were registered in Ireland in 2010, and it has taken 16 years for fully electric vehicles to reach 4% of the national fleet.

However, demand has accelerated in recent years, particularly during the first half of this year.

Between January and June, fully electric vehicles accounted for 24.1% of all new private vehicle registrations, with 19,580 licensed during the six-month period.

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Electric vehicle ownership concentrated in six counties

The CSO found that 81% of electric vehicles are less than five years old, while 82% of non-electric private vehicles are more than five years old.

It also noted that private electric vehicle ownership is concentrated in a relatively small number of counties. Private vehicles include privately owned vehicles, as well as hire, fleet and certain commercial vehicles.

Dublin has the highest number of registered electric vehicles, with 47,401, followed by Cork with 13,840. Together, the two counties account for 49% of all private electric vehicles in the country.

They are followed by Kildare (8,789), Meath (6,647), Wicklow (5,884), and Galway (4,980). Collectively, these six counties account for 70% of Ireland's electric vehicle stock while representing 57.2% of the population.

The six counties with the lowest number of electric vehicles are Carlow (1,181), Cavan (1,039), Roscommon (959), Monaghan (704), Longford (550), and Leitrim (434).

Hybrids remain the most popular new vehicle

The CSO noted that these figures do not include hybrid or plug-in hybrid vehicles.

During the first six months of the year, 21,998 petrol-hybrid vehicles were registered for the first time, making them the most popular type of new vehicle registered in Ireland during the period.

A further 11,970 plug-in hybrid vehicles were registered over the same six months.

Across the European Union, 1.22 million fully electric vehicles have been registered for the first time so far this year.