Plug-in hybrid car sales soar as fully electric sales recover after difficult year

The combined share of petrol and diesel cars sales last month fell to 42% from 50% last year

The number of new plug-in hybrid private cars licensed for the first time during January increased by 100% to 3,427 compared to last year.

The number of plug-in electric cars registered for the first time in January more than doubled compared to the same period last year as the number of electric cars increased by 20%, new data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows.

In total, there were 22,484 new cars registered during last month, an 8% increase compared to January 2024. January is one of the busiest months of the year for new car purchases.