New car sales soar by 30% in 2015

New car sales grew by 30% last year as industry figureheads said the motor sector was helping to drive employment.

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) published its annual industry review, conducted alongside retail website DoneDeal, which reveals that sales of new vehicles were up across the board in 2015.

In further positive news, the second half of last year saw even greater sales growth than in the first six months of 2015, while January v January comparisons also indicate more vehicles were sold last month than in the corresponding month in 2015. However, while motorists have been benefiting from cheaper fuel costs, car insurance costs have grown by 30% over the past year.