Buying a car alone as a woman makes me feel like a sitting duck

Why are there so few female car salespeople? Surely women are a market to be taken seriously, writes Yvonne Reddin 

From the minute I park my car, I feel instantly vulnerable. My anxiety spikes. And somehow, I feel like my bank account is already being drained before I even step inside the garage. It’s a horrible feeling — that sense of being out of your depth, exposed and at risk of being taken advantage of.

As electric cars overtook petrol in Ireland for the first time in 2026, according to the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI), new-car registrations for January were up 3.3% (34,604) compared to January 2025 (33,499). 

In January, 7,319 new electric cars were registered, 48.7% higher than the 4,923 registrations in January 2025.