Electric cars were the driving force behind an increase in the number of newly licensed vehicles last month, with the number of electric vehicles (EVs) rising by 82 per cent when compared to July 2025.
Some 20,322 new private cars were licensed in July 2026, an increase of 2 per cent when compared to the same period last year, according to new data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO),
January and July typically mark a boost in new car sales thanks to the latest numbers being issued on registration plates.
Some 7,216 new private EVs were licensed last month, with Hyundai, Toyota and Volkswagen proving to be the three most popular brands within the sector, accounting for 535, 511 and 464 vehicles, respectively.
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This was an 82 per cent increase on the number recorded in July 2025, when 3,973 EVs were licensed.
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EVs represented 26 per cent of the new private cars licensed last month, up from 17 per cent in the same period last year, according to the CSO.
Concerns over lagging public infrastructure to accommodate electric vehicles on the road, such as charging facilities, have largely cooled in recent months, with many EV drivers opting to charge their car at home.
Plug-in hybrid vehicles had a 5 per cent decline in the number of licenses last month when compared to July 2025, dropping from 3,080 to 2,926, although their year-to-date share among all new cars “was comparable with 2025 at 15 per cent”, said the CSO.
Some 3,449 petrol and 2,262 diesel cars were licensed last month. Their combined share of newly licensed vehicles last month was 33 per cent, down from 44 per cent in July 2025.
Toyota and Volkswagen were the two most popular car brands of any type of vehicle among newly licensed vehicles last month, together selling more than 4,000 new cars in July.
The figures show the Japanese and German motor retailers accounted for 25 per cent of all new cars licensed in the State last month.
Skoda, Hyundai and Kia represented a combined further 26 per cent of sales – with 10, 9 and 7 per cent of the market share, respectively.
The data reveal that not a single new Jaguar car was licensed in the State last month, although 12 old models of the British brand were registered.
Damien Lenihan, a statistician in the transport section of the CSO said: “The total number of new goods vehicles licensed for the first time in July 2026 was 3,428, up 16 per cent on July 2025 (2,945).”
New goods vehicles include vans, trucks and heavy lorries that are deemed as primarily commercial means of transport.
“There were 22,905 new goods vehicles licensed from January to July 2026, which was an increase of 12 per cent on the 20,364 licensed over the same period of 2025,” he added.
