Electric car sales nosedive in local counties in 2024
New car sales in Westmeath during 2024 were up by almost 2.5%, but the rate of electric car sales in the county nosedived during the same period.
Latest figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry show there were 1,698 new cars sold in Westmeath last year, compared to 1,657 in 2023, representing a rise of 2.47%.
In Roscommon, there was a slight fall, with the 1,124 new cars sold in the county down 1.49% on the 1,141 sold in 2023.
However, both counties experienced a similar steep decline in electric car sales. In Westmeath, the number of new electric cars sold fell from 276 in 2023 to 197 in 2024, down 28.6%, whilst in Roscommon, the fall was almost identical (28.465), down from 123 new electric cars in 2023 to 88 last year.
Nationally, total new car registrations for 2024, finished at 121,195, a slight decrease of 1% compared to 2023 (122,400).
17,459 new electric cars were registered in 2024, a decrease of 23.6% from the 22,852 registrations seen in 2023.
New Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) registrations in 2024 saw an increase of 7% compared to 2023. New Heavy Commercial Vehicle registrations (HGV) increased by 8% in comparison to 2023.
Imported Used Cars saw 61,583 registrations in 2024, an increase of 21.4% on 2023 (50,716).
Petrol accounted for 30.31% of new cars sold in 2024, diesel 22.80%, hybrid 20.92%, electric 14.41%, and plug-in hybrid 10.02%.
Automatic transmissions now account for 66.9% of the market share, while manual transmissions have declined to 33.8%.
The hatchback continues to remain Ireland’s top-selling car body type of 2024. While grey has retained the top-selling colour title for the ninth year running.
Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General, said: “The new car market in 2024 was in line with the previous year, with new car registrations finishing at 121,195 units, slightly behind 2023. Commercial Vehicles Sales, underlining the growth in employment and activity across the Irish economy, were more positive with LCV registrations finishing 7% ahead of last year and HGVs up 8% on 2023.
“The key feature of the 2024 new car market was the decline in electric vehicle sales, a reduction of 24% compared to 2023. There has however been some tentative signs of a turnaround in EV sales towards the end of 2024, and the industry is anticipating an increase in EV sales in 2025. The start of the new registration period, 251, this week, is an optimistic time for the Irish motor industry. With the variety of incentives and offers from retailers and manufacturers it is a good time for customers to shop for a new or used car.”