New car sales fell 12 per cent in November compared to last year, with the total for the year to date down 1 per cent at 115,639 vehicles.
According to figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), electric vehicles (EVs) now comprise 15 per cent of the new car market, compared to 19 per cent last year. In contrast, the number of new petrol and hybrid cars licensed for the first time rose by 32 per cent on the same 11-month period last year.
Regular hybrids now account for 22 per cent of all new car sales, with plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) comprising a further 9 per cent. Petrol remains the most popular new car format, at 31 per cent, while diesel makes up 23 per cent.
Toyota is the most popular new car brand, with 16,365 new cars taxed for the first time, followed by Volkswagen with 13,245, Skoda with 11,337 and Hyundai with 10,669.
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According to the CSO, 58,132 used private cars have been imported into the Republic so far this year, up 25 per cent on last year. Just 3 per cent of these were EVs, while 46 per cent were petrol and 27 per cent diesel. The majority of the used cars imported this year were six years or older.
The CSO figures are in line with those from the industry, which noted a 24 per cent increase in used imports. While the most popular imported cars were Volkswagen, Audi, BMW and Toyota, they also included 217 Porsches, eight Aston Martins, seven Maseratis, four Rolls-Royces, four Lamborghinis and four Ferraris.
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The CSO figures are based on the number of cars taxed for the first time, compared to figures published by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (Simi), which are based on the latest registration figures.
The difference can often be down to a slight delay in owners taxing their new cars and to the number of cars that dealers or importers may register to meet sales targets, even if the cars are yet to be sold to private buyers.
While new car sales are down this year, there is better news from the commercial vehicles market with 30,170 new vehicles taxed for the first time, up 7 per cent on this time last year. There were also 10,205 used goods vehicles imported this year, a 16 per cent increase on last year.
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