The number of used private cars licensed rose by 25 per cent in November against the same period in 2024 as electric vehicle licences slip, Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures show.
Published on Wednesday, the new data shows the number of used private cars licensed in the State for the first time jumped from 5,124 in November 2024 to 6,413 in the past month.
This continues a trend across the year as used vehicle licences of all types have grown significantly faster than the sales of new cars. In the first 11 months of 2024, 79,507 used vehicles were licensed, compered to 89,412 licensed to the end of November this year – an increase of 12 per cent.
The used cars being imported are trending towards being older than in previous years. In 2021, 56 per cent of imports were between three and five years old but that cohort represents just one quarter of imports, with 65 per cent being older than six years old.
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The growth in new vehicles being licensed in November was largely stable, falling by just four to 4,369. In the year to date, 165,560 such vehicles have been registered, a growth of 4 per cent, or 6,460, against the same period in 2024.
Damien Lenihan, a statistician in the CSO’s transport section, said the figures show a “9 per cent fall in the number of new private electric cars licensed for the first time in November 2025 (521) when compared with the same month in 2024 (575)”.
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The number of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles licensed in the month is up 19 per cent to 277 from 232 in November 2024.
However, in the first 11 months of the year, the CSO noted there has been a 38 per cent rise in the number of new private electric vehicles licensed, a total of 23,134 against 16,786 licensed in the period in 2024.
The market share of new petrol cars decreased in the year, down 14 per cent from 36,208 to 31,031 as electric vehicles continue to increase in popularity. The combined share of combustion engine cars, petrol and diesel, fell to 43 per cent in the year to date, from 54 per cent in 2025.
Volkswagen was the most popular make of new private car licensed last month. The brand made up 255 of the total licences, followed by Skoda at 186 and Toyota at 141. Combined with Kia and Tesla vehicles, the five most popular brands made up 44 per cent of all new private cars licensed in November.
Volkswagen and Toyota cars have also been the most popular of all types of vehicles sold so far this year.
Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 were the most commonly licensed electric car models in the month, making up 75 and 44 respectively. The Ford Explorer was the third most common with 36.
