Business

Used car imports surge as EV sales continue to decline

Overall new car numbers are static year to date as September numbers on new private cars fall 11%

EVs have continued to fall in popularity, according to latest CSO data looking at new licensing. Photograph: Robert Ghement / EPA
EVs have continued to fall in popularity, according to latest CSO data looking at new licensing. Photograph: Robert Ghement / EPA
Fiona Keeley
Wed Oct 09 2024 - 15:07

There has been a dramatic increase in the number of imported used cars licensed in the first nine months of the year. It comes as total new car licensing edges fractionally ahead of last year.

But the ongoing malaise for the electric vehicle market continues.

Used imports are running 27 per cent ahead of the same period last year with more than 47,500 such vehicles registered in the Republic. That performance was sustained in September with 5,393 used imports registered here, up from 4,232 in the same month last year.

It comes as the the market for new vehicles stagnates. New private car sales of late month were 6,110, down 11 per cent on September 2023. And the total number of new cars licensed over the first nine months of the year has risen by just 139 vehicles to 109,621 - a small fraction of 1 per cent.

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Sales of electric vehicles continue to prove challenging with sales so far this year continuing to trail last year’s figures by about 25 per cent. However, EVs did account for 18.5 per cent of September sales, ahead of the 14 per cent market share figure for the year to date.

The number of EVs licensed for the first time reached 15,460 in the first nine months compared to 20,517 in the same period last year, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

At the same time, the number of petrol and electric hybrids increased by 31 per cent in comparison with the previous year.

Petrol remains the most popular fuel type for cars licensed in September 2024 (1,512) with diesel following close behind (1,468).

However, over the first nine months of 2024, the 36,407 new petrol cars licensed represented a fall of 4 per cent in comparison with the same time last year, said CSO transport statistician Damien Lenihan, .

Comparing the same nine-month periods in 2023 and 2024, the number of new diesel cars licensed rose by 5 per cent from 24,058 to 25,221.

The number of new petrol and electric hybrid cars licensed increased by 31 per cent from 17,228 in the first nine months of 2023 to 22,604 in the same period of 2024. The number of petrol and electric hybrid cars licensed during September was 1,253.

Toyota was the most popular car in September with 772 models licensed. It was followed by Skoda (718); Volkswagen (691); Kia (564); and Hyundai (504). Together, these models make up 53 per cent of all new private cars sold in September 2023.

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