New figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry show an 80% jump in the number of new electric cars registered in September compared to the same time last year.
The new SIMI figures show that 3,126 new electric cars (battery electric cars) were registered last month, compared to the 1,734 registrations in September of last year.
So far this year, 35,195 new electric cars have been registered, marking a 57.3% increase compared to the same time in 2025, when 22,376 electric cars were registered.
Today’s figures show that overall new car registrations for September were up 13.1% to 6,342 compared to 5,607 the same time last year. Registrations so far this year are up 5.4% to 128,288 from 121,675 on the same time in 2025.
Meanwhile, imported used cars saw an 18.9% increase in September to 8,326, compared to 7,000 the same month last year. Year to date imports are up 34.4% to 72,140 from 53,661 in 2025.
In the new car market share by engine type, battery electric cars lead the market with a share of 27.43%, followed by hybrid (petrol electric) at 23.68%, petrol at 19.59%, plug-in hybrid at 14.93%, and diesel at 12.36%.
SIMI said the five top selling new car brands last month were Toyota, Volkswagen, Skoda, Hyundai and Kia.
The five top new car models were the Toyota Yaris Cross, the Hyundai Tucson, the Skoda Octavia, the Kia Sportage and the Skoda Kodiaq.
Meanwhile, the five top selling new electric vehicles Brands were Kia, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Tesla and Skoda.
And the five top selling new EV models were the Volkswagen ID.4, the Tesla Model Y, the Skoda Enyaq, the Tesla Model 3 and the Hyundai Inster.
Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General, said that 2026 has been a landmark year for battery electric vehicle sales, with 35,195 BEVs registered to the end of September, making BEVs the most popular engine type in the Irish new car market.
“The momentum is clearly there, and the Government has a real opportunity in Budget 2027 to ensure the continued expansion in BEV sales. This is especially important in the context of increasing fossil fuel costs and Ireland’s climate targets,” Mr Cooke said.
“So, for Budget 2027, SIMI is giving a simple message to Government: extend the BEV supports for next year,” he added.
