NEW car registrations were down 10.4% in March with battery electric vehicles up 52%, new figures show.

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) official 261 new vehicle registration statistics for March show 15,485 new car registrations compared to 17,291 for March 2025.

Registrations year to date are up 0.28% (64,967) on the same period last year (64,784).

Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) increased by 13.5% (4,463) compared to March last year (3,931). Year to date, LCVs are up 17.5% (15,654). Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) registrations are up 10.2% (302) in comparison to March 2025 (274). Year to date, HGVs are down 6.5% (971).

Imported Used Cars have seen a 37.7% (7,970) rise in March 2026, when compared to March 2025 (5,787). Year to date imports are up 39.2% (23,646) on 2025 (16,987).

In March 3,851 new electric cars (battery electric cars) were registered, which was 52.1% higher than the 2,531 registrations in March 2025. So far this year, 14,004 new electric cars have been registered, representing a 40.5% increase compared to the same period in 2025, when 9,964 electric cars were registered.

In the new car market share by engine type, Hybrid (Petrol Electric) continues to lead as the most popular engine type at 27.36%, followed by Electric 21.56%, Petrol 21.24%, Plug-In Hybrid 14.41%, and Diesel 12.92%.