More than 32,000 electric vehicles have been registered in Ireland in the year to August 2026, a 55% increase on last year, according to new data from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI).
According to SIMI’s latest new vehicle registration statistics, car registrations rose 3% in August, compared to the same month last year, with 7,811 new cars registered compared with 7,581 in August 2025.
A total of 2,265 of these new registrations were battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), which represents a 7% increase on the same month last year (2,115).
New car registrations
For the first eight months of the year, new car registrations in Ireland totalled 121,979, up 5% on the 116,068 recorded during the same period in 2025.
According to SIMI, BEVs now account for more than a quarter (26.3%) of the new car market, ahead of hybrid petrol-electric vehicles at 24.14%, petrol at 20.09%, plug-in hybrids at 14.85% and diesel at 12.56%.
‘Clearly evident’
“The market shift towards battery electric vehicles is clearly evident, and it is crucial that the government supports this trend with incentives that build on this momentum in what is still a developing market,” commented Brian Cooke, SIMI director general.
“Budget 2027 provides the government with the opportunity to build on the success in BEV sales by extending and retaining the current incentives – the SEAI Grant, Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) relief, and 0% Benefit-In-Kind (BIK) threshold – that are vital in sustaining consumer confidence. This would enable more households and businesses to make the switch, while also supporting our climate change goals.”
Cooke also pointed to targeted measures such as the scrapple scheme, investment in high-powered public charging infrastructure and a focus on company cars as helping to bolster the second-hand BEV market.
“Now is the time to invest in incentives to drive change,” he said.
The top selling new car brand in Ireland in the year to date is Toyota, followed by Volkswagen, Skoda, Hyundai and Kia. The Toyota Yaris Cross was the best-selling model, while the Volkswagen ID.4 led electric vehicle sales. Read more here.
New Electric Car Registrations by County 2026 (January-August)
| County | 2026 | 2025 | % Change | 2026 Share | 2025 Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlow | 361 | 180 | 100.56 | 1.13 | 0.87 |
| Cavan | 246 | 120 | 105 | 0.77 | 0.58 |
| Clare | 699 | 344 | 103.2 | 2.18 | 1.67 |
| Cork | 3869 | 2013 | 92.2 | 12.06 | 9.75 |
| Donegal | 516 | 320 | 61.25 | 1.61 | 1.55 |
| Dublin | 12279 | 9605 | 27.84 | 38.28 | 46.53 |
| Galway | 1235 | 692 | 78.47 | 3.85 | 3.35 |
| Kerry | 677 | 379 | 78.63 | 2.11 | 1.84 |
| Kildare | 2065 | 1260 | 63.89 | 6.44 | 6.1 |
| Kilkenny | 553 | 282 | 96.1 | 1.72 | 1.37 |
| Laois | 502 | 260 | 93.08 | 1.56 | 1.26 |
| Leitrim | 74 | 42 | 76.19 | 0.23 | 0.2 |
| Limerick | 1075 | 576 | 86.63 | 3.35 | 2.79 |
| Longford | 121 | 61 | 98.36 | 0.38 | 0.3 |
| Louth | 781 | 496 | 57.46 | 2.43 | 2.4 |
| Mayo | 437 | 221 | 97.74 | 1.36 | 1.07 |
| Meath | 1456 | 907 | 60.53 | 4.54 | 4.39 |
| Monaghan | 196 | 114 | 71.93 | 0.61 | 0.55 |
| Offaly | 316 | 164 | 92.68 | 0.99 | 0.79 |
| Roscommon | 269 | 104 | 158.65 | 0.84 | 0.5 |
| Sligo | 284 | 169 | 68.05 | 0.89 | 0.82 |
| Tipperary | 768 | 409 | 87.78 | 2.39 | 1.98 |
| Waterford | 710 | 423 | 67.85 | 2.21 | 2.05 |
| Westmeath | 520 | 279 | 86.38 | 1.62 | 1.35 |
| Wexford | 924 | 521 | 77.35 | 2.88 | 2.52 |
| Wicklow | 1146 | 701 | 63.48 | 3.57 | 3.4 |
