New car registrations down marginally in 2024 as EV sales collapse [Video]

A total of 121,195 new cars, including 17,459 electric cars, were registered last year, a decrease of 1% from 2023 when 122,400 new cars were registered, according to new figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI).

Registrations of new light commercial vehicles rose 7% from 28,854 to 30,786 while new heavy commercial vehicle (HGV) registrations rose 8% from 2,655 to 2,865.

Imported used cars saw 61,583 registrations in 2024, an increase of 21.4% on 2023 (50,716).

The 17,459 new electric cars registered represented a decline of nearly a quarter (-23.6%) from 22,852 the previous year, although EV sales in December (296) were 48.7% against the same time in 2023 (199).

“The key feature of the 2024 new car market was the decline in Electric Vehicle sales, a reduction of 24% compared to 2023,” said Brian Cooke, director general of SIMI.

“There has however been some tentative signs of a turnaround in EV sales towards the …