Major uplift in electric car sales locally

Electric car sales are enjoying a major uplift in Westmeath, Offaly and Roscommon, according to new figures, reflecting a changing car marketplace.

While still a very small proportion of all cars sold last year, electric cars are on the rise with a 56% jump in registrations in Westmeath during 2022, and a 124% increase in Roscommon, admittedly this one comes from a much lower base than other counties.

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) figures show 205 electric vehicles were sold in Westmeath last year, well up on 131 in 2021. However, this only represents a 1.31% share of the overall market.

A total of over 105,000 cars were registered in Ireland last year, just 0.3% up on 2021. The total number of cars registered in the Lake County during 2022 came to 1526, also a slight fall of 2% on the previous twelve months.

In Roscommon, of 999 cars sold during last year 107 were electric, up a massive 143% on just 44 in the previous twelve months.

The other Midlands counties showed a similar upward trajectory for electric vehicles in 2022. In Offaly, 128 were sold last year, a massive rise over 124% on just 57 sold in 2021. The total car registrations in Offaly came to 1,211, up 4% on 2021.

Countrywide, SIMI reports 15,678 new electric cars were registered in 2022 in comparison to 8,646 on the same period in 2021, a jump of in excess of 81.% and 355.% on 2019.

While electric vehicles are on up, the statistics show petrol vehicles are still the most popular despite a decline in its market share of over 32%. Overall, petrol vehicles account for 30.16% of all car registrations, diesel 26.77%, hybrid 19.29%, electric 14.90%, and plug-in hybrid 6.76%. Hybrid, electric and plug-in hybrid continued to gain market share in 2022 and now account for 41% of the market.

Another big change is that automatic transmissions have taken over in popularity, now accounting for (56.99%) of market share, while manual transmissions have declined (42.95%).

Reflecting on the this week's car figures for 2022, Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General said total new car registrations for 2022 were marginally ahead of 2021 but remain 10% behind that of 2019 (pre-Covid levels).

“Despite the re-opening of the economy and strong economic growth, 2022 was another challenging year for the Irish motor industry, with new car sales as well as commercial vehicles being impacted by supply constraints. On a more positive note, the electric car segment continues to grow strongly with 15,678 new electric cars registered in 2022, an increase of 81% on 2021.

Looking forward to the new 231 registration period, retailers are reporting strong new car orders, which will also attract vital trade-ins for the used car market, added Mr Cooke.

“Like the last two years, we again are expecting further growth in electric vehicles sales this year, however the extent of this growth will be determined not only by supply but also Government support in the EV project, both in terms of extending the current EV grant support and supporting investment in the national charging infrastructure.

"The combination of Government support and Industry investment is essential if we want to create an active used EV market in as short a timeframe as possible. We have a huge challenge in reaching emission reduction targets over the next decade and this can only be achieved with the right economic and taxation environment that support the sale of new low and zero emissions vehicles,” he ended.