Number of Electric Vehicle sales on the rise in Mayo

The number of Electric Vehicles (EV) sold in Mayo during January rose by 27 percent compared to the previous 12 months.

The official 251 new vehicle registration statistics for January were released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) and they show promising start to the year for the motor industry.

Nationally new car registrations for the month of January were up 7 percent (33,521) compared to January 2024 (31,407) while in Mayo there was a 4 percent rise with 615 registrations in January.

There was a significant jump in the registration of EVs in Mayo compared to 12 months ago with 55 registered in January which is a 27 percent jump. The increase in sales of EVs in Mayo was higher than the national numbers which experienced a record-breaking month with the highest sales recorded to date.

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SIMI revealed that there were 4,925 registrations of EVs in January, representing a 20 percent increase when compared to 4,093 in January 2024.

In the new car market share by engine type, Petrol cars remain the leader (despite a decline in share) at 28.24 percent, followed by Hybrid (Petrol Electric) 24.89 percent, Diesel at 16.31 percent, Electric at 14.69 percent and Plug-in Electric Hybrid at 14.17 percent.

Automatic transmissions account for 71.71 percent of market share, while manual transmissions continue to see a decline of 28.28 percent.

Commenting on the latest figures, Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General said: “The new car market has started positively, with 33,521 new cars registered in January, an increase of 7 percent on the same month last year. For the commercial sector, registrations were mixed, with Light commercial vehicles (LCV) experiencing a decline of 16 percent, while Heavy Goods registrations (HGVs) saw an increase of 8 percent on last year.

“Most notably, battery technology cars (BEV, PHEV, HEV) all saw significant growth, with their combined market share exceeding over half (55 percent) of the market. In particular, Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) sales surged in January, with 4,925 registrations, up 20 percent on the same period last year, the highest monthly total number of EVs sold, although their overall market share of 15 percent has yet to reach 2023 levels (19 percent).

“The underlying EV market continues to be dependent heavily on private sales which benefit from SEAI grant support, highlighting the importance of ongoing Government incentives to help stimulate the market. However, while there is cautious optimism over the trajectory of EV sales, one good month of sales does not necessarily define the whole year, and we still have a long way to go in the transition to electrification.

“The supply of EVs is there, with more newer EV models coming on stream across a range of price-points, so the focus must be clearly on supporting demand in what is still a relatively new market.”