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The overall number of new private cars licensed in March 2026 grew by 5% when compared with March 2025 (15,130 vs 14,388).
The number of used (imported) cars licensed increased by 34% in March 2026 when compared with March 2025 (7,955 vs 5,917).
The number of new private electric cars licensed in March 2026 rose by 39% when compared with March 2025 (3,429 vs 2,473). This means the share of electric vehicles (EVs) among new private cars from January to March 2026 was 23% compared with 17% in the same period of 2025.
The number of new plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) licensed in March 2026 fell by 7% in comparison with March 2025 (2,049 vs 2,202).
The combined share of petrol and diesel cars among new private cars licensed from January to March 2026 fell in comparison with 2025 (33% vs 43%).
Overall, Volkswagen was the most popular make of new private car licensed in March 2026, while the Tesla Model Y was the most popular make of electric car.
The number of new goods vehicles was up by 19% in March 2026 when compared with March 2025 (3,872 vs 3,264).
On a seasonally adjusted basis, new private cars licensed were down by 1% in March 2026 compared with February 2026. The number of seasonally adjusted used (imported) private cars licensed fell by 2% over the same period.
Registration and licensing figures may differ in a given month for a number of reasons, some of which are outlined below:
| Table 1 Number of vehicles licensed for the first time classified by taxation class | |||||||||
| Taxation Class | March | January - March | |||||||
| 2025 | 2026 | Change | 2025 | 2026 | Change | ||||
| New vehicles | |||||||||
| New Private Cars | 14,388 | 15,130 | 742 | 5% | 51,266 | 53,021 | 1,755 | 3% | |
| New Goods Vehicles | 3,264 | 3,872 | 608 | 19% | 8,729 | 10,225 | 1,496 | 17% | |
| New Tractors | 221 | 264 | 43 | 19% | 687 | 903 | 216 | 31% | |
| New Motor Cycles | 287 | 299 | 12 | 4% | 711 | 800 | 89 | 13% | |
| New Exempt Vehicles | 712 | 737 | 25 | 4% | 2,206 | 2,179 | -27 | -1% | |
| New Other | 278 | 348 | 70 | 25% | 754 | 796 | 42 | 6% | |
| Total New Vehicles | 19,150 | 20,650 | 1,500 | 8% | 64,353 | 67,924 | 3,571 | 6% | |
| Used (imported) vehicles | |||||||||
| Used private cars | 5,917 | 7,955 | 2,038 | 34% | 16,198 | 22,637 | 6,439 | 40% | |
| Used goods vehicles | 1,067 | 1,239 | 172 | 16% | 2,869 | 3,360 | 491 | 17% | |
| Used tractors | 209 | 226 | 17 | 8% | 653 | 708 | 55 | 8% | |
| Used motorcycles | 244 | 275 | 31 | 13% | 614 | 734 | 120 | 20% | |
| Used other vehicles | 581 | 722 | 141 | 24% | 1,514 | 1,793 | 279 | 18% | |
| Total used vehicles | 8,018 | 10,417 | 2,399 | 30% | 21,848 | 29,232 | 7,384 | 34% | |
| Total all vehicles | 27,168 | 31,067 | 3,899 | 14% | 86,201 | 97,156 | 10,955 | 13% | |
Figure 2 In March 2026, 23% of all new private cars licensed were electric.
| Most popular makes of new cars, March 2026 | |
| Volkswagen | 13 |
| Toyota | 10 |
| Skoda | 9 |
| Kia | 7 |
| Nissan | 6 |
| Other | 55 |
| Most popular make of new electric model cars, March 2026 | |
| Tesla Model Y | 8 |
| Volkswagen ID.4 | 7 |
| Tesla Model 3 | 7 |
| Kia EV 3 | 5 |
| KIA EV 5 | 4 |
| Other | 68 |
| X-axis label | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Jan - Mar 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <1 year old | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1-2 years old | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| 3-5 years old | 36 | 29 | 27 | 25 | 23 |
| 6-9 years old | 42 | 42 | 42 | 39 | 37 |
| Over 10 years old | 14 | 19 | 23 | 26 | 30 |
Check the rankings of new vehicles for the most recent month as well as year
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (10 April 2026) published Vehicles Licensed for the First Time for March 2026.
Commenting on the data, Damien Lenihan, Statistician in the Transport Section of the CSO, said: “Today’s figures from the CSO show a 39% increase in the number of new private electric cars (EVs) licensed for the first time in March 2026 (3,429) when compared with the same month in 2025 (2,473). The total number of new private cars licensed for the first time in March 2026 increased 5% when compared with March 2025 (15,130 vs 14,388).
The total number of used (imported) private cars licensed in March 2026 rose by 34% compared with the same period in 2025 (7,955 vs 5,917). There were 1,731 used (imported) diesel private cars licensed in March 2026, compared with 1,605 in the same period of 2025. Used (imported) private petrol cars licensed went up by 21% in March 2026 compared with March 2025 (3,088 vs 2,558).
In the first three months of 2026, there was a 37% rise in new private EVs licensed when compared with the same period in 2025 (11,942 vs 8,712). There were 10,820 new petrol cars licensed compared with 13,498 in the same period of 2025, a fall of 20%. Comparing the first three months of 2026 with 2025, the number of new diesel cars licensed fell by 22% (6,709 vs 8,609).
The total number of new goods vehicles licensed for the first time in March was 3,872, an increase of 19% on March 2025 (3,264). The number of new goods vehicles licensed in the first three months of 2026 was 10,225, up 17% from 8,729 new goods vehicles licensed for the first time in the same period of 2025.
Most Popular Makes
Data also shows that Volkswagen was the most popular make of new private car licensed in March 2026 at 1,966 vehicles, followed by Toyota (1,504), Skoda (1,436), Kia (1,031), and Nissan (928). Together, these five makes represented 45% of all new private cars licensed in March 2026 (See Table 4).
The most popular brand of new electric car licensed in March 2026 was the Tesla Model Y (249), followed by the Volkswagen ID.4 (230), and the Tesla Model 3 (217) (See TEM28 for further information).”