The number of new private electric cars licensed in September 2026 rose by 54% when compared with September 2025 (3,074 vs 2,000). This means the share of electric vehicles (EVs) among new private cars from January to September 2026 was 28% compared with 19% in the same period of 2025.
The total number of new private cars licensed in September 2026 increased by 9% when compared with September 2025 (7,326 vs 6,723).
The number of used (imported) cars licensed grew by 18% in September 2026 when compared with September 2025 (8,013 vs 6,770). The share of EVs among used (imported) cars from January to September 2026 was 11% compared with 5% in the same period of 2025.
The number of new plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) licensed in September 2026 grew by 24% in comparison with September 2025 (1,296 vs 1,045). The year-to-date share of PHEVs in 2026 among new private cars was 15%, which was comparable to the same period in 2025.
The combined share of petrol and diesel cars among new private cars licensed from January to September 2026 was down in comparison with 2025 (31% vs 43%).
Overall, Toyota was the most popular make of new private car licensed in September 2026, while the Tesla Model 3 was the most popular model of electric car.
The number of new goods vehicles was down 10% in September 2026 when compared with September 2025 (3,180 vs 3,520).
On a seasonally adjusted basis, new private cars licensed were down 2% in September 2026 compared with August 2026. The number of seasonally adjusted used (imported) private cars licensed decreased by 4% 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 | September | January - September | |||||||
| 2025 | 2026 | Change | 2025 | 2026 | Change | ||||
| New vehicles | |||||||||
| New Private Cars | 6,723 | 7,326 | 603 | 9% | 113,962 | 119,709 | 5,747 | 5% | |
| New Goods Vehicles | 3,520 | 3,180 | -340 | -10% | 26,557 | 28,941 | 2,384 | 9% | |
| New Tractors | 187 | 144 | -43 | -23% | 2,062 | 2,286 | 224 | 11% | |
| New Motor Cycles | 229 | 230 | 1 | 0% | 2,383 | 2,577 | 194 | 8% | |
| New Exempt Vehicles | 587 | 603 | 16 | 3% | 5,895 | 6,013 | 118 | 2% | |
| New Other | 227 | 201 | -26 | -11% | 2,392 | 2,231 | -161 | -7% | |
| Total New Vehicles | 11,473 | 11,684 | 211 | 2% | 153,251 | 161,757 | 8,506 | 6% | |
| Used (imported) vehicles | |||||||||
| Used private cars | 6,770 | 8,013 | 1,243 | 18% | 52,785 | 70,207 | 17,422 | 33% | |
| Used goods vehicles | 1,035 | 1,012 | -23 | -2% | 9,300 | 9,382 | 82 | 1% | |
| Used tractors | 249 | 205 | -44 | -18% | 2,090 | 2,108 | 18 | 1% | |
| Used motorcycles | 201 | 258 | 57 | 28% | 2,259 | 2,632 | 373 | 17% | |
| Used other vehicles | 627 | 783 | 156 | 25% | 5,386 | 6,148 | 762 | 14% | |
| Total used vehicles | 8,882 | 10,271 | 1,389 | 16% | 71,820 | 90,477 | 18,657 | 26% | |
| Total all vehicles | 20,355 | 21,955 | 1,600 | 8% | 225,071 | 252,234 | 27,163 | 12% | |
Figure 2 In September 2026, 42% of all new private cars licensed were electric.
| Most popular makes of new cars, September 2026 | |
| Toyota | 12 |
| Volkswagen | 11 |
| Tesla | 10 |
| Skoda | 8 |
| Kia | 7 |
| Other | 51 |
| Most popular make of new electric model cars, September 2026 | |
| Tesla Model 3 | 15 |
| Tesla Model Y | 9 |
| MG MG4 | 7 |
| Volkswagen ID.4 | 6 |
| Hyundai Inster | 4 |
| Other | 59 |
| X-axis label | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Jan - Sept 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <1 year old | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 1-2 years old | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 11 |
| 3-5 years old | 36 | 29 | 27 | 25 | 25 |
| 6-9 years old | 42 | 42 | 42 | 39 | 34 |
| Over 10 years old | 14 | 19 | 23 | 26 | 29 |
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (09 October 2026) published Vehicles Licensed for the First Time for September 2026.
Commenting on the data, Damien Lenihan, Statistician in the Transport Section of the CSO, said: “Today’s figures from the CSO show a 54% growth in the number of new private electric cars (EVs) licensed for the first time in September 2026 (3,074) when compared with the same month in 2025 (2,000). Licensing of hybrid vehicles decreased by 2% from 1,217 in September 2025 to 1,197 new private cars in September 2026, while the number of new plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) licensed in September 2026 grew by 24% in comparison with September 2025 (1,296 vs 1,045).
The total number of used (imported) private cars licensed in September 2026 rose by 18% compared with September 2025 (8,013 vs 6,770). There were 1,525 used (imported) diesel private cars licensed in September 2026, compared with 1,585 in the same period of 2025. Used (imported) private petrol cars licensed went up by 1% in September 2026 compared with September 2025 (2,923 vs 2,892).
The total number of new goods vehicles licensed for the first time in September 2026 was 3,180, down 10% on September 2025 (3,520).
Year-To-Date
In the first nine months of 2026, there was a 57% rise in new private EVs licensed when compared with the same period in 2025 (33,633 vs 21,469). We can also see that more than a quarter (28%) of all new private cars licensed between January and September 2026 were electric. Over the same nine-month period, there was a fall of 22% in the number of new petrol cars licensed (23,340 vs 29,742). Similarly, there was a 24% decrease in the number of new diesel cars licensed (14,721 vs 19,365).
There were 28,941 new goods vehicles licensed from January to September 2026, which was an increase of 9% on the 26,557 licensed over the same period of 2025.
Most Popular Makes
Data also shows that Toyota was the most popular make of new private car licensed in September 2026 at 887 vehicles, followed by Volkswagen (812), Tesla (736), Skoda (591), and Kia (533). Together, these five makes represented 49% of all new private cars licensed in September 2026 (See Table 4).
The most popular model of new electric car licensed in September 2026 was the Tesla Model 3 (454), followed by the Tesla Model Y (282), and the MG MG4 (214) (See TEM28 for further information).”