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Extra information
For more information on this release:
E-mail: transport@cso.ie Noreen Leahy (+353) 21 453 5262 Una Flaherty (+353) 21 453 5270
For general information on CSO statistics:
information@cso.ie (+353) 21 453 5000 On-line ISSN 2009-5678

This release has been compiled during the COVID-19 crisis. The results contained in this release reflect some of the economic impacts of the COVID-19 situation. For further information see Press Statement Vehicles licensed for the first time February 2022.

CSO statistical release, , 11am

Vehicles licensed for the first time

February 2022

 February January - February
20212022Change 20212022Change
New private cars11,67213,6431,97116.9% 28,62029,4578372.9%
New goods vehicles2,3492,71736815.7% 3,8784,44556714.6%
New other vehicles1,1881,278907.6% 2,2292,4422139.6%
Total new vehicles15,20917,6382,42916.0% 34,72736,34416174.7%
        
Used private cars6,6793,929-2,750-41.2% 14,8057,615-7,190-48.6%
Used goods vehicles1,120711-409-36.5% 2,0801,351-729-35.0%
Used other vehicles1,274884-390-30.6% 2,4781,631-847-34.2%
Total used vehicles9,0735,524-3,549-39.1% 19,36310,597-8,766-45.3%

Increase of 17% in new private cars licensed in February 2022

Figure 1 New private cars licensed for the first time
go to full release

In February 2022, 13,643 new private cars were licensed, an increase of 17% compared with February 2021.

The number of used (imported) private cars licensed in February 2022 was 3,929, a drop of 41% when compared with February 2021.

Electric and plug-in hybrid cars continue to grow in popularity. In the first two months of 2022, 21% of all new cars licensed for the first time were electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). Looking exclusively at electric-only cars, the share of new electric cars licensed was almost three times that of the same period in 2021 (3,642 compared with 1,309). See table 6.

The licensing figures also show that:

  • Hyundai (2,088) was the most popular make of new private car licensed followed by Toyota (2,044), Kia (1,188), Skoda (1,065) and Volkswagen (873). Together these five makes represent 53% of all new private cars licensed in February 2022. See table 3.
  • In the first two months of 2022, 24% of new private cars licensed were diesel, compared with 36% in the same period in 2021. Of new private cars licensed in the same period, 89% were in the A/B CO2 emissions bands. See table 2B.
  • There was an increase of 368 (+16%) in the number of new goods vehicles licensed in February 2022 compared with February 2021. See table 1.
  • On a seasonally adjusted basis, new private cars licensed increased by 21% in February 2022 compared with January 2022. The number of seasonally adjusted used (imported) private cars licensed fell by 7% over the same period. See table 4 and figure 4.
  • In the first two months of 2022, just over two fifths (43%) of imported private cars licensed were up to six years old while (0.2%) were less than one year old. See figure 5.
  • There were 7,209 new diesel private cars licensed in the first two months of 2022, compared with 10,306 in the same period in 2021. For used (imported) diesel private cars, the total licensed was 3,126 compared with 8,906 in the same period last year. See table 6.

Registration and licensing figures may differ in a given month for a number of reasons, some of which are outlined below:

  • Vehicles registered in the latter part of a particular month may not be licensed until a later month because of the time lapse between registration and first licensing.
  • In some cases, a vehicle may be registered by a dealership in advance of a sale.
  • Registered vehicles which are not used in a public place (e.g. tractors for use exclusively on the land) may not need to be licensed.

Seasonally adjusting the Vehicle Licensing series during the COVID-19 crisis period will be challenging until the scale and shape of its impact on the time series is better understood. The initial seasonally adjusted results might be revised for some months ahead as future observations become available. Users should be aware that there is increased uncertainty around the seasonally adjusted figures during this period.

Most popular makes of new cars, February 2022
Hyundai 15.3
Toyota15
Kia8.7
Skoda7.8
Volskwagen6.4
Other46.8
Most popular makes of new cars, February 2021
Hyundai 9.6
Toyota13.7
Kia5.5
Skoda9.6
Volkswagen11
Other50.6
Table 1: Number of vehicles licensed for the first time classified by taxation class
Taxation ClassFebruary January - February
202020212022 202020212022
New vehicles    
New Private Cars 13,26311,67213,643 33,92828,62029,457
New Goods Vehicles 2,7272,3492,717 5,2713,8784,445
New Tractors 240240232 487498484
New Motor Cycles 162112294 325248568
New Exempt Vehicles 739713611 1,4901,2881,129
New Other 154123141 329195261
Total New Vehicles 17,28515,20917,638 41,83034,72736,344
       
Used (imported) vehicles       
Used private cars 7,0876,6793,929 14,77014,8057,615
Used goods vehicles 1,2451,120711 2,5472,0801,351
Used tractors 244366233 469733426
Used motorcycles 265301199 548602391
Used other vehicles 518607452 1,0571,143814
Total used vehicles 9,3599,0735,524 19,39119,36310,597
        
Total all vehicles 26,64424,28223,162 61,22154,09046,941
Table 2A: Number of new private cars licensed for the first time by CO2 emission band and fuel type, February 2022
BandFuel Type Total
PetrolDieselElectricPetrol & electric hybridDiesel & electric hybridPetrol or Diesel plug-in electric hybrid Other fuel types
A 9825151,8291,83561,0021476,316
B 2,0722,7200948530675,860
C 442616031353011,155
D 339004500132
E 25103100066
F 4140000018
G 740000011
Not available2830000085
Total3,5444,0931,8292,8211091,03221513,643
Table 2B: Number of new private cars licensed for the first time by CO2 emission band and fuel type, January-February 2022
BandFuel TypeTotal
PetrolDieselElectricPetrol & electric hybridDiesel & electric hybridPetrol or Diesel plug-in electric hybridOther fuel types
A 1,9389833,6424,887252,44331814,236
B 4,6514,59002,49779388211,937
C 1,1791,1520541825812,626
D 80215019700321
E 9870131400123
F 10320100043
G 16140100031
Not available313600100140
Total7,8867,2093,6427,4723082,53940129,457
Table 3: Number of new and used (imported) private cars licensed for the first time by make, February 2022
MakeFebruary January - February
NewUsed (imported)Total NewUsed (imported)Total
Audi 4773738509496881,637
BMW 4563688241,0896881,777
Citroen 2213525646384547
Dacia 4071742482825853
Fiat 33558845110155
Ford 7762671,0431,6875452,232
Honda 58198256142394536
Hyundai 2,0881342,2224,1292624,391
Jaguar 62329245074
Kia 1,188681,2562,2961412,437
Land Rover 49429114382225
Lexus 973313019776273
Mazda 2204826838793480
Mercedes Benz 3552015568033891,192
Mini 63359814866214
Mitsubishi 1333416364
Nissan 5623168781,6716022,273
Opel 40804087722774
Peugeot 657897461,2171681,385
Renault 676607361,0141271,141
Seat 15540195430105535
Skoda 1,065841,1492,0681722,240
Ssangyong 516819
Subaru 14521012
Suzuki 14177218283125408
Tesla 16701671984202
Toyota 2,0443942,4385,6037386,341
Vauxhall 01401400283283
Volkswagen 8737051,5781,9621,3313,293
Volvo 27160331553131684
Other 1232915234560405
Total 13,6433,92917,572 29,4577,61537,072
The information in this table is available in much greater detail in Databases (see PxStat link below)
X-axis labelUnadjusted dataAdjusted dataTrend
March 2017171801092710749
April 2017134271074510704
May 201795811041510618
June 20173585905810473
July 2017213161090410261
August 20178105986210005
September 2017482899689760
October 2017325593859614
November 2017159492709603
December 201760192309730
January 201825813103719925
February 2018165011069910097
March 2018160881024110157
April 201811557979410095
May 20189362100979927
June 2018371693989720
July 20182074398509518
August 2018768192079336
September 2018439792549150
October 2018287478078998
November 2018164789628954
December 2018778111389066
January 20192227992059316
February 20191417893189607
March 201914404103169817
April 201913794108129849
May 2019912697739657
June 2019385892659290
July 20191874184248881
August 2019720288208572
September 2019410480038444
October 2019321484188482
November 2019167687308598
December 201972990608731
January 20202066588538846
February 20201326388698948
March 20201023970167242
April 2020133811011097
May 2020149017082694
June 2020218944964504
July 20201532968946703
August 2020736089368895
September 202057471001310553
October 202041891111611194
November 20201468708611201
December 202010321177411139
January 20211694880278056
February 20211167278658014
March 20211067269468058
April 2021821472458255
May 2021733785158626
June 2021498094279103
July 20212023295379573
August 2021856397249911
September 202163541052410067
October 202138821010210035
November 2021216798549837
December 20218329419
January 2022158147680
February 2022136439272
Table 4: Seasonally adjusted number of vehicles licensed for the first time classified by taxation class
Taxation classFebruary 2021January 2022February 2022Monthly % change
New vehicles    
New private cars 7,8657,6809,27220.7
New goods vehicles 1,7921,4202,11548.9
New tractors 2071942003.1
New motor cycles 10825428311.4
New exempt vehicles 4844034132.5
New other 11812013714.2
Total new vehicles 10,57410,07112,42023.3
    
Used (imported) vehicles    
Used private cars 6,3383,9943,723-6.8
Used goods vehicles 1,1246987101.7
Used tractors 34319121613.1
Used motorcycles 3922572570.0
Used other vehicles 6484574815.3
Total used vehicles 8,8455,5975,387-3.8
    
Total all vehicles 19,41915,66817,80713.7
X-axis label20182019202020212022 to date
<1 year old1.91.71.61.10.2
1-2 years old18.317.617.711.46.3
3-5 years old50.850.356.35636
6-9 years old24.425.619.824.943
Over 10 years old4.64.84.76.614.5

Footnote: For the purpose of the analysis of the age profile of used (imported) private cars, calendar years were used to band the age groups. For example, a private car defined as less than one year old is an imported vehicle which has previously been registered abroad for the first time in the current calendar year.

Table 5: Number of new and used (imported) private cars licensed for the first time
Private cars20182019202020212022 Jan-Feb
New121,157113,30584,309101,85329,457
Used (imported) 99,456108,89578,54168,0427,615
Total220,613222,200162,850169,89537,072
% used (imported)45.1%49.0%48.2%40.00%20.5%
Table 6: Number of new and used (imported) private cars licensed for the first time by fuel type
Fuel typeNewUsed (imported)
February January - FebruaryFebruary January - February
20212022 20212022 20212022 20212022
Petrol3,6103,544 9,1677,8861,8021,669 3,9623,168
Diesel4,5054,093 10,3067,2094,0011,542 8,9063,126
Electric5701,829 1,3093,6424525 10355
PHEV17151,032 1,5422,539401210 908389
Hybrid2,2722,930 6,2877,780430483 926877
Other0215 940100 00
Total11,67213,643 28,62029,457 6,6793,929 14,8057,615
1 Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle

Background Notes

Source

The vehicle licensing figures are compiled from data supplied by the Driver and Vehicle Computer Services Division of the Department of Transport. The data provide details on the number of private cars, goods vehicles, motor cycles and other vehicles licensed for the first time in each city and county council, classified by make and size, during a given month.

History

The release titled 'Vehicles Licensed for the First Time' commenced in January 1993. It replaced the series previously published as 'Particulars of Vehicles Registered and Licensed for the First Time'.

In January 1993, separate systems for vehicle registration and licensing were introduced. The Office of the Revenue Commissioners became responsible for the compilation of vehicle registrations while the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government retained responsibility for vehicle licensing. In January 2008, responsibility for vehicle licensing was transferred to the Department of Transport.

Motor tax charges are determined on the basis of CO2 emission level (using seven CO2 bands) for all new cars registered from 1 July 2008.

The licensing process where applicable follows the registration process.

Vehicle Licensing versus Vehicle Registration

The CSO produces vehicle licensing statistics on a monthly basis. Vehicle registration data has not been published on the CSO PxStat since June 2010.

Registration and licensing figures may differ in a given month for a number of reasons, some of which are outlined below:

  • Vehicles which under the previous system would have been licensed in the latter part of a particular month may not now be licensed until a later month because of the time lapse between registration and first licensing.
  • Registered vehicles which are not used in a public place (e.g. tractors for use exclusively on the land) may not need to be licensed.

The question is often asked, which reflects better vehicle sales, licensing figures or registration figures?

In practice, on a monthly basis, the licensing data is probably a better reflection of sales. In some cases, a vehicle may be registered by a dealership in advance of a sale. Whereas, typically, vehicles are only licensed at the point of sale. However, if a vehicle is purchased towards the end of a month, the buyer may wish to defer collecting and licensing it until the start of the following month. So the issue is not clear-cut.

Seasonal adjustment

Seasonal adjustment for each taxation class is conducted using a direct seasonal adjustment approach. However, the overall vehicle totals are estimated using the indirect approach, i.e. the ‘Total new vehicles’ is derived by adding all the seasonally adjusted new vehicles taxation classes. The main reason for adopting the indirect approach is to attribute the monthly and annual changes in vehicle licensing to each of its taxation classes. Seasonal adjustment models are developed for each series based on unadjusted data spanning from July 1996 to the current period. These models are reviewed on an annual basis; however seasonal factors are updated each month.

The adjustments are completed by applying the X-13-ARIMA model, developed by the U.S. Census Bureau to the unadjusted data.  This methodology estimates seasonal factors while also taking into consideration factors that impact on the quality of the seasonal adjustment such as:

• Calendar effects, e.g. the timing of Easter,

• Outliers, temporary changes and level shifts in the series. 

For additional information on the use of X-13-ARIMA see https://www.census.gov/data/software/x13as.X-13ARIMA-SEATS.html

Definitions

Private cars:  The term 'private cars' in this release, refers to privately licensed vehicles which include hire, fleet and certain commercial vehicles.

New and used vehicles:  The term 'new vehicles' refers to new vehicles which are licensed for use in a public place, in this country, for the first time. 'Used vehicles' refers to used vehicles which are licensed for use in a public place, in this country, for the first time. In the main used vehicles are imported.

Exempt:  The term 'exempt vehicles' in this release, refers to vehicles which are licensed for the first time but are exempt from liability to pay road tax.

Exempt vehicles can be divided into four main categories:

  • State-owned
  • Diplomatic
  • Fire services
  • Disabled Drivers

Electric hybrid:  means a vehicle that derives its motive power from a combination of an electric motor and an internal combustion engine and is capable of being driven on electric propulsion alone for a material part of its normal driving cycle.

Plug-in electric hybrid:  means a vehicle that derives its motive power from a combination of an electric motor and an internal combustion engine, where the electric motor derives its power from a battery that may be charged from the internal combustion engine and an alternating current (AC) electric mains supply and is capable of being driven on electric propulsion alone for a material part of its normal driving cycle.

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