Vehicle history and data expert Cartell.ie and car sales platform CarsIreland.ie have released some interesting figures on the decline of convertibles cars in Irish market. So far in 2022 only 10 drivers have opted for the open top option and only 103 went top down in 2021. 

This contrasts with convertible registrations of 1906 and 1567 in 2007 and 2008 respectively. In total there are currently only 17,394 convertibles in the Irish fleet and approximately 40% of those (8154) have been imported. The most popular model is the Mazda MX5 with 1068 registered. 

Convertibles were especially popular in the Celtic Tiger years from 2003 to 2008, but sales have since been low and slumped further during the pandemic. 

John Byrne, of Cartell.ie says, “The convertible may have been seen as a sign of the times during the boom years when open-topped driving was at its most popular. The fall off since then could be due to a variety of factors, obviously the weather is not always kind in Ireland and buyers often opt for more practical options but there has been a shift in the market away from this type of car. The Covid pandemic has clearly also played its part considering only 80 convertibles were registered and currently taxed to 2020.”