Irish new car buyers quicker to embrace EVs than UK counterparts

August 04, 2023

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Recent figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) in the UK, allows us to compare and contrast with similar figures released by the SIMI in Ireland for new car sales.

Year-to-date sales for Ireland show a total of 104,629 sold up to the end of July, 19% up on 2022. Of these, 18% were Battery Electric, 32% Petrol, 22% Diesel and 28% hybrid.

In the UK, year-to-date sales were 1,093, 641, also considerably up on the previous year with a 19% increase, showing that both markets are recovering after supply issues. In the UK the shares by powertrain were. EV 16%, Petrol 57%, Diesel 8%, Hybrid 19%.

The figures show that in both markets, despite the hype, the actual adoption of new electric vehicles is significantly less than a one fifth of all new cars sold, with petrol dominating, especially in the UK. Ireland is ahead of the UK in terms of adopting alternatives, with the EV share higher and a much greater willingness to adopt hybrid power, partly down to the bigger influence of Toyota in Ireland.

Toyota is the leading car maker in Ireland as these percentage share figures show:

1. TOYOTA 14.33%
2. VOLKSWAGEN 11.22%
3. HYUNDAI 10.09%
4. SKODA 8.15%
5. KIA 7.12%

By contrast the leading marques in the UK are:

1. VOLKSWAGEN 8.47%
2. FORD 7.24%
3. AUDI 7.24%
4. KIA 6.25%
5. TOYOTA 5.91%

These figures indicate that traditional favourite UK marques such as Ford and Vauxhall are in decline with Korean and Japanese manufacturers taking a larger share in the UK, as well as Volkswagen gaining ground. This is a trend that Ireland has been seeing for some time, so the old adage of Ireland following UK trends appears to be no more.

Figures for best selling models are as follows for Ireland (YTD Sales end of July 2023):