Official end-of-year figures have been released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) for their official new vehicle registrations statistics for 2024.

Total new car registrations for 2024, finished at 121,195, a slight decrease of 1% compared to 2023 (122,400). Of that figure, a total of 17,459 new electric cars were registered in 2024, a decrease of 23.6% from the 22,852 registrations seen in 2023.

In Galway the figures more or less follow the national picture. There was a 2.3% decrease in sales compared to 2023. 4,708 new cars were registered in Galway in 2024 compared to 4,819 in 2023.

However there was a substantial drop in the number of electric vehicles registered. 506 new EVs in 2024 compared to 830 in 2023. That’s a decrease of almost 40% suggesting that the Galway car buyer is still not convinced that electric is best.

New Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) registrations in 2024 saw an increase of 7% (30,786) compared to 2023 (28,854). New Heavy Commercial Vehicle registrations (HGV) increased by 8% (2,865) in comparison to 2023 (2,655).

Imported Used Cars saw 61,583 registrations in 2024, an increase of 21.4% on 2023 (50,716).

17,459 new electric cars were registered in 2024, a decrease of 23.6% from the 22,852 registrations seen in 2023.

Market share for 2024 seen Petrol account for 30.31%, Diesel 22.80%, Hybrid 20.92%, Electric 14.41%, and Plug-In Hybrid 10.02%. Petrol remains the most popular engine type for 2024, while Electric, Hybrid, and Plug-in Hybrid account for over 45% of the market.

Automatic transmissions now account for 66.09% of the market share, while manual transmissions have declined to 33.80%.

The hatchback continues to remain Ireland’s top-selling car body type of 2024. While grey has retained the top-selling colour title for the ninth year running.

“The key feature of the 2024 new car market was the decline in electric vehicle sales, a reduction of 24% compared to 2023,” said Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General.

“There has, however, been some tentative signs of a turnaround in EV sales towards the end of 2024, and the Industry is anticipating an increase in EV sales in 2025. The start of the new registration period, 251, is an optimistic time for the Irish motor industry.

“With the variety of incentives and offers from retailers and manufacturers it is a good time for customers to shop for a new or used car.”

Pictured with the Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid at Tony Burke Toyota Dealers Galway are, from left: Toyota sales executives Shaun Donnellan, Mike McMahon, Robert Doyle, and Nigel Buckley; business manager, Inga Juozunaite; dealer principal, Tony Burke; new-car sales manager, Adrian Boyle; and head of Toyota Sales Operations, Charlie Donnellan.