New car registrations are dropping in Mayo this year
Official figures released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) show that new car registrations in Mayo are dropping compared to last year.
Up to the end of July, 1,779 units were registered in Mayo compared to 1,808 in the same period last year – a reduction of 1.6%.
Throughout the country as a whole, registrations are down 0.3% (104,652) on the same period last year (104,938).
Taking July as a snapshot, new car registrations were down 5.9% (25,726) compared to July 2023 (27,336).
Registrations of light commercial vehicles (LCVs) declined by 7.5% (5,008) compared to July last year (5,414), but year to date LCVs are up 11.7% (25,239). Heavy goods vehicle (HGV) registrations were up 27.5% (477) in July 2024 compared to July 2023 (374), and year to date HGVs are up 19.5% (2,298).
Imported Used Cars have seen a 32.2% (5,828) rise in July 2024 when compared to July 2023 (4,408). Year to date, imports are up 26.4% (37,199) on 2023 (29,433).
During July, 3,147 new electric cars were registered, which was 24.7% lower than the 4,117 registrations in July 2023. So far this year, 13,885 new electric cars have been registered, representing a 25% decrease compared to the same period in 2023, when 18,484 electric cars were registered.
In the new car market share by engine type for 2024, petrol cars lead the new car market at 31.95%, followed by diesel at 22.90%, then hybrid (petrol-electric) at 20.72%, electric at 13.27%, and plug-in hybrid at 9.62%.
Commenting on the figures, Brian Cooke, SIMI director general, said: “The 242-registration plate sales period is, as is always the case in July, an exciting and optimistic period for the Irish motor industry. However, July has continued the trend of recent months with a decline in new car sales.
“Year to date, new car registrations are now marginally behind the first seven months of last year. Light commercial vehicles registrations also saw a decline in sales for July, but the activity remains strong, and sales are ahead of last year for both the light and heavy commercial fleet.”
Mr. Cooke said the key headline for July continues to be the drop in electric vehicle (EV) registrations, which are down by 25% year to date.
“EV sales are now back to 2022 levels. Last year saw several EV incentives reduced, including the SEAI purchase and home charger grants, while benefit-in-kind (BIK) for company EVs is scheduled to increase significantly in 2025.
“We are at a critical juncture on the journey to zero emissions vehicles, but we need decisive actions in the budget to arrest this slide and to reignite Ireland's EV momentum. This can be done by extending the BIK incentive at current levels and increasing the SEAI grants back to 2022 levels until the EV market recovers.
“Budget 2025 is a real chance for government to signal their commitment to fleet electrification and is an opportunity they should grasp.”
The five top selling new car brands in Ireland this year so far are: Toyota, Volkswagen, Skoda, Hyundai, Kia. The five top new car models are: Hyundai Tucson, Skoda Octavia, Kia Sportage, Toyota RAV4, Toyota Yaris Cross.