Over 10,000 New Electric Cars Registered in 2026

More than 10,000 new electric cars have been registered in the first two months of the year, as EV sales have surged by more than a third compared with 2025.

Figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry show that 2,871 electric cars were registered in February 2026, a 14.4% on the same month last year.

In the first two months of the year, a combined 10,172 new electric cars have been registered, representing a 36.9% increase compared to the same period in 2025, when 7,433 electric cars were registered.

Battery electric vehicles have a 20.53% market share of new cars, ahead of diesel at 13.27% and just behind petrol engines, which account for 21.84%.

Between them, Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), Hybrid cars, and Plug-in Hybrid cars account for 62.3% of new vehicle registrations.

Every county in Ireland has seen year on year growth in EV sales that reaches at least the double digits.

Roscommon’s 92 electric car registrations represent a yearly increase of 206%, with Longford seeing the second largest growth level of 105%.

The largest number of electric cars has been sold in Dublin (3,882), followed by Cork (1,177), Kildare (631), and Meath (470).

The most popular electric car this year remains the Volkswagen ID.4, followed by the Hyundai Inster, Kia EV3, Hyundai Kona, and Toyota BZ4X. There are no models of Tesla among the most popular EVs this year.

The best selling electric car brands are: 1. Hyundai, 2. Volkswagen, 3. Kia, 4. BYD, and 5. Renault.

Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General, said, “Private consumers account for 75% of BEV sales and remain the main driver of sales, a trend seen across all counties.”

“New Hybrid electric (HEV) and Plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) registrations have also seen continued growth for February. Battery technology cars (BEV, PHEV, HEV) combined market share now accounts for over 62% of registrations.”