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September 1, 2026
HomeNewsEV sales continue to climb as Government urged to build on momentum

EV sales continue to climb as Government urged to build on momentum

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Ireland’s electric vehicle market continues its upward trajectory, with both fully-electric light commercial vehicles (LCVs) and passenger cars seeing a large increase in registrations to date this year.

According to figures released today by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI), 1,504 new electric LCVs have been registered to date in 2026, an 11.57 per cent increase on this time last year (1,348). For the year-to-date, overall LCV registrations are up seven per cent (29,604).

So far this year, 32,079 new fully-electric cars have been registered, representing a 55 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2025, when 20,642 electric cars were registered.

Brian Cooke, SIMI director general, urged the Government to use Budget 2027 to invest in incentives to drive the electric change.

“The market shift towards battery electric vehicles is clearly evident, and it is crucial that the Government supports this trend with incentives that build on this momentum in what is still a developing market,” he said.

“Budget 2027 provides the Government with the opportunity to build on the success in BEV sales by extending and retaining the current incentives (the SEAI Grant, Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) relief, and zero per cent Benefit-In-Kind (BIK) threshold) that are vital in sustaining consumer confidence.

“This would enable more households and businesses to make the switch, while also supporting our climate change goals.

“Additional targeted measures like the scrappage scheme, investment in high-powered public charging infrastructure and a focus on the business sectors can also help increase our national fleet and our second-hand BEV market. Now is the time to invest in incentives to drive change,” Cooke added.

Elsewhere, the SIMI said Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) registrations experienced a healthy increase of nine per cent (223) in comparison to August 2025 (205). For the year-to-date, HGVs are down one per cent (2,205).

Despite a slight dip, diesel continues to dominate the new LCV market share by engine type at 90.19 per cent, followed by fully-electric at 5.08 per cent.