Big drop in Donegal electric car registrations for 2024 

New Electric Car registrations for Donegal dropped by a whopping 28.3% for the first five months of 2024, with only 129 units being sold up to the end of May, reflecting a trend that has also been seen on a national scale.

The figures are part of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) new vehicle registrations statistics for May, which show that comparative registrations for electric cars in Donegal for the same period in 2023, January to May, stood at 180 units.

It would appear that while electric cars are still not flavour of the month in this neck of the woods, new car registrations are showing positive signs here overall.

That is because new Donegal car registrations up to the end of May, stood at 1,699 units, an 8.29% increase on the comparative five month figure for 2023, when the figure stood at 1,569units.

That is an increase of 130 registrations so far year on year.

Nationally, new car registrations for May were down 15% (6,407) when compared to May 2023 (7,545). 

Registrations year to date are up 3.8% (77,453) on the same period last year (74,612).

In May 1,044 new electric cars were registered, which was 39.1% lower than the 1,715 registrations in May 2023. 

Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General reflected: 

“New car registrations show a 15% decline for May when compared to the same month last year. Year to date, new car sales remain 4% ahead of 2023. While sales of light commercial vehicles decreased by 22% in May, registrations for light and heavy commercial vehicles remain strong so far this year. 

“Electric cars have seen a fourth consecutive month of decline in sales. The number of electric cars registered last month was 1,044, which is a decrease from the 1,715 registrations in May 2023. The EV share of the market now stands at 13%, which is down from 17% on last year, and is in line with 2022 market share. 

“With the private consumer being the driver of EV sales in Ireland, we need to re-focus our efforts on these buyers; they need greater reassurances on their EV investment, which includes as a minimum the extension of current incentives and delivery on an electric charging infrastructure. 

“We also need to encourage the company car market, where Ireland has been lagging behind other markets, and delay the phasing out of the benefit-in-kind (BIK) concession until such time as EVs become firmly established.”

In the new car market share by engine type for 2024, Petrol cars continue to lead the new car market at 33.30% followed by Diesel at 23.06%, then Hybrid (Petrol Electric) at 20.18%, Electric at 12.99%, and Plug-in Electric Hybrid at 8.86%.