Ireland new car registrations rose 17% in April 2026 — EVs up 110%
SIMI reported 10,184 new passenger-car registrations in Ireland in April 2026, a 17% jump on April 2025's 8,707 units. The standout figure: battery-electric registrations more than doubled to 2,799 units (+109.7% YoY), pushing year-to-date EV sales to 16,779 units, up 48.5% on YTD 2025. EV share of the YTD market now sits at 22.35% — second only to hybrid (26.67%).
April 2026 — Ireland headline numbers
| Metric | April 2026 | vs April 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| New car registrations | 10,184 | +17.0% |
| BEV registrations | 2,799 | +109.7% |
| YTD total | 75,074 | +2.1% (vs 73,491) |
| YTD BEV | 16,779 | +48.5% (vs 11,299) |
YTD 2026 powertrain mix (SIMI)
| Powertrain | YTD share |
|---|---|
| Hybrid (petrol electric) | 26.67% |
| Battery electric | 22.35% |
| Petrol | 21.25% |
| Plug-in hybrid | 14.41% |
| Diesel | 12.96% |
Top sellers — April 2026
- Top new car (April): Toyota RAV4
- Top new electric car (April): Skoda Enyaq
Why the EV doubling matters
The 109.7% YoY jump in April BEV sales is the largest single-month BEV gain Ireland has recorded since 2022. Two contributing factors: the SEAI grant of €3,500 survived another budget cycle (we covered this in our Ireland EV-share deep-dive), and Chinese-built BEVs distributed through European brands (BYD, MG, Volvo EX series) entered the Irish market at lower price points than 2025.
Ireland's January plate-rush concentrates roughly 26% of annual sales into a single month (see our January plate-rush explainer) — so a strong April reading after the January peak is meaningful, suggesting genuine demand rather than calendar effects.
Source & methodology
All figures from the SIMI (Society of the Irish Motor Industry) press release of 1 May 2026, cross-verified against RTÉ and CompleteCar.ie reporting. Live YTD trend, county-level breakdown and brand share on the Ireland dashboard. Verified 2026-05-15.