Ireland's EV share crossed 17% in 2025 — here is what changed
Ireland's battery-electric share of new passenger-car sales crossed 17% in 2025 according to SIMI Motorstats, up from 13.6% in 2024 and 7.1% in 2022. Including hybrids and plug-in hybrids, electrified powertrains represented roughly 60% of all new cars sold in 2025 — the highest share in any of AutoNergy's seven launch markets after China.
Powertrain share — Ireland 2016 → 2025
| Year | Petrol | Diesel | Hybrid | PHEV | BEV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 27.4% | 70.1% | 2.4% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 43.6% | 54.0% | 2.0% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| 2020 | 43.7% | 43.6% | 8.0% | 2.1% | 4.5% |
| 2022 | 34.0% | 27.0% | 21.7% | 10.0% | 7.1% |
| 2024 | 30.8% | 22.9% | 23.4% | 9.0% | 13.6% |
| 2025 | 27.5% | 20.8% | 26.1% | 8.4% | 17.1% |
What drove the 2025 step-change
Three factors aligned in 2025: cheaper Chinese-built BEVs landing through European brands (BYD, MG, Volvo's EX series), the residual SEAI grant of €3,500 surviving another budget cycle, and Ireland's near-doubling of fast-charging endpoints since 2023 (from ~1,200 to over 2,300 high-power connectors). The result was a market-share gain of 3.5 percentage points in a single year — the largest year-on-year jump in the BEV column since 2020.
Where it goes from here
Ireland's 2030 target of 945,000 EVs on the road requires the BEV share of new sales to keep rising by ~3 points a year through 2028. At 2025's run-rate the market is on track. The key risk is the SEAI grant — a sudden withdrawal mirrored Germany's 2024 collapse from 18% BEV share to 12% in six months.
Source & methodology
Powertrain shares are SIMI Motorstats new-car registrations, calculated on national passenger-car totals. Electrified categories follow SIMI's classification: hybrid (HEV) excludes plug-in hybrids; BEV is battery-electric only. Live charts and county-level breakdowns are available on the Ireland dashboard.