Why one in four Irish car sales happen in January
Ireland is the only major European market where a single calendar month accounts for one in every four cars sold. In 2025, January registrations alone hit 32,488 units, roughly 26% of the full year's 124,954 passenger-car total. The cause is the "year plate" system: the first two digits of an Irish number plate are the year of registration, and buyers wait for January so their plate reflects the newest year.
Monthly registration share, 2024 vs 2025
| Month | 2024 share | 2025 share |
|---|---|---|
| January | 26.4% | 26.0% |
| February | 10.6% | 10.9% |
| March | 8.4% | 8.7% |
| April | 5.7% | 5.6% |
| May | 5.0% | 5.1% |
| June | 4.7% | 4.8% |
| July | 10.8% | 11.1% |
| August | 4.6% | 4.4% |
| September | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| October | 3.6% | 3.7% |
| November | 2.9% | 2.9% |
| December | 2.9% | 2.5% |
The split-plate fix that doubled the spike
From 2013 the Irish state introduced a split plate (e.g. 251 for January to June 2025, 252 for July to December) to soften the January concentration and create a second peak. The data shows the policy worked partially: July is now Ireland's second-largest registration month at roughly 11% of the year. But January still dominates.
Why this matters for buyers and dealers
Three downstream effects shape the Irish market:
- Inventory cycle. Dealers carry low stock through November and December and run heavy pre-order books for January, with delivery dates locked in months in advance.
- Used-value depreciation. A 251-plate car is worth materially more than a 242-plate car of the same age, pure plate cosmetics shifting residuals.
- Policy timing. When a regulation, VRT change or grant adjustment is announced, deferred demand piles into the next plate change.
Source & methodology
All figures verified against SIMI Motorstats (the Society of the Irish Motor Industry), the official source for new-car registrations in Ireland. Monthly shares are computed on national passenger-car totals; light commercial and motorcycle registrations are excluded. The interactive month-by-month chart for every year from 2010 onwards is available on the AutoNergy Ireland dashboard.