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–June 2025, 252 for July–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.