Updated 6 October 2026 with SIMI's revised September figures. The most popular new car in Ireland in 2026 is the Toyota Yaris Cross, with 3,830 registrations from January to September, up 9.3% on the same period of 2025 (SIMI Motorstats, data to 30 September 2026). The Hyundai Tucson is second on 3,341 and the Skoda Octavia third on 3,151.
Ireland has registered 128,257 new cars in 2026 through September, up 5.4% on last year, with September adding 6,321, up 12.7% (SIMI Motorstats as revised after the release; RTE, 1 October 2026 reported the release figures of 128,288 and 6,342, 28 and 19 units higher). Electric is the largest powertrain at 27.4% of the year, on 35,182 battery-electric cars, up 57.2%.
The top 10 models, January to September 2026
- Toyota Yaris Cross: 3,830
- Hyundai Tucson: 3,341
- Skoda Octavia: 3,151
- Kia Sportage: 3,002
- Skoda Kodiaq: 2,899
- Toyota RAV4: 2,753
- Toyota Corolla: 2,727
- Hyundai Kona: 2,709
- Volkswagen Tiguan: 2,707
- Volkswagen ID.4: 2,632
Every one of the ten is a crossover, an SUV or a family hatch or estate, and most come with a hybrid option. Only one is fully electric, and it only just makes the list.
The most popular electric car: Volkswagen ID.4
The Volkswagen ID.4 is the best-selling electric car of 2026 so far on 2,632, ahead of the Tesla Model Y on 1,923 (up 90.8%) and the Skoda Enyaq on 1,229. The ID.4 also topped September's electric table, followed by the Model Y, Enyaq, Model 3 and Hyundai Inster (RTE, 1 October 2026).
The brand table: Toyota, Volkswagen, Skoda
Toyota leads on 17,600 cars (13.7%), then Volkswagen on 14,874 (11.6%), Skoda on 12,520 (9.8%), Hyundai on 10,709 (8.3%) and Kia on 9,885 (7.7%). Volkswagen and Skoda, both Volkswagen Group brands, together account for 27,394 cars, about one and a half times Toyota's total.
What it means
The Yaris Cross wins on price and on being a hybrid that never needs a plug, which still suits most Irish drivers. But the growth is electric: battery-electric cars are up 57% this year while the overall market is up 5%. If that gap holds, an electric car could climb into the top five. That is AutoNergy's reading of the SIMI figures, not a SIMI forecast.
The live Ireland dashboard has every brand, model, county and fuel split, all to 30 September 2026.