FOR THE FIRST time, electric vehicles have become the most popular choice for buyers of new cars in Ireland, propelling the country ahead of fellow European states like France, Spain and the UK. 

Battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs) have overtaken hybrid engine cars, taking a 26% share of new car registrations so far this year, ahead of hybrid (25%), petrol (20%), plug-in hybrid (14%) and diesel (12%), according to figures published by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (Simi).

Analysis by DoneDeal Cars shows the shift in popularity of BEVs puts Ireland ahead of Italy (8%), Spain (10%), Poland (5%) and the UK (25%), and roughly level with Germany.

However, the same analysis shows Ireland is still “a long way behind” Nordic countries Norway (98%) and Denmark (80%), “where electric is already the overwhelming default choice”.

In less extreme cases, Finland (49%), Iceland (43%) and Sweden (42%) also sit ahead of Ireland on the list, as do the Netherlands (37%), Belgium (36%) and Luxembourg (29%).

“To match Denmark’s share, Ireland’s BEV registrations would need to roughly triple; to match Norway’s, they would need to almost quadruple,” Done Deal said in its report. 

The online marketplace’s own data showed searches for electric vehicles on its website went up 68.5% year-on-year in July. 

“Becoming an EV-first market is a genuine milestone for Ireland, and it’s tempting to get carried away with it,” said Paddy Comyn, Done Deal Cars’ head of automotive content and communications.

“We’ve caught up with Germany and moved clear of bigger markets like Italy, Spain and the UK, which is real progress,” he said. 

“Set against Norway and Denmark, though, we’re still only getting started — electric buyers there aren’t leading the market, they basically are the market. Ireland’s momentum is real, but so is the gap still left to close.”

New registration figures may show that electric vehicles are becoming more popular in Ireland, but that popularity is not reflected in the overall number of cars currently on the roads. 

According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), there were 134,475 electric vehicles registered in Ireland at the end of June 2026, which is just 4% of the 3.34 million vehicles on Irish roads.

Petrol and diesel cars still account for 85.3% of vehicles on the road and, as Done Deal noted, “it has taken 16 years since Ireland’s first EV registration in 2010 to reach that 4% mark”.

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