Sales of new vehicles continue to rise in Mayo
The Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid was Ireland's best-selling car model during the first five months of 2026.
Sales of new vehicles rose by almost 5% in the first five months of 2026, according to new data from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI).
There were 1,419 new vehicles purchased in Mayo in the first five months of this year compared to 1,358, a rise of 4.5%. Galway showed a similar increase, with new vehicle registrations rising by 5.1%, from 3,275 in the first five months of 2026 to 3,442 for the same period this year.
Motor dealers in Sligo have enjoyed a very strong start to the year with the number of new vehicle registrations soaring by 12.5%, from 742 in the first five months of 2025 to 835 for the same period this year. Roscommon has also seen a buoyant motor trade, with new vehicle registrations increasing by 8.9% from 711 to 774, while Leitrim saw an increase of 7.87%, from 305 in the first five months of 2025 to 329 for the same period in 2026.
Nationally, registrations are up 4.7% so far this year, from 79,313 in the first five months of 2025 to 83,038 for the same period this year. There was a very significant increase in May, with new vehicle registrations soaring by 38.58% to 8,068, compared to May 2025 when 5,822 new registrations were recorded.
Light commercial vehicles (LCVs) increased by 22.3% to 2,324, compared to May last year (1,900), while sales of LCVs are up 15% to 20,410 in the first five months of the year. Heavy goods vehicle (HGV) registrations were up 28% to 265 in May, compared to 207 in May 2025. Year to date, HGVs are down 4.3% to 1,457.
Imported used cars also saw a huge rise in May - increasing by 31.2% to 7,808 when compared to May 2025 (5,948). Year to date imports are up 38.2% to 38,960 compared to 28,183 for the same period last year.
In May, 2,335 new electric cars (battery electric cars) were registered, which was 115% higher than the 1,086 registrations in May 2025. So far this year, 19,050 new electric cars have been registered, representing a 53.82% increase compared to the same period in 2025 when 12,385 electric cars were registered.
In the new car market share by engine type, Hybrid (Petrol Electric) continues to lead the market at 26.14% as the most popular engine type, followed by Electric 22.94%, Petrol 21.41%, Plug-In Hybrid 14.28%, and Diesel 12.94%.
Emma Mitchell, Operations Director SIMI, commented: “May’s new car registrations saw a 39% increase when compared to the same month last year, with 8,068 units registered. Year-to-date new car sales are 4.7% ahead of last year, with a total of 83,038 new cars registered.
"New battery electric vehicles (BEVs) registrations continue to experience strong growth across all counties, with 2,335 units registered in May, up from 1,086 units in May of last year. Notably, consumers are driving this growth, accounting for 77% of BEV registrations so far this year, with incentives continuing to encourage the switch to electric vehicles. Year-to-date BEV registrations reached 19,050 units, representing a 23% market share.
"While BEV registrations are positive, we are now at a critical juncture to sustain the strong growth in a market that is not yet fully established. The government must capitalise on this momentum by maintaining and extending current incentives for consumers, and encourage more businesses to change to battery electric vehicles.”
The five top-selling car models were the Toyota Yaris Cross, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Toyota Corolla and Skoda Kodiaq, while the top-selling electric vehicles were the Volkswagen ID.4, Skoda Enyaq, Skoda Elroq, Kia EV3 and Toyota BZ4X.
