Limerick's top-selling cars revealed as sales of EVs fall by 25%
Sales of new cars in Limerick, across all categories, are on the rise
THE number of electric cars sold in Limerick during the first quarter of this year fell by more than a quarter compared to the number sold during the same period in 2023.
According to new data from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI), 182 new electric cars were registered in Limerick between January and March - representing 8.84% of all new cars sold across the city and county.
Just over a third (33.37%) of new cars sold in Limerick over the three months were hybrid models while 57.7% were either petrol or diesel fuelled.
Meanwhile, the latest figures show that sales of new cars in Limerick, across all categories, increased by just over 6% during January, February and March compared to twelve months ago.
According to SIMI, a total of 2,059 new cars were registered across Limerick city and county over the three month period - up from 1,933 in 2023.
The five most popular make and model of new cars sold in Limerick during the first quarter of 2024 were: Kia Sportage (103), Toyota Yaris Cross (106), Hyundai Tucson (82), Toyota Rav4 (73), and Toyota Corolla (67).
The five most popular make and model of EV were: Hyundai Kona, Volkswagen ID.4, Tesla Model 3, Audi Q4 Etron and Nissan Leaf.
Commenting on the latest figures, Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General said: “While the new car market started strongly in the first two months of the year, March proved to be much more difficult (nationally). New car sales showed a 16% decrease in the same month last year, although sales for the first quarter remain 8% ahead of 2023."
Mr Cooke added: "Sales across all fuel types were behind last year, with the Electric Vehicle segment seeing a notable decline. This highlights the ongoing challenge of transitioning to electrification, as we move into the mainstream car market. The electrification of the fleet requires increased collaboration between all stakeholders to bridge this current chasm in the market."