Fall in new car registrations in Louth continues

The fall in new car registrations in Louth has continued, with latest figures showing a fall in new registrations in the county for the fourth consecutive month.

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) last week released its official 241 new vehicle registrations statistics for June.

36 new cars were registered in Louth in June, down from 51 in June of last year and representing a fall of over 29%.

The fall in new electric vehicle (EV) registrations has also continued in Louth. 224 new electric cars have been registered in Louth so far this year, down from 301 during the same period last year and representing a fall of 25.6%.

While petrol cars remain the most popular, there has been a 6.4% fall in the number of petrol cars registered in Louth so far this year, compared to the same period last year.

Nationally, new car registrations for June were down 50% (1,499) when compared to June 2023 (2,990). Registrations year to date are up 1.7% (78,942) on the same period last year (77,602). Imported Used Cars have seen a 22.2% (5,165) rise in June 2024, when compared to June 2023 (4,228).

In June 692 new electric cars were registered, which was 52% lower than the 1,432 registrations in June 2023.

So far this year, 10,747 new electric cars have been registered which is a 25% decrease compared to the same period in 2023 when 14,307 electric cars were registered.

In the new car market share by engine type for 2024, Petrol cars lead the new car market at 32.96% followed by Diesel at 22.89%, then Hybrid (Petrol Electric) at 20.11%, Electric at 13.61%, and Plug-in Electric Hybrid at 8.83%.

Commenting on the latest figures, Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General, said that “the decline in the new EV car market continues to highlight the need for Government to support the EV transition, with ways to incentivise the market for both private and company car buyers.

“Extending consumer incentives and Benefit-in-Kind support, along with investment in charging infrastructure will build consumer and business confidence and encourage uptake."