New car registrations fall again in Louth in September

New car registrations fell again in Louth in September, with five out of ten months this year seeing a decrease compared to the same month last year, according to the latest figures released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI).

SIMI's official 242 new vehicle registrations statistics for September show that 96 new cars were registered in Louth in September, a 14.3% fall on the same month last year. It follows a 1% increase in new registrations in August and a 0.6% increase in July in Louth.

So far this year 2,646 new cars were registered in Louth, up from 2,593 during the same period. This can be mainly attributed to January though, when 823 new cars were registered, compared to 665 in January 2023. February was the only other previous month this year where was a significant increase (334 new registrations in February 2024, compared to 305 in February 2023).

The fall in new electric vehicle (EV) registrations in Louth has also continued, with 319 registered so far in 2024 compared to 436 during the same period last year, representing a fall of 26.8%, compared to 26.3% last month. Petrol cars also saw a slight fall in September (2.7%) but the increase in petrol hybrids in Louth continued, with 623 new units registered so far this year, up 21% on the same period last year.

Nationally, new car registrations for September were down 10.3% (5,137 units) when compared to September 2023 (5,727). Registrations year to date are down 1.4% (117,264) on the same period last year (118,926). In the new car market share by engine type for 2024, Petrol cars continue to lead the new car market at 30.99% followed by Diesel at 22.98%, then Hybrid (Petrol Electric) at 21.0%, Electric at 13.76%, and Plug-In Electric Hybrid at 9.71%. 

In September 1,010 new electric cars were registered, which was 30.8% lower than the 1,460 registrations in September 2023. So far this year, 16,133 new electric cars have been registered representing a 25.7% decrease compared to the same period in 2023 when 21,726 electric cars were registered.

Imported Used Cars have seen a 18.2% (5,116) rise in September 2024, when compared to September 2023 (4,328). Year to date imports are up 24.5% (47,738) on 2023 (38,338).