Donegal EV sales continue to charge ahead, with 61 per cent surge
Electric vehicles now account for the largest share of new car sales nationally
Donegal motorists are continuing to embrace electric vehicles, with new electric car registrations in the county jumping by more than 61% in the first ten months of this year.
A total of 569 new battery electric cars were registered in Donegal between January and October 2026, compared with 353 during the same period last year, representing an increase of 61.19%.
The figures, released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI), show that the growth in electric vehicle sales in Donegal is outpacing the increase in overall new car registrations.
There were 2,902 new cars registered in the county during the first ten months of 2026, up 4.24% on the 2,784 recorded during the corresponding period in 2025.
The figures underline the growing popularity of electric motoring in Donegal, with the county recording one of the strongest increases in new electric car registrations, although the rate of growth was higher in a number of other counties.
Nationally, new electric car registrations reached 36,270 between January and October, a 57% increase on the 23,082 registered during the same period last year.
October alone saw 1,092 new battery electric cars registered across Ireland, up 55% on the 706 recorded in October 2025.
Electric vehicles are now the most popular choice among new car buyers nationally, accounting for 27.74% of the market, ahead of conventional hybrids at 23.54%, petrol at 19.43% and plug-in hybrids at 14.99%. Diesel accounted for 12.31%.
SIMI Operations Director Emma Mitchell said demand for new battery electric vehicles remained strong, helped by Government supports and the range of vehicles now available.
She also highlighted the increasing uptake outside the capital, with 61% of new electric cars registered nationally this year being purchased outside Dublin, suggesting the transition to electric motoring is gathering momentum in rural as well as urban areas.
Across the wider new car market, 130,754 vehicles were registered nationally during the first ten months of 2026, an increase of 6% on last year.
New light commercial vehicle registrations also rose by 7% to 33,638, while used car imports increased by 32% to 79,969.
The Volkswagen ID.4 was the country's top-selling new electric car in October and also leads the year-to-date electric vehicle model rankings.
Overall, the top selling new car brands in Ireland in 2026 so far are: Toyota, Volkswagen, Skoda, Hyundai and Kia.
The top five selling electric vehicle brands are: Kia, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Tesla and Skoda.