Almost a fifth of all new cars being purchased in the State are electric, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Agency figures show motorists registered some 22,249 new EVs (electric vehicles) between January and November this year, up 46 per cent on the same period last year, as the transition to greener motoring shifts up a gear.
The 22,249 figure accounted for 19 per cent of the 116,360 new cars of all types registered during the first 11 months of 2023.
Despite the leap in sales, the overall take-up of EVs in the Republic is still modest by international standards. Experts link this to cost, with basic EV starting prices at over €30,000, and range anxiety.
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Plug-in and electric hybrids accounted for a further 12,872 of the total of new car registrations.
The number of new cars (of all types) licensed so far this year rose by 16 per cent from 100,483 to 116,360.
Some 38,373 new cars licensed were petrol cars compared with 30,333 in the same period in 2022, an increase of 27 per cent while new diesel cars licensed have decreased by 4 per cent in the same period.
The number of used cars licensed in the first eleven months of 2023 increased by 7 per cent compared with the same period in 2022 (46,570 versus 43,681).
The figures show that Volkswagen (339) was the most popular make of new private car licensed last month followed by Toyota (198), Skoda (163), Tesla (159) and BMW (139).
Together, these five top-selling brands represent more than two-fifths (44 per cent) of all new private cars licensed during the month.
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