CSO data also shows that Volkswagen was the most popular make of new private car licensed in the monthOver a quarter of the new cars licensed in the first five months of the year were hybrid or electricThe number of new cars licensed in May increased by 47 per cent compared with the same month last year as electric and hybrid vehicles continued to build on their market share, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show.
The data shows there were 10,452 new cars licensed in the month, which was up from 7,120 in May 2022. It also shows that more people who are buying new cars are opting for electric and hybrid models, as 18 per cent of all new cars licensed for the first time since the start of the year were electric compared with 13 per cent in the same period in 2022.
Furthermore, plug-in hybrid electric new cars licensed in the first five months of 2023 rose by 21 per cent compared with same period in 2022.