Irish Car Market in 2025 mantains upward trend. Sales up to September gained 3.5%, following the trend of prior months, with Nissan falling 19.1% out of Top 10. BYD overtook Tesla in 2nd as EVs ggained 51%.
Economic Environment
Irish GDP growth for 2025 is expected to be 4.3%, with modified domestic demand expected to rise 4% and employment to grow by 2.2%. This reflects stronger-than-expected momentum in late 2024, particularly in job creation and robust export performance across sectors like pharmaceuticals, IT, and business services. Consumer spending is forecast to rise 3% in 2025, supported by wage growth outpacing inflation, Budget 2025 tax cuts, and continued strength in the labor market.
Inflation is expected to remain moderate at around 2%, allowing for real income gains that will further drive domestic demand. Investment is projected to increase by 18.2%, led by a 7% rise in core capital expenditure and a rebound in construction, with housing completions forecast to reach 42,500 units. Despite some capacity constraints, public spending is set to grow 5%, contributing to overall demand while the government maintains a budget surplus of €8.5 billion (1.5% of GNI*). Risks remain, particularly from global trade tensions and uncertain U.S. trade policy, though much of Ireland’s export base in services and pharmaceuticals is less sensitive to tariffs.
Automotive Industry Trend and Outlook
Thanks to a favourable economic outlook, the Irish car market mantains the growth trend of recent months. YTD figures up to September 2025 gained 3.5% and reached 121,851 units.
Brand-wise, the leader remained Toyota with a 13.6% share (-2.5%), followed by Volkswagen in 2nd (+7.1%) and Skoda in 3rd (-0.1%).Hyundai ranked 4th (+3%) while Kia closed the Top 5 (+7.1%).
Notably, Nissan fell 19.1% from 7th to 12th.
Looking at specific models the Toyota Corolla became new best seller gaining 5.4% in year-on-year volume, followed by last year’s leader, the Hyundai Tucson, down 12.8%.
EV Market Trend and Outlook
Continued support played a crucial role in encouraging EV adoption, such as grants from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. Irish EVs rose by 51% up to September 2025, reaching a share of about 16% on total car sales.
Volkswagen was the sector leader, up 30.7%, followed by BYD up 1 spot in 2nd (+82.1%) and Kia -up 1 spot- in 3rd (+142%).
Medium-Term Market Trend
The Irish car market experienced notable fluctuations over the past decade. Starting at 96,282 units in 2014, it peaked at 146,602 in 2016. However, from 2017 to 2019, the market declined due to Brexit-related uncertainty and a surge in used car imports from the UK. The COVID-19 pandemic further hit the sector, dropping registrations to 88,607 in 2020, the decade’s lowest. A recovery followed in 2021, with an 18.6% increase, continuing to 121,998 units by 2023. In 2024, the market stagnated, slipping 1% to 121,195 units, as consumer uncertainty and a sharp rise in used imports weighed on growth.
Ireland’s EV market stayed below 1% share until 2019 but grew rapidly in 2021, peaking at 18.7% in 2023. In 2024, EV sales fell 24%, dropping market share to 14.4%, impacted by reduced grants, resale value concerns, and supply chain issues, though a late-year rebound offers optimism for 2025.
In the tables below we report sales for all Brands, top 10 Manufacturers Group and top 10 Models
