PETROL CARS ARE no longer the go-to choice for people buying new vehicles, after falling to third place behind electric and hybrid models in the latest sales figures.

According to the latest figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI), a total of 34,604 new cars were registered nationwide in January, up 3.3% on the same month last year.

Accross these new cars sold, hybrid petrol-electric vehicles accounted for 28.28% of registrations, with fully electric cars close behind on 21.15%.

Petrol-only cars made up just 20.94% of the market.

Diesel trailed on 12.48%, and plug-in hybrids on 14.56%.

The strong performance of electrified vehicles means petrol now sits behind both hybrids and EVs in popularity.

Last month also saw a record number of electric cars registered, with 7,319 new battery electric vehicles, almost 49% more than in January 2025 and the highest monthly EV total to date.

What cars are people buying?

Toyota continued to hold the top brand spot in January, though its overall share dipped slightly compared with previous years.

Hyundai and Volkswagen followed closely behind, while Skoda and Kia also posted solid sales. Together, these five car brands made up more than half of all new passenger cars registered last month.

At model level, the Toyota Yaris Cross was the most popular new car, with 1,489 sold.

There was strong demand for other hybrid-friendly SUVs such as the Hyundai Tucson (1,446 sold) and Kia Sportage (1,133 sold).

Toyota dominated the top of the model rankings overall, with the Yaris Cross, Corolla Cross (1,068 sold), Corolla (934 sold), C-HR (634 sold) and Yaris (591 sold) all featuring prominently.

Skoda’s Octavia (752 sold) and Kodiaq (732 sold) also continued to perform strongly.

Electric models are increasingly visible among the bestsellers too.

The Volkswagen ID.4 was the most popular EV in January and placed inside the top ten overall with 697 sold, while newer electric arrivals such as the BYD Seal U (456 sold) and Hyundai Inster (322 sold) also posted notable gains.

There were also 95 Tesla Model 3s sold last month, up from 71 sold during the same period last year.

Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General, said 2026 has started on a strong note for the new car market, battery-powered vehicles now accounting for almost two-thirds of new car sales.

He added that the momentum in battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales from last year has continued into 2026.

“BEV registrations rose sharply in January, with 7,319 units compared to 4,923 a year earlier, the highest monthly total to date. More than one in five new cars registered were fully electric,” he said.

Cooke also noted that private buyers are driving much of the growth, accounting for 75% of BEV sales, up 11% on last year.