Carlow bucks national trend as new car regs dip but EV uptake rises
A total of 606 new cars were registered in Carlow between January and February of this year
NEW car registrations in County Carlow fell slightly in the first two months of 2026, bucking a broadly positive national trend, but the county recorded a significant jump in electric vehicle sales, according to new figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI).
A total of 606 new cars were registered in Carlow between January and February of this year, compared to 622 over the same period in 2025, a decline of 2.57%. This puts Carlow among a small number of counties to record a drop, alongside Monaghan, Offaly, Longford, and Laois, while the national picture showed new car registrations up 4.3% year to date, with 49,557 vehicles sold across the country.
However, the county told a more encouraging story when it came to electric vehicles. Carlow saw 117 new electric cars registered in the January-February period, up from 80 over the same months last year, which is a rise of 46.25%. That figure outpaces the national year-to-date growth rate of 36.9%, suggesting Carlow motorists are embracing the shift to electric in increasing numbers.
Nationally, 10,172 new electric cars have been registered so far this year, with private consumers accounting for 75% of battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales. SIMI director general Brian Cooke noted that this trend is “seen across all counties.” “The positive start to the new car market this year has continued into February,” said Mr Cooke. “Battery technology cars - BEV, PHEV, HEV - combined market share now accounts for over 62% of registrations.” Across Ireland, hybrid petrol-electric vehicles lead the market with a 27.26% share, followed by petrol at 21.84%, electric at 20.53%, plug-in hybrid at 14.51%, and diesel at just 13.27% - a remarkable shift from the diesel dominance of previous decades.
The top-selling new car nationally in February was the Hyundai Tucson, while the Volkswagen ID.4 led electric vehicle sales for the month. Toyota topped the overall brand rankings year to date, with Hyundai, Volkswagen, Skoda and Kia rounding out the top five.
