Petrol electric hybrids remain most popular type of car in Louth

Petrol electric hybrids continue to be the most popular type of new car registered in Louth, according to the latest figures released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI).

SIMI's official 261 new vehicle registration statistics for February show that 370 new cars were registered in total in Louth in February, up 25.4% on the 295 registered in Louth in February 2025.

So far this year, 1,272 new cars have been registered in Louth, up 7% on the 1,163 registered in the county in the first two months of last year.

Of the new cars registered this year, 377 were petrol electric hybrids, up 12.5% on the 335 registered in the county in the first two months of last year.

Petrol cars are the second favourite, but their popularity is falling, with 325 registered, down 12.2% on the 370 registered in the first two months of last year.

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Electric vehicles (EVs) are third most popular in Louth so far this year, with 253 registered, up 36% on the 186 registered during the same period last year.

Petrol/plug-in electric hybrid are also continuing to rise in popularity in Louth, with 152 registered in 2026, up 24.6% on the 122 registered in the first two months of 2025.

Diesel cars continue to fall in popularity in Louth however, with 142 registered in Louth so far this year, which is down just 2.7% on last year, but continuing a downward trend in popularity, with the 146 registered in the first two months of last year down 26.6% on the previous year.

Nationally, new car registrations for February were up 7.4% (15,033 units) compared to February 2025 (13,994 units). Registrations year to date are up 4.3% (49,557 units) on the same period last year (47,493 units).

In February 2,871 new electric cars (battery electric cars) were registered, which was 14.4% higher than the 2,510 registrations in February 2025. So far this year, 10,172 new electric cars have been registered, representing a 36.9% increase compared to the same period in 2025, when 7,433 electric cars were registered.

In the new car market share by engine type, Hybrid (Petrol Electric) leads at 27.26% as the most popular engine type, followed by Petrol 21.84%, Electric 20.53%, Plug-In Hybrid 14.51%, and Diesel 13.27%.

Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General, commented: “The positive start to the new car market this year has continued into February with 15,033 cars registered, a 7% increase compared to February last year. Year-to-date registrations increased by 4% on last year, with a total of 49,557 new cars registered.

"The move towards electric and hybrid cars is also reflected in the figures; Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) reached 2,871 units in February, a 14% increase on the same month last year, while year-to-date 10,172 new BEVs have been registered.

"Private consumers account for 75% of BEV sales and remain the main driver of sales, a trend seen across all counties. New Hybrid electric (HEV) and Plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) registrations have also seen continued growth for February.

"Battery technology cars (BEV, PHEV, HEV) combined market share now accounts for over 62% of registrations.
The commercial sector continues to experience mixed results.

"Light commercial vehicles (LCVs) saw an increase in February of 15%, while Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) registrations saw a decrease of 5% on February last year.”