New LCV registrations up over 22pc in May
New Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) registrations increased by 22.3 per cent (2,324) compared to May last year (1,900), while year to date LCVs are up 15 per cent (20,410), according to the latest figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI).
Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) registrations are up 28 per cent (265) in comparison to May 2025 (207), with year to date figures down 4.3 per cent (1,457).
The top 10 selling LCV models so far this year are: 1. Renault Trafic; 2. Peugeot Partner; 3. Ford Transit Custom; 4. Volkswagen Transporter; 5. Ford Transit; 6. Renault Master; 7. Volkswagen Caddy; 8. Citroen Berlingo; 9. Toyota Hilux; 10. Toyota Land Cruiser Commercial.
Ford remains as the top-selling LCV brand (19.25 per cent market-share), with Volkswagen in second place (15.73 per cent), and Renault in third place (14.8 per cent) for the year-to-date.
In body type, vans account for 83.59 per cent, pick-ups (6.02 per cent); crew-cabs (3.07 per cent); MPV (1.82 per cent), and Box Vans (1.11 per cent).
As you’d expect, diesel engines dominate the LCV/van market with 91.05 per cent of those registered to the end of May 2026. Almost 930 new fully-electric LCVs have been registered to date this year, while pure-petrol powered commercials slip to just 0.50 per cent of the market share.
Manual transmissions continue to lead the LCV market in Ireland, with a 63.13 per cent share so far in 2026. Automatic vans are gaining ground however, as manual gearboxes did hold a 74.54 per cent market share here only 24 months ago. As more electric LCVs are sold, automatic transmissions will naturally increase in market share.
New car registrations up almost 39pc in May 2026
In the passenger car segment, new car registrations for May were up 38.58 per cent (8,068) compared to May 2025 (5,822). Registrations year to date are up 4.7 per cent (83,038) on the same period last year (79,313).
Imported Used Cars have seen a 31.2 per cent (7,808) rise in May 2026, when compared to May 2025 (5,948). Year to date imports are up 38.2 per cent (38,960) on 2025 (28,183).
In May, 2,335 new electric cars (battery electric cars) were registered, which was 115 per cent higher than the 1,086 registrations in May 2025.
So far this year, 19,050 new electric cars have been registered, representing a 53.82 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2025, when 12,385 electric cars were registered.
In the new car market share by engine type, Hybrid (Petrol Electric) continues to lead the market at 26.14 per cent as the most popular engine type, followed by Electric 22.94 per cent, Petrol 21.41 per cent, Plug-In Hybrid 14.28 per cent, and Diesel 12.94 per cent.
The top new selling car last month was the Toyota RAV4, while the best selling EV was the Volkswagen ID.4.