Vehicle History and data expert Cartell.ie and car sales platform CarsIreland.ie announced on June 23^rd the results of an analysis on Electric Vehicle (EV) sales in the Irish market in the year-to-date. Volkswagen’s commitment to delivering high-quality electric vehicles is reflected in the sales results in Ireland in 2021 but there are many other insights to be gained from examining the data closely.

Volkswagen in top position

With the relatively late arrival to the EV scene, Volkswagen have had a phenomenal start to its electrification goals. Cartell.ie looked at the numbers of EVs sold by manufacturer in the year to the end of May 2021 and the results show Volkswagen has outsold its rivals, more than doubling the number of the incumbent Nissan.

Table 1 Numbers of EVs sold by manufacturer Jan to May 2021 (Source: Cartell Catstat)

Volkswagen EV models making a big impression

The top selling EV models are also Volkswagen with the impressive ID3 and ID4 making a huge impression with buyers. Cartell.ie looked at the total number of EVs sold by model in the year to the end of May and found the top-two best-selling models so far this year have both been Volkswagen models: the ID 4 and the ID 3 took the top-two places followed by the Nissan Leaf and Kia Niro.

Table 2 Numbers of EVs sold by model Jan to May 2021 (Source: Cartell Catstat)

EVs Change of ownership

Cartell.ie also report that compared with their petrol and diesel counterparts, owners of EVs tend to hold onto their vehicle longer. Cartell looked at all private cars registered between 2013 and 2019 to consider ownership changes. The company found that 65 per cent of EVs registered during that period are still on their first owner – this contrasts with a figure of 40 per cent for the private fleet as a whole for the same period.

Overall numbers of EVs

Finally Cartell.ie looked at the overall number of EVs sold in Ireland in the year to the end of May 2021. While 2020 was a record year for EV sales the tally set last year looks like it will be surpassed by some margin this year: already over 4,000 EVs have been sold this year.

Table 3 Overall Numbers of EVs sold in Ireland Jan to May 2021 (Source: Cartell Catstat)

Jeff Aherne, Innovation Lead, Cartell.ie says:

“While EVs are gaining traction in the market they are still growing from a relatively low base – so exponential growth is to be expected in the coming years. There is no doubt, with the manufacturer investment and Government incentives, vehicles of this type are going to continue to grow in the market and, ultimately, they will replace the fossil-fuel-aspirated engines. The rise of Volkswagen in this category is a story in itself – the buyer clearly likes the options they are providing.”