Sales

Great news for the European EV market (BEV+PHEV), growing 34% during the first semester 2019 compared to same period of 2018. Over 259.000 plug in vehicles were registered.

Most importantly for us, Ireland did show the most important year or year growth (+182%) and is now the 15th plug-in market in Europe (in volume)!

At a global level, and in terms of market share, Ireland is now at the 10th place, with 2.7% ! Far from Norway but on the right path, ahead of Germany, France and UK. Now that the buyers are here, what about the infrastructure ? It’s no longer a chicken and egg situation, right ?

Source : EV-volumes

PHEV sales keep progressing significantly, by almost 80% over July 2018. Last month saw a clear domination of the Kia Niro PHEV, absorbing over 50% of the total sales of the segment, with 139 units registered. The Mitsubishi Outlander is now clearly behind and the rest are mostly premium vehicles. Price point is a key factor here and the € 31,495 Niro showed that being an reasonably priced family PHEV does pay off. Next year other affordable newcomers like the Renault Captur PHEV should help reinforcing the segment…

The Irish BEV market is still very dynamic in July for the 192 plate change, despite the limited choice and the difficulty for dealers to supply some models.

On a car market shrinking by over 8% last month, BEVs sales were up 91.9% to 735, representing a 2.98% share. That share was just 1.42% in July last year.
The Nissan Leaf is back on top with 293 units sold. The Hyundai Kona on the other hand is lagging behind with 169 units. 897 Konas have been sold so far in Ireland this year, which is quite an achievement considering the car is in high demand globally and the expected production is just 48000 for 2019. Next year the Kona EV will by possibly built in Czech republic, hopefully solving the supply issue, affecting as well the Kia E-Niro and E-Soul.

The Renault Zoé has its best month ever, with 94 units registered and gets back onto the podium, leaving the disappointing VW E-Golf behind (36 units).

Sales are premium EVs are all somewhat disapointing: BMW i3, Audi E-Tron, Tesla S and X registrations are all relatively slow, but the first batch of Tesla Model 3 has yet to be delivered.

Market share for new PHEVs has been at an all-time high with 1.91%, making it the best month so far for this category. The Kia Niro, Mitsubishi Outlander and Range Rover Sport are now dominating this segment.

When comparing 2019 to 2018, we see a lot of changes in the ranking but also the offering : Many models were discontinued to to the new WLTP cycle (and some might be back later), whereas a handful arrived on the maket. But overall, the volumes grew significantly (+90.8%) and the market share went from 0.59% to 1.03%.

Car registrations in June are very low, as usual in Ireland, and if just 53 BEVs have been registered last month, they represent no less than 3.76% of the total car market. The all new Kia E-Soul has just landed with 9 registrations.

More important is to see the evolution of sales of this first semester 2019, compared to 2018.
First you can see that 5 new models have been launched since last July, one of which, the Kona Electric, is now directly on top. The rest of the top 5 (Nissan Leaf, VW Golf, Renault Zoé and BMW i3) all benefit from important growth. The Hyndai Ioniq sales are almost stable and the Tesla Model S and X are the only BEVs which sales decreased (like in many other markets).

Finally note that the market share of EVs has significantly grown from less than 1% to almost 2.5% showing a growing appetite from the public, and it looks like we are finally catching up with the rest of Europe.

Used BEVs imports are still down, to just 38 vehicles in May, the lowest since the beginning of the year, and also down 45% over May 2018. On the other hand, PHEVs imports are growing 145% year on year, still led by the popular Mitsubishi Outlander and very accessible out-of-lease German premium cars, available for some well below GBP 20,000, which combined with a low VRT make themselves very competitive in the Irish market where such vehicles have been sold in very little numbers!

The Kia Niro PHEV is going very strong in May with 38 sales, that is almost half of all PHEV registered last month. Other models are much more discreet but overall Plug-in Hybrids represented 1.47% of the new car market, which is a record so far this year. The new entrant in the market this month is the Audi A7 e-tron with just 1 registration.

We’re getting into the quiet part of the semester, but BEVs sales are still significantly up year on year, by 95.5% . The Hyundai Kona is still at the top this month, and still leads 2019 with a total of 715 vehicles on the road vs 644 Leafs.

No surprise in the rest of this month registrations. A few more e-Niro have been registered (still no e-Soul) whereas just 2 Tesla were sold. The first model 3s might be delivered in June (July at the latest) and we can hope to some positive changes for the American brand, and for Kia.

A total of  249 EVs (41 BEVs and 208 PHEVs) were imported in April into Ireland. BEVs imports are still relatively low whereas PHEVs are progressing. This brings the total number of imports to 990 so far this year.

See the tables below for more details.

Irish new PHEVs registrations are up 28.6% in April, to a market share of 1.11%, far behind the volumes BEVs are now achieving. The Kia E-Niro is still on top and the Range Rover Sport is still very strong with a total of 106 registrations so far this year, catching up on the BMW 530e (122 units to date). Numbers look relatively low but keep in mind that the luxury car segment is small. The PHEV variant actually represents over 60% of Range Rover Sport sales (and 52% of the “regular” Range Rover’s) !

See table below for full details.

A very good month of April for BEVs sales in Ireland: Registrations are up 108% to 296 units and an impressive 3.32% market share! This brings the total number of new BEVs registered to 1731 so far this year. The Hyundai Kona regains its first spot (for April and 2019 to date) with 125 units in April and 639 cumulated since the beginning of the year. The 3rd spot is now held by the Volkswagen E-golf, overtaking the Renault Zoé. The E-Niro is the one to keep a close look on, just 6 units registered so far, but it will be one of the top players, if the supply follows the demand.

See the table below for more details

Hyundai Kona Electric

In March the Irish BEV market grew 3-fold with 313 registrations, just below 2% market share. The Nissan Leaf gets its crown back for this month (and also year to date) with the short supplied Hyundai Kona Electric seeing registrations falling below 100 units. The 4 usual suspects (E-Golf, Zoé, Ioniq and i3) firghting for the 3rd place are far behind.

Kia E-Niro enters the Irish market

2 new models just entered the market : Audi E-Tron and Kia E-Niro with their first dealer registrations. The Audi E-Tron immediately outsold the Tesla Model X and the Jaguar I-Pace isn’t far ahead.

See the table below for detailed figures

Used imports are heading into a different direction, depending on the type of EVs…

BEVs imports are actually decreasing compared to last year! A reason for that could be the resale value in the UK that remains much higher than in the past, making importing BEVs not as interesting as it used to be.

However the Irish market is still in lack on PHEVs, that sold in much higher volumes in the UK as new, justifying the important growth compared to 2018. See the tables below for the detail per model.

Mercedes C350e Estate

February was another strong month for PHEVs sales in Ireland, with 171 registration and a market share above 1%. The Kia Niro and Mitsubishi Outlander and still strong, and note in 4th place the Range Rover Sport, now above the Volvo XC90 on the large SUV market.

Note that the BMW 330e and i3 Rex sales are now at zero. These models being discontinued, we can assume all stock has been registered. There might be a few left for sale if you really want one 🙂

New car sales are still down in Ireland in February (-12.77%) but BEVs registrations are still very dynamic at +358% and 330 units. BEVs market share is at 2.18%.

The Hyundai Kona is still leading, but how long for ? The Nissan Leaf is just behind. These are representing 2 thirds of the market, and the rest of models are quite far behind. The i3 and e-Golf have been performing relatively well last month, whereas the Zoé is disappointing despite its large battery and being the cheapest EV on the market.

BEVs sales are frankly growing for the month of January 2019 for the 191 plate change, with very impressive results from many models. 811 new BEVs were registered in January. The important part is that because sales of cars are going down (-12.5%) the market share of BEVs is at 2.51% of total registrations (vs just 0.98% for the whole 2018 year).

Hyundai Kona Electric

The Hyundai Kona and its large 64kWh battery pack is the best seller this month with an impressive 311 units. We know that unfortunately the supply of Kona will be limited (around 800 for the year) but it takes a lot to beat the Nissan Leaf, still impressive with 296 sales (+448%). Note that the Nissan Leaf was not fully launch in January 2018 (which was a bad month for BEV sales) so we should put the total growth in perspective. Next comes the Renault Zoé, with 77 sales (+413%), also is massive growth. 93 Zoé were sold for the whole year 2018 and around 150 for the 2014-2018 period. The Hyundai Ioniq (41 sales), BMW i3 (37 sales) and Volkswagen Golf (31 sales) are also growing substantially.

There is a category of EVs that we usually don’t still see covered because volumes are small, and these aren’t really anyone’s dream cars but deserves attention by the community : light commercial vehicles (LCVs). The market is very small (0.33% of the total market, that is at 99% diesel) and the number of available models, even smaller.

The Kangoo ZE was a top player in this category last year, not only in Ireland but in Europe. From 0 (!) sales last year, it is now leading the segment with 41 registrations for 2018. Note that it means that 5% of Kangoos are Electric, the rest being diesel (on a total of 799 Kangoo sold last year).

Renault Kangoo Express Z.E.

It became somewhat more popular since the 33kWh battery (264km NEDC, 200km real life) replaced the 24kWh one (that it is no longer leased). The higher price (compared to a diesel variant) and lack of fast charging capability isn’t stopping fleet managers (last kilometre deliveries, postal services) who make rational choices and show that EVs do make a lot of sense in such application, even without fast charging.

The Citroën Berlingo Electric has been recently imported, and balances its small battery (24kWh) and even smaller range (170km NEDC) by a fast charging option (50kW Chademo socket). Note that the new Berlingo doesn’t exist just yet with an electric powertrain, and that the outgoing one is therefore still produced, exclusively in Electric form (including a 5-seat MPV form in some markets).

Citroën Berlingo Electric

Finally The Nisan ENV-200 is the 3rd contender. Moving from a 24kWh to 40kWh battery pack led to a large number of orders at the European level but also supply issues, that could explain the lower local sales. Active battery (air) cooling and 50kW Chademo socket are standard.

Nissan ENV-200

You will find below the historical sales of Electric LCVs. Only these 3 Electric vans have been sold so far in Ireland, in relatively low volumes, but as for the other EV categories, 2018 is the best year ever.

These are the top 10 best selling new PHEVs for 2018. Find at the bottom the comprehensive sales table, per month. You can also find here the 2018 best selling BEVs list.

1. BMW 530e iPerformance (150) : +384% – This is a very respectable level of sales considering that the 5-series is a premium model. A proof that it has gained respect from its customers and sales network : Only 67 petrol 5-series were sold during the same period. The 520d is still the star of that range but things are slowly changing. Find our test drive here.

2. Kia Niro PHEV (136) : It has landed in 2018 and is the most affordable PHEV on the Irish market, at €31.495. It is ticking all the boxes for an Irish success being a roomy family car with a crossover look, that allowed it to get the second spot of the market.

3. BMW 330e iPerformance (93) : -16% – It was the best selling PHEV last year but is now discontinued… The new 3-series has just been launched and the 330e variant will only arrive during the second part of 2019.

4. Volvo XC90 T8 (66) : +50% – The former best selling Irish PHEV SUV is still going strong.

5. Mini Countryman Cooper SE All4 (42) : +320% Find our test drive here

6. Volvo XC60 T8 (36) : +500%. Not as popular as the XC90 just yet but catching up.

7. Hyundai Ioniq PHEV (28) – Launched in 2018. Could do much better considering its €31995 price and its good efficiency.

7. Porsche Panamera (28) : A compliance car, but representing over 90% of Panamera sales, now that the diesel is gone.

9. Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (26) : +24% – The original PHEV SUV is back, at a much cheaper price tag. Sales have shown great progress during the second part of 2018 and it could be in the 2019 top 3.

10. Toyota Prius (23) : -23%. This doesn’t seem to get much attention from is sales network, a collateral damage from the so called “self-charging” cars campaign that denigrates any car with a socket.

These are the top 10 of best selling new BEVs for the 2018 year. Well, top 10 is a bit pushing it as there were exactly 10 different pure electric cars sold last year. More than 2017’s 9 models anyway and probably less than in 2019! Find the 2018 top 10 PHEVs list here

Find at the bottom the comprehensive 2018 sales tables

1. Nissan Leaf (789) : +207% – The Nissan Leaf is obviously a huge hit with a sales record over the previous generation, it is selling 8 times more than its next outsider, the Renault Zoé.

2. Renault Zoé (93) : +63% – Despite being now 6 years old, the Zoé sales have been progressing in Ireland again in 2018, helped with its new battery-inclusive pricing. With a start price of just €24,990, it’s also the cheapest BEV on the market and yet gets a decent 40kWh battery.

2. Hyundai Ioniq Electric (93) : -60% – This is a disappointment, when last year it was very close to the Nissan Leaf and gained respect within the EV community thanks to its high efficiency. How’s 2019 will go with the Kona’s competition ? We’re hoping for a bigger battery pack to be launched soon as it currently has the smaller capacity of lot.

4. Volkswagen E-Golf (80) : +700% – Finally some Irish interest into the well packaged but expensive popular car. The new Executive Edition might help sales to progress further in 2019.

5. Tesla Model S (79) : +119% – Tesla is now somewhat established in Ireland. Note that if its sales are behind the Mercedes S Class (101 units sold last year), it frankly outsells the BMW 7 series (42) and the Audi A8 (36).

6. BMW i3 (56) : +367% – Sales of the i3 are modest but progressing. 2019 looks even brighter thanks to a lower price and a bigger 42kWh battery.

7. Tesla Model X (36) : +157% – The big Tesla is doing well for a €100K+ car !

8. Jaguar i-pace (3) : Jaguar’s new model has recently landed in Ireland and will surely progress in 2019.

9. Nissan e-NV 200 Evalia (2) : -33%. It has just gone through a battery pack upgrade (from 24 to 40kWh)

9. Hyundai Kona (2) – The Kona and its class leading 64kWh battery pack is expected to be a success but supply with be an issue so it might not come anywhere close to the Nissan Leaf in 2019.

A total of 1233 new BEVs that were registered in 2018, doubling last year’s results, see below the details :

In November, 19 new PHEVs were sold. Not very significant but still representing 2.9% of the total market this moth. And 0.59% on the course of the year.

Used imports are still very strong, and dominated by the Outlander PHEV. 173 used PHEVs were imported last month.