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Almost one in eight new car sales is now a hybrid or electric car. Shutterstock

Done Deal says the number of people searching for electric cars has jumped by 244% since 2016

There are now 1,600 hybrid and electric vehicles rolling out of Irish showrooms every month.

ONLINE MARKETPLACE DONE Deal has reported a significant spike in searches for electric and hybrid vehicles, up 244% on 30 months ago.

The details come in Done Deal’s latest Motor Industry Review which examined car sales for the first six months of the year.

In a further demonstration of the increased speed of adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles, their sales for the first half of this year has already outstripped all of last year.

Overall, their 12% market share is still behind sales of new diesel cars at 47% and petrol cars at 41%. However, that 12% represents a huge jump since 2015 when sales of electric and hybrid cars made up just 1.5% of the market.

Those sales translate to an average of 1,600 new hybrid and fully electric vehicles coming out of Irish showrooms every month.

The best-selling new fully electric vehicles so far this year are: the Hyundai Kona, the Nissan Leaf, the Volkswagen E Golf, the Renault Zoe and the BMW I3.

Four of the five best-selling new hybrid vehicles are manufactured by Toyota with only the Kia Niro making that particular list.

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) last week revealed that new car sales were down by 7.4% in the first six month of this year compared to last.

SIMI described the figures as “disappointing” and blamed it in part on “the uncertain trading environment arising from Brexit”.

The registration of new car sales were down across each of the 26 counties but Louth and Dublin observed the smallest declines at 2.27% and 2.29%.

Used cars

With the sales of new cars in decline, there’s been an uptick in demand for used cars and Leinster recorded the largest increase (6%) of used car imports in the year to date.

In the first six months of the year, 29,775 used cars were imported and registered in Leinster with 11,814 in Munster, and 11,531 in the Connacht/Ulster region.

In terms of car makers, there is a similar pattern in both new and used cars with four of five of the car makers the same in both categories.

Volkswagen, Toyota, Ford and Nissan each occupy the first four places in both categories with Skoda making the top five in the new car category and Audi in the used car category.

PastedImage-62626 Done Deal Done Deal

Done Deal also looked at some of the most searched for cars in the first half of this year and compared their current asking prices to their new sale value in 2016 to examine depreciation.

In that measurement, the Skoda Oktavia depreciated  by the smallest amount at about a third over the three years. 

Note: Journal Media Ltd has shareholders in common with Done Deal Ltd.

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    Mute Zlim Jody
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    Jul 10th 2019, 7:06 AM

    That % figure is meaningless and gives no measure at all. It’s like “Ireland’s fastest growing car brand” sold 10 last year then sold 50 this year. Meanwhile VW Toyota etc sold 10,000 cars each!

    77
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    Mute Charles McGuire
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    Jul 10th 2019, 9:02 AM

    @Zlim Jody: it is so true, it is a sales and marketing idea, if a new company enters any market, let’s say mobile phones, they sell one phone 1st week and two phones the following week, well, they are the fastest growing network 100% increase. For the competition to have that kind of growth they’d need to sell 100s of thousands

    27
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    Mute David Jordan
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    Jul 10th 2019, 2:55 PM

    @Zlim Jody: Percentage electric or hybrid cars taxed in the first 6 months of each year:

    2015: 1144 of 73033 = 1.6%
    2016: 1985 of 97490 = 2.0%
    2017: 3255 of 87346 = 3.7%
    2018: 5429 of 83037 = 6.5%
    2019: 9150 of 77639 = 11.8%

    9
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    Mute Eugene Doyle
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    Jul 10th 2019, 7:16 AM

    The people are being brainwashed about electric cars being good for the environment. Think about the so called damage to the environment making the batteries for these cars, the electricity used to charge them over their lifetime, (speaking of lifetime, how many replacement batteries will be used? If the battery can’t be replaced, then the entire car has to be disposed of!!), and the so called environmental damage caused disposing of millions of batteries. I mentioned above the electricity used to charge the batteries; they will tell us ‘oh, wind power will be used’ rubbish. Only a short few years ago diesel was the good guy!! Having said all of the above, if it was cheaper on my pocket to purchase an electric car, I would buy one, but for economic reasons and not environmental.

    83
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    Mute artur filip
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    Jul 10th 2019, 7:44 AM

    @Eugene Doyle:
    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-06-27/where-3-million-electric-vehicle-batteries-will-go-when-they-retire

    The first batches of batteries from electric and hybrid vehicles are hitting retirement age, yet they aren’t bound for landfills. Instead, they’ll spend their golden years chilling beer at 7-Elevens in Japan, powering car-charging stations in California and storing energy for homes and grids in Europe.

    Lithium-ion car and bus batteries can collect and discharge electricity for another seven to 10 years after being taken off the roads and stripped from chassis—a shelf ……

    30
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    Mute Craic_a_tower
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    Jul 10th 2019, 7:47 AM

    @Eugene Doyle: why would there be no way to replace the battery causing the whole car to be scrapped? If a fuel tank went on a petrol car do you scrap it or replace the tank?

    26
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    Mute Declan Bowe
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    Jul 10th 2019, 8:10 AM

    @Eugene Doyle: obviously u never heard of recycling?

    15
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    Mute Darren Byrne
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    Jul 10th 2019, 8:47 AM

    @Eugene Doyle: If you’re worried about the environment stop using petroleum products. Just look at deepwater horizon. Also the first batch of teslas are now estimated to last 500000 miles. Many have hit over 150000 already and are showing minimum signs of degradation

    Also we are currently getting 38% of electricity from renewables. Are you one of these nutters who thinks if you can’t get 100% there’s no point in using it at all

    19
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    Mute Rob Cahill
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    Jul 10th 2019, 10:06 AM

    @Eugene Doyle: Most people buy them for the cost savings.

    9
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    Mute SteoG
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    Jul 10th 2019, 10:51 AM

    @Eugene Doyle: Take a look at this video https://youtu.be/hwMPFDqyfrA

    1
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    Mute Carsonwasahurler
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    Jul 10th 2019, 10:57 AM

    @Eugene Doyle: it’s the mining processes for the materials used in batteries which is environmentally catastrophic. This is not mentioned in our marketing campaigns for electric cars. They are part of the emission solution but not the answer.

    8
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    Mute Darren Byrne
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    Jul 10th 2019, 11:11 AM

    @Carsonwasahurler: what mining processes. Lithium is literally dried out from a briny water in south America. Cobalt was originally a bi product from copper mining but is now valuable enough to mine on its own. any mining including the steal for cars can be environmentally damaging if not done properly.

    I have to wonder what you’re definition of catastrophic is, if Deepwater horizon isn’t catastrophic enough and you thinking mining cobalt is then please show us this environmental disaster we all must have missed.

    7
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    Mute Thomas McGuire
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    Jul 10th 2019, 5:35 PM

    @Eugene Doyle: “Think about the so called damage to the environment making the batteries for these cars, the electricity used to charge them over their lifetime”
    Same materials required for EVs are used in the device you’re commenting with. Why pretend this is a concern of yours?

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    Mute Thomas McGuire
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    Jul 10th 2019, 5:50 PM

    @Eugene Doyle: “Having said all of the above, if it was cheaper on my pocket to purchase an electric car, I would buy one, but for economic reasons and not environmental.”
    < €2 per 100km assuming you're charging at home, night rate meter v. €8+ (on average) for non-electric; €6.70 (on average) for "self-charging" and plug-in hybrids.

    3
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    Mute Joey Teehan
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    Jul 13th 2019, 10:49 AM

    @Eugene Doyle: I own an EV. I did alot of research before making my discussion.

    The batteries have an 8 year guarantee to not drop below 70% or for 200,000kms. If you take care of the battery they will last much longer. You can replace the battery if you wish so the car is reusable. This will probably be after 12 years for me.

    Batteries can already be reused in houses after they are used in cars. Full Battery recycling is in development but there are not enough cars yet to make the process profitable. Hopefully this will change in the near future as more people adopt.

    A new diesel car takes 2 tons of CO2 to make. A new electric car takes 3. But over the lifetime of the electric car the EV has far less CO2 output. This is mostly because oil has to be built (CO2), drilled (CO2), transported (CO2), refined (CO2), transported again (CO2), burned in your car (CO2). And after it is burned it then enter the air and into your lungs.

    Our electricity grid is getting cleaner every day. Get an energy provider like Airtricity or Energia who are pumping huge money into renewables.

    Also have you looked into the environmental impacts of the oil industry? Not a great rep. Wars have been fought over oil, Oceans destroyed, lobbyists pushing false info like about lead not poisoning us. Lead used to be in our petrol. remember that? The oil lobbyest defended cancer causing lead in our air. The air you breath everyday is polluted with fumes from diesel and petrol.

    1
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    Mute Marty from Sligo
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    Jul 10th 2019, 7:28 AM

    Once you buy a new car it becomes 2nd hand the next day.so I always buy a good 2nd hand car it’s much cheaper.

    39
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    Mute RJ
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    Jul 10th 2019, 6:49 AM

    It will go so far and then stop

    20
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    Mute Liam O hAodha
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    Jul 10th 2019, 10:03 AM

    @RJ: so will a petrol and diesel car.
    All need to be refueled

    16
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    Mute RJ
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    Jul 10th 2019, 10:53 AM

    @Liam O hAodha: lol, I meant the % increase

    5
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    Mute patricknj
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    Jul 10th 2019, 7:52 AM

    My car gets forty rods to the hogshead and that’s the way I likes it.

    27
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    Mute Glen Guilfoyle
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    Jul 10th 2019, 9:17 AM

    Misleading Headline

    Searched ≠ Purchased

    Once people realise they have to pay for the installation of a charge point on top of the listed price they tend to search for, and no doubt purchase, other types of cars.

    The second hand market for Electric Cars in Ireland is almost non existent. As such they are completely unaffordable to the vast majority of Irish people.

    20
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    Mute Craic_a_tower
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    Jul 10th 2019, 9:55 AM

    @Glen Guilfoyle: how is it misleading? It specifically says it is searches not purchase. No suggestion search are the same as purchases. The fact people are search for 2nd hand electric cars certainly suggests there is a demand and therefore a market not being serviced fully yet. If there is demand suppliers will appear and don’t forget major car manufacturers have already announced they are going to stop producing petrol and diesel cars. You simply won’t have a choice within 20 years.

    8
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    Mute Thomas McGuire
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    Jul 10th 2019, 5:32 PM

    @Glen Guilfoyle: “Once people realise they have to pay for the installation of a charge point on top of the listed price they tend to search for, and no doubt purchase, other types of cars”. Doubt it. Few hundred Euro considering a grant is available, whatever about service providers which may bundle one in for switching.

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    Mute TheGreyMan
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    Jul 10th 2019, 6:05 PM

    @Glen Guilfoyle: the SEAI grant covers the cost of the charging point installation….so it’s basically free…

    3
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    Mute Means of escape
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    Jul 10th 2019, 7:38 AM

    SIMI disappointed
    Expect the government to hike taxes all things motoring soon .

    14
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    Mute Craic_a_tower
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    Jul 10th 2019, 7:50 AM

    @Dave Doyle: yes one picture of a breakdown service means all cars are charged like this. I saw a bus being towed and don’t think that is how buses move about normally but you apparently would

    27
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    Mute Patrick Nolan
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    Jul 10th 2019, 9:41 AM

    Rekon there is a lot of mechanics posting here this morning.

    9
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    Mute Jim O Brien - TechBuzz Ireland
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    Jul 10th 2019, 8:21 AM

    Spin

    7
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    Mute Willy
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    Jul 10th 2019, 8:47 AM

    All about the money ….

    5
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    Mute thesaltyurchin
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    Jul 10th 2019, 9:53 AM

    Trains not cars.

    2
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    Mute Rob Cahill
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    Jul 10th 2019, 10:07 AM

    @thesaltyurchin: Yeah the train from Cork to Ringaskiddy is running like clockwork.

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    Mute thesaltyurchin
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    Jul 10th 2019, 12:14 PM

    @Rob Cahill: Sarcasm that is too subtle for me I’m afraid unless of course it’s not, in which case maybe get it!

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    Mute Charles McCarthy
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    Jul 10th 2019, 7:10 PM

    Looking and buying are not the same. If you look into the ocean does that mean you will go for a swim.

    1
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    Mute damian
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    Jul 10th 2019, 11:03 PM

    @Charles McCarthy: But if they are researching and considering it, that is a change of mindset. That’s the beginning of the change once people realise how economical they are to own and run.

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    Mute Joey Teehan
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    Jul 13th 2019, 10:03 AM

    @Charles McCarthy: I bought an EV. I’m very with mine too.

    1
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