The sale of new electric vehicles in the Shannonside Region has fallen significantly over the last year. The Society of the Irish Motor Industry says petrol remained the most popular engine type in 2024 both locally and nationally. Out of 2,161 cars bought last year, 168 were Electric Vehicles. The figure represents a massive drop on the previous year where 253 EVs were sold. Leitrim saw the biggest drop in electric cars at minus 44 percent year on year.
That's followed by Longford at minus 33 percent and Roscommon who saw a dip of over 25 percent when compared to 2023. Nationally, 17 thousand 459 new electric vehicles were bought last year, down from nearly 23 thousand the year before. Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General says that signs are pointing towards a change in buyer behaviour:
