Press Statement

Preasráiteas

08 September 2021

Go to release: Vehicles licensed for the first time August 2021

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (08 September 2021) published Vehicle Licensing figures for August 2021. These figures are based on the National Vehicle and Driver File compiled by the Department of Transport.

Today’s publication shows that the number of new cars licensed for the first time in August 2021 was 8,563 compared with 7,360 in August 2020 and 7,202 in August 2019.

Commenting on the data, Dr Nele van der Wielen, Statistician, said: “Today’s release from the CSO shows that figures for new cars licensed continue to rise above 2019 levels. The number of new cars licensed in August 2021 rose by 1,203 vehicles compared with August 2020 and by 1,361 vehicles compared with pre-pandemic August 2019.

In the first eight months of 2021, a total of 88,618 new private cars were licensed, an increase of 23% compared with the same period last year. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic over the first eight months of 2021 is still visible as figures remain 14% lower in comparison with the same eight months in 2019.

Unlike new cars licensed, the number of used (imported) private cars licensed increased above 2020 levels but not 2019 levels. In the first eight months of 2021, the number of used (imported) private cars licensed was 50,771, an increase of 18% compared with the same period in 2020 and is still 28% lower when compared to 2019.

Electric and hybrid cars continue to grow in popularity as 33% of all new cars licensed in the first eight months of 2021 are electric and hybrid cars, compared with 19% of new cars licensed in the first eight months of 2020.”

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