Continued growth in electric vehicle registrations this year

One of the most notable features of the 2026 new car market registrations has been the rapid growth in electric vehicle registrations, and Westmeath has followed the national trend.

Westmeath’s new car market registrations have increased by more than 7% this year compared to the same period in 2025.

The latest figures published by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) show that 1,642 new cars were registered in the county between January and July 2026. That compares with 1,532 during the first seven months of 2025, an increase of 110 vehicles or 7.18%.

Westmeath accounted for 1.44% of all new car registrations nationally during the period, slightly ahead of its 1.41% share during the corresponding period last year.

Across Ireland, 114,228 new cars were registered in the first seven months of 2026, an increase of 5.2% on the 108,487 registered during the same period in 2025.

There were 490 new battery electric cars registered in the county between January and July, compared with 257 in the first seven months of 2025. That is an increase of 90.66%.

A total of 29,840 new electric cars had been registered across Ireland by the end of July, 61% more than during the same period in 2025.

Battery electric cars accounted for 26.12% of the new car market nationally, moving ahead of petrol-electric hybrids at 24.59%.

The July figures also point to a strong start for the new 262 registration period. Nationally, 29,046 new cars were registered during July, an increase of 8.63% on July 2025.

For Westmeath, the overall picture is one of steady growth; new car registrations are up by more than 100 vehicles in the first seven months of the year and electric car registrations almost doubled.

With the second half of the 262 registration year now under way, the coming months will show whether that growth can be maintained through the remainder of 2026.