A total of 2,142 new tractors were licensed for the first time up to the end of August this year, new data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows.

This represents an increase of 267 units or 14% when compared with the same seven-month period in 2025 when 1,875 new tractors were registered.

210 new tractors were licensed for the first time in August 2026, showing a marginal decrease of seven units (-3%) on the corresponding month last year.

Tractors

1,903 used (imported) tractors were licensed for the first time between January and August, which is up 3% on the same period last year (1,841 units).

The CSO said that 205 used (imported) tractors were registered during August 2026, down by four units on August 2025.

Damien Lenihan, statistician in the transport Section of the CSO, said that the figures from the CSO show a 57% growth in the number of new private electric cars (EVs) licensed for the first time in August 2026 (3,763) when compared with the same month in 2025 (2,394).

He added: “Licensing of hybrid vehicles increased by 9% from 1,928 in August 2025 to 2,110 new private cars in August 2026.”

The total number of used (imported) private cars licensed in August 2026 rose by 34% compared with August 2025 (8,084 vs 6,048).

There were 1,444 used (imported) diesel private cars licensed in August 2026, compared with 1,437 in the same period of 2025.

Used (imported) private petrol cars licensed went up by 24% in August 2026 compared with August 2025 (3,098 vs 2,508). 

The total number of new goods vehicles licensed for the first time in August 2026 was 2,856, up 7% on August 2025 (2,673). 

Types of vehicles

The CSO found that more than a quarter (27%) of all new private cars licensed between January and August 2026 were electric.

Over the same eight-month period, there was a fall of 21% in the number of new petrol cars licensed (22,357 vs 28,431).

Similarly, there was a 23% decrease in the number of new diesel cars licensed (13,952 vs 18,215). 

There were 25,761 new goods vehicles licensed from January to August 2026, which was an increase of 12% on the 23,037 licensed over the same period of 2025. 

Data also shows that Toyota was the most popular make of new private car licensed in August 2026 at 1,587 vehicles, followed by Volkswagen (1,293), Skoda (1,047), Kia (1,002), and Hyundai (646).

Together, these five makes represented 51% of all new private cars licensed in August 2026. 

The most popular brand of new electric car licensed in August 2026 was Volkswagen ID.4 (274), followed by Kia EV2 (149), and Kia EV5 (126).