The total number of new car registrations increased in May, according to new figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI).
6,341 new cars were registered last month, which is a 4.7% rise when compared to May 2018.
However, the total number of new registrations in the year to date (79,343) are down by 7.6% on the same period last year.
New Light Commercial Vehicle registrations are also up 5.2% on May 2018 with registrations in the year to date down 8.4%. With regard to new Heavy Commercial Vehicles, registrations increased by 31.3% and 7.7% in the same respective periods.
When compared to May 2017, last month there was a 4.1% rise in the total number of imported used cars.
In the same period, sales of electric vehicles almost doubled with a 95.5% increase.
In the year to date, there was been 271.5% increase in electric vehicle sales.
The top five selling car brands in the year to date are Volkswagen, Toyota, Hyundai, Ford and Skoda.
The top selling car last month was the Toyota Corolla.
Commenting on the registrations figures Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General, said: “Registrations for the month of May, both cars and light commercial vehicles, showed an improvement on May of last year, although the increase in numerical terms was relatively small.
However, sales overall year to date have been disappointing with both business and consumer Brexit related uncertainty contributing to dampened demand for new vehicles.
"As we move into June the Industry is now focused on preparations for the start of the July 192 registration period. This will see a variety of strong offers to consumers across all brands, and in this environment, consumers will have a wide choice of cars to choose from at a really competitive price," he said.
