The car market continues its upward trend, with registrations of passenger saloon cars reaching 22,597 in the first half of 2026, compared with 20,004 in the same period last year- an increase of 13%. In June alone, saloon car registrations rose by 14.8% to 4,338, up from 3,780 in June 2025.
According to data from the Statistical Service, used cars (from both dealerships and independent used-car traders/yards) accounted for 67.9% of the market between January and June 2026, with 15,352 registrations, while new cars held a 32.1% share, with 7,245 registrations.
Hybrid cars, which already held a clear lead, increased their market share to 51.7% in the first half of 2026, up from 43% in the same period of 2025. Electric vehicles held 4.9% (from 4.8%), while petrol-powered saloons fell to 35.2% from 43.6%, and diesel-powered cars dropped to 8.2% from 8.6%.
Total passenger saloon car market
Total registrations of passenger saloon cars in the period January–June 2026 amounted to 22,597, of which 19,995 were private vehicles.
Toyota remains at the top of this category with 5,176 registrations. It is followed by Mazda (2,529), Nissan (1,732), BMW (1,427) and Mercedes (1,195).
Other brands in the total saloon registrations list include Kia (867), Honda (865), Volkswagen (604), BYD (483), Audi (459) and Hyundai (459).
New passenger saloon cars
Registrations of new passenger saloon cars in the first half of 2026 stood at 7,245 -of which 6,467 were private cars- representing 32.1% of the saloon market.
Kia holds first place with 830 registrations, followed by Nissan (565), Toyota (536), while BYD strengthened its position with 478 registrations. Volkswagen completes the top five with 419 registrations.
Other brands in the new saloon car rankings include BMW (412), Hyundai (404), Mercedes (314), Renault (282) and Jeep (243).
(Source: InBusinessNews)
