New Vehicle Registrations Reflect Continued Difficult Market

New vehicle registrations continued their downward drift last month; from 9,223 in April last year, to 8,839 in the month just gone.

The Motor Industry Association, which represents the country’s new vehicle manufacturers and suppliers, compiles registration numbers monthly.

Association chief executive Aimee Wiley says April’s results continue an overall declining trend from the beginning of the year, although some categories are showing resilience.

“Registrations to the end of April totalled 41,380 vehicles – a 3.9% drop on the 43,079 registered over same period in 2024. This is likely due to continuing tight economic conditions impacting on spending behaviour.”

For cars and SUVs, registrations at 6,092 were slightly down on the 6,111 recorded for April 2024 - a minimal 0.3% reduction; while light commercial (2,367 units) and heavy commercial (380 units) were down on the numbers (2,515 units and 597 units respectively) registered to the end of April 2024.

Toyota remained the top passenger marque with 2,172 units registered for a 24.6% share of the market, but this represented a 8.6% drop on the 2,378 units sold in April 2024.

Ford took second place with 917 registrations, with Mitsubishi in third spot registering 842 units; both down on the 1,264 units and 948 units respectively for April 2024.

In terms of fuel type, battery electric light passenger vehicles (BEV) showed a sharp increase from 262 units in April 2024 to 442 last month, while hybrid (HEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) car sales were relatively steady at 2,310 registrations in April 2025 compared with 2,569 in April 2024. By contrast, internal combustion engine (ICE) light passenger vehicle registrations totalled 3,340, compared with 3,280 in April last year.

In the commercial light vehicle category, the Ford Ranger, with 674 registrations, retained a slight lead over the Toyota Hilux, with 644 units. This represents a considerable narrowing of the gap between the fierce rivals, who recorded 836 and 510 registrations, respectively, in April 2024.

However, year-to-date figures paint a different picture, with the Hilux totalling 2,528 registrations for a 24.9% market share, compared with 2,460 Rangers and a 24.2% market share. This is a significant reversal of the situation in April 2024, when 4,266 of the long-time favourite Ford Rangers were registered for a 33.5% market share, compared with 2,469 Toyota Hilux’s and a 19.4% market share.

Key Industry Insights 

Industry Registrations

In April 2025, 8,839 new vehicles were registered, representing a 4.3% decrease (399 units) over April 2024 and a 13.1% decrease (1,338 units) compared to April 2023.

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