Searches for electric vehicles (EVs) on Ireland’s largest car marketplace rose 94 per cent last month compared with the same period last year, as diesel searches fell by 21 per cent over the same period. The data from DoneDeal Cars was drawn from searches where people specified a fuel type, therefore capturing intent rather than just browsing. Diesel has fallen every quarter since the group began tracking fuel-type searches in September 2024. It held a majority of all fuel-type searches at the outset. That majority is now gone and it has its lowest share on record and its sharpest year-on-year decline since tracking began.In the same period, electric searches have nearly doubled. Diesel searches fell steadily through late 2024 and into 2025, declining gradually each quarter.Then, from March, the pace of decline accelerated sharply – dropping farther in a single month than in the previous six combined. By May, diesel had recorded its largest year-on-year fall and its lowest share since the group began tracking.Petrol held its ground throughout – up 9 per cent year on year. DoneDeal Cars said that was a signal that buyers leaving diesel are not returning to petrol as a default. “They are looking at electric and hybrid options instead,” said spokesman Paddy Comyn.EV searches grew steadily but modestly from September 2024 through to February 2026. Then, in March, they jumped sharply in a single month, nearly doubling their level of the previous year. They peaked the following month before settling at a year-on-year increase of 94 per cent in May.“The timing reflects a broader convergence: used EV prices have become increasingly competitive, the charging network has expanded, and a growing number of Irish drivers now have first-hand experience of electric ownership through family or friends,” Comyn said.Some individual hybrid search categories fell sharply year on year, but DoneDeal Cars said that reflected a change in how buyers search rather than a fall in hybrid interest.“Buyers have become more specific,” it said. “They now search for petrol hybrid or plug-in hybrid rather than a catch-all hybrid label. “When all hybrid-related categories are grouped, hybrid search interest is up 2 per cent year on year. The market is not turning away from hybrids. It is simply becoming more precise about what it wants.“When we started tracking in September 2024, diesel had more than half of all fuel-type searches. By May, it had hit its lowest share on record. What’s particularly striking is the timing – EV searches barely moved for 18 months, then jumped sharply from March this year.”