New research has shown that 30% of all new cars in Ireland are now automatics.

According to DoneDeal, in the first three months of 2019, over 19,000 automatic cars rolled off the forecourts – a record high for the transmission type.

Compared to five years ago when just 6,000 new automatic cars sold in the country, that’s an increase of 83%.

Toyota, Audi and BMW topped this list of best selling car makes with automatic transmissions, while the Toyota Corolla was the best selling model from January to March.

Done Deal’s Martin Clancy said that automatic cars are becoming more popular because the newer transmissions are “extremely intelligent”.

He said: “It’s now common to see seven and even eight gear transmissions which enable smooth and efficient driving, even at low revs.

“Therefore burning far less fuel and reducing emissions”

Diesel cars were the most popular automatic transmission types, accounting for 47% of sales, with petrol-electric hybrids at 26% and regular petrol at 16%.

Mr Clancy added with rising sales of “alternative fuel” and hybrid cars “the number of automatics on the roads is sure to rise also”.

Best selling automatics on Irish roads Q1 2019:

• Toyota Corolla – 1,516 units
• Toyota C-HR – 1,363 units
• Toyota Rav 4 – 898 units
• Skoda Kodiaq – 821 units
• Toyota Yaris – 771 units