More than one fifth of all new cars licensed for the first time, in the 10 months to October, were electric or plug in-hybrid.
That compares to 16% in the same period last year.
Figures from the CSO show the number of used cars licenced from the start of the year to the end of October fell by a third.
There were almost 40,000 of such vehicles licenced to date in 2022, compared to just over 60,300 for the same time last year.
Volkswagen was the most popular make of new private cars licensed in October 2022.
