New figures compiled by the Revenue show that the number of used cars imported has risen by 44% over the first six months of the year. A total of 29,338 used cars were imported between January and June, compared with 20,371 for the same six month period last year.

The figures break down to 160 second-hand cars imported into Ireland every day over the first six months of the year, or an average of 4,890 a month. The figures do not specify from which country the vehicles have been imported.

When compared to figures for the first six months of 2004, the number of secondhand cars being imported has risen by 96%. In total, 25,573 second-hand cars were imported in 2004, less than the total number of foreign vehicles imported in the first six months of this year.

The new six month figures released by the Revenue show that the sale of new cars is at an all-time high, with an average of 785 being registered every day. A total of 144,484 new cars have been registered so far this year, slightly up on the 137,137 that were registered between January and June of last year.

Those figures represent a 5% increase in the number of new cars being registered in Ireland, and an 18% increase on the six-month figure from 2004, when only 121,828 new cars were registered.

January saw the highest number of new cars registered, when registration tax was paid on 42,744 new vehicles. That figure has since fallen and last month 15,441 new vehicles were registered.

Almost half a million new cars have been registered in Ireland over the past two and a half years. In the 30 months between January 2004 and June 2006, 470,862 new vehicles were registered with the Revenue. A total of 94,712 used cars were also imported.