There was a drop of almost 20% in the number of new cars registered in Mayo last year, according to the latest figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry.

Across the country, new car registrations were down 10% on 2016 – while the drop in Mayo was over 19%.

2,277 new cars were registered in Mayo during 2017, compared to 2816 the previous year.

Galway and Roscommon saw a 15% drop in new car sales, and almost 13% in Sligo.

Director General Alan Nolan says 2017 was a very challenging year for the motor industry, mainly due to the impact of Brexit on Euro and sterling rates.

The top 5 selling car brands last year were Volkswagen, Toyota, Ford, Hyundai and Nissan.