The number of imported vehicles sold in South Korea last month dropped slightly from a year earlier, but eco-friendly vehicles such as hybrids and electric vehicles (EVs) accounted for a record 81 per cent of the total, industry data showed on Thursday.

According to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA), a total of 21,495 imported cars were newly registered in April, down 0.3 per cent from a year ago.

KAIDA attributed the decrease to price hikes and inventory shortages for certain brands, reports Yonhap news agency.

By brand, BMW retained the top spot with 6,710 units sold, followed by Mercedes-Benz, Tesla and Lexus, with 4,908, 1,447 and 1,353 units, respectively.

In terms of fuel type, hybrid vehicles led the sales, accounting for 63.7 percent, followed by EVs and gasoline models, at 17.3 per cent and 17.1 percent, respectively. Diesel models accounted for 1.9 per cent of total imports.

By individual model line, Mercedes-Benz's E-Class topped the sales chart with 2,151 units, followed by BMW's 5 Series and Tesla's Model Y, with 2,040 units and 804 units, respectively.

Meanwhile, the sale of imported vehicles in South Korea gained 24.4 per cent from a year earlier in February, helped by the announcement of this year's government subsidies for electric vehicles (EVs), industry data showed recently.

The number of newly registered imported cars came to 20,199 units in February, up from 16,237 units from a year ago, according to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association. On a monthly basis, the tally represents a 32.6 per cent surge from January.

In terms of fuel types, hybrid registrations totalled 13,013 units, or 64.4 per cent of all new imported cars. Electric, gasoline and diesel model registrations followed at 18.6 percent, 16 per cent and 1 percent, respectively.

BMW was the most popular brand, selling 6,274 units, followed by Mercedes-Benz, which sold 4,663 units.