New data released by Carzone.ie shows that one in four of the cars viewed on its website are now electric. This represents a huge upsurge in interest, even compared to the start of the year when electric cars made up just five per cent of the views. The number of ad views for EVs is up by 109 per cent compared to last November.
More choice
Also up is the number of electric vehicles for sale on Carzone, with new models increasing by 115 per cent compared to last year and the number of used cars rising by 71 per cent compared to November 2020. According to Carzone's data, used electric cars have been advertised in some 24 out of 26 counties thus far.
Still not affordable
There continues to be a significant price discrepancy between used electric cars and their internal-combustion-engined counterparts. The average price of a used electric car is, according to Carzone's figures, 26 per cent more expensive than the average diesel car and up to 57 per cent higher than the average petrol model. The median price for a used electric car is currently €31,000.
Underscoring the fact that manufacturers still have some way to go when it comes to producing affordable electric vehicles is Carzone's data showing just three new electric models for sale for less than €30,000 - the Renault Zoe, Peugeot e-208 and Opel Corsa-e. This, it says, is in contrast to new petrol and diesel cars under €30,000 which comprise 25 per cent of the cars advertised on Carzone with 19 brands and 75 models to choose from.
Most popular models
Carzone's most recent list of the most searched-for electric vehicles is unchanged from back in September and shows the Nissan Leaf out on top followed by the Audi e-tron, Volkswagen ID.4 and Tesla Model S. With a few exceptions, the list of most searched-for electric vehicles is broadly in line with the best-selling EVs in Ireland this year, the VW ID.4 and ID.3 coming out on top in that particular list.
Comment
Commenting on the figures, Carzone's audience manager, Karl Connolly said:
"We have seen a big rise in interest in EVs this year from Irish motorists, with an increase of 176 per cent more EVs available on Carzone, including 115 per cent more new EVs advertised and 87 per cent more used EVs advertised. However, EVs are expensive and with only three electric models available under €30,000 this will certainly impact the uptake in electric vehicles by Irish motorists."