Carzone has called on the Government, with just under two weeks to go to Budget 2026, to retain the current levels of incentives and grants for electric vehicles.
How are EV sales doing this year?
Following a torrid 2024, which saw EV sales plummet - something that was heavily attributed to the decision taken in the summer of 2023 to reduce the SEAI grant for electric cars - 2025 has seen sales climb steadily. In fact, EV sales are up by 30 per cent for the year to date, and they've actually fractionally overtaken diesel car sales.
What's Carzone asking for?
Carzone's take is that no extra incentives are needed, but that it's critical to keep the current supports in place, which include a VRT rebate of up to €5,000 for cars costing less than €60,000; the SEAI grant of up to €3,500, and the Benefit In Kind tax bands for company car drivers.
According to Carzone's own figures, interest in electric cars is gaining pace amongst Irish buyers, while searches for petrol and diesel models have fallen. The platform's search data indicates that the Kia EV6 and EV9, Volkswagen ID.4, Tesla Model 3, BYD Sealion 7 and Skoda Enyaq are the models generating the most interest amongst Irish motorists.
How many EVs are on Irish roads right now?
Data from history checking service Cartell shows that there are currently 103,320 electric cars on our roads, and that critically the market has shifted from high-cost vehicles to much more affordable, sub-€20,000 cars such as the Hyundai Inster and Dacia Spring.
While noting that the charging infrastructure still needs a great deal of work, Carzone's analysis reckons that even with that being the case, Irish attitudes towards EVs show that drivers are willing to meet the system half-way, and to find their way around charging obstacles.
Martin O'Neill of Carzone said: “Our data clearly shows that Irish motorists are ready to make the switch. Continued incentives will ensure that EVs remain attainable at all price points, while giving buyers the confidence to invest in new technology.”