How much have fuel prices in Ireland fallen?
According to figures from AA Ireland, the cost of petrol has dropped by 2.26c per litre, and is now down to a national average of €1.96 per litre. Diesel has also fallen a little, down by 1.87c per litre to €2.13, a decrease of around one per cent.
How much will I save on a tank of fuel?
Not a lot. According to the AA’s maths, the November averages equate to approximately €78.36 for a 40-litre petrol fill and €106.45 for a 50-litre diesel fill. Compared with October, that is €0.90 less for a petrol fill and €0.94 less for diesel, or €3.62 and €3.74 respectively across four fills in the month. That’s a saving of just under €1 per tank. Enjoy the bounty.
Are fuel prices still close to record highs?
Yes. While those are decreases, it’s worth remembering that prices increased sharply at the beginning of October, by 11.3c for petrol and 20.56c for diesel, so the current prices, although a little lower, are still close to last month’s highs.
Has EV charging got more expensive in Ireland?
Yes, significantly. The ESB rolled out much higher prices for using its public charging network in the past couple of weeks, with drivers using the ESB app now paying 83c per kWh at ESB fast chargers, up from 72c, and 70c per kWh at standard chargers, up from 60c.
Is it really more expensive to charge an electric car on public chargers than to use petrol or diesel?
It depends on the electric car. Let’s assume you’re talking about a Volkswagen ID.4, with the 77kWh battery, as that’s Ireland’s best-selling electric car right now. To do a zero-to-full charge from a kerbside ESB charging point, you’ll now have to spend €53.90. A comparable Volkswagen Tiguan TDI has a 55-litre fuel tank, so will cost you €117.15 to fill. So it's QED that the electric car is better? Not quite. In our experience, a full battery in the ID.4 gives you a realistic range of 450km, whereas a full tank in the Tiguan will take you for at least 750 to 800km before you’ll have to refill. So on public chargers, the electric car still works out a little cheaper per kilometre, but if you’re using only high-speed chargers, it comes very close to the cost of the diesel.
Related: all our Volkswagen reviews
Is it still cheaper to charge an electric car at home?
Yes, and by quite some margin, although that margin is narrowing a little now, as the AA points out that home charging has also become more expensive for some EV owners. Energia’s EV charging rates rose by 20 per cent to 30 per cent from 12 October.
Charging an ID.4 at home on Energia’s latest Smart Data rate, which has a night rate between 11pm and 8am of 22.83c per kWh, means you could do that same full charge for €17.58. That’s a definite and major saving compared with diesel or petrol power in an equivalently sized SUV.
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