Irish car buyers spend an average of €16,550 on new purchases and cite high prices as the primary reason for not opting for electric vehicles (EVs).
According to a survey by Carzone, the average spend varies from €9,840 for buyers aged 17 to 24, rising to nearly €24,500 for those aged 65 or over.
Younger motorists are also reducing their spending compared to last year when the average was €14,240 for buyers aged 17 to 24. In contrast, older drivers have increased their average spend by €1,900 this year.
While 121,214 new cars were registered in 2024, Carzone estimates there were 600,000 used car transactions last year, with four- to five-year-old vehicles being the most popular purchases.
The survey of 1,000 motorists by the online car sales platform found that 40 per cent of respondents cited the cost of EVs as the main reason for not opting to purchase one, followed by reliability concerns at 31 per cent and electricity costs at 28 per cent.
Sentiment towards electric vehicles dipped last year, with new registrations down 23.6 per cent on 2023. However, a fall in used EV values, combined with the arrival of more affordable new models, has led to signs of recovery this year, with sales of new EVs up 9.6 per cent.
A report last month by DoneDeal found that used EVs are now 11.2 per cent cheaper than comparable diesel cars and 12.7 per cent cheaper than equivalent hybrid models on a like-for-like basis, although they are still 11 per cent more expensive than petrol equivalents.
Of those surveyed by Carzone, 32 per cent said they plan to purchase a hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or EV as their next car, with hybrids being the favoured option among 17 per cent.
Aside from the price of the car itself, rising insurance costs are the main financial concern for motorists, closely followed by fuel prices. However, the survey found that the average monthly running costs are €212.32, down 3.5 per cent on last year.
The most searched-for models on the Carzone site last year were the VW Golf, followed by BMW’s 5 Series and 3 Series, Hyundai Tucson, and the Mercedes E-Class. The most popular body type was SUV.
As for the current coverage of international protests against Teslas, Carzone’s head of content, Martin O’Neill, said search volumes for the EV brand have remained relatively stable – peaking at 600 daily searches on January 8th and averaging around 400 searches per day since.
“This is broadly in line with the same period in 2024, suggesting no major reaction either way,” he said.
“So far in 2025, Tesla ranks as the 12th most searched electric vehicle brand on our platform. While it doesn’t appear in the overall EV top 10, interest remains steady.”
