There are many barriers to the adoption of electric cars, en masse. A sclerotic charging network doesn’t help. Nor does the armada of misinformation bots on Facebook and Twitter claiming that batteries will melt down after a week, or that you’ll never get your money back on an EV.
The biggest barrier of all, though, was price. In the initial years of the electric car revolution, cars powered by batteries were expensive. The technology was new, and therefore there was a huge research and development sunk cost in every EV that rolled through a dealership. Battery design, construction, and the supply chains needed were in their infancy. All of which added up to higher prices. At one point, an electric Opel Corsa could cost almost €10,000 more than a basic petrol version, even with all the grants and rebates.
Now? The tables have well and truly turned. The design and construction aspects of EVs have matured, the supply of batteries and the materials needed for them has come down dramatically in cost, and the entrance into the market of a host of new marques and models has increased competition.
Not so long ago, the cheapest EVs were still usually north of €30,000. Now? The cheapest car on sale in the Republic is an electric car – specifically the Dacia Spring, which has an entry price of just €15,990.
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The thing is, it’s not alone. There’s also the new Leapmotor T03, a compact electric hatchback from China which has a range of 250km and costs a mere €18,950 – and you even get a sunroof. Or there’s its compatriot, the BYD Dolphin Surf, which starts at €17,895 and can go for up to 320km on a charge (but that range does cost a bit extra).
That’s perhaps not as cheap as it ought to have been. The Dolphin Surf started life in China as the BYD Seagull, and it was reputed to cost the equivalent of just €10,000 in the Chinese market. Re-engineering the car for European safety regulations and paying the hefty EV tariffs charged by the EU has neutered that price advantage, but still – a perfectly good small hatchback for less than €18,000 and that can be “fuelled” for less than €300 per year is nothing to be sniffed at.
Then there’s the Hyundai Inster, whose price has gone up since it was first introduced – you may as well budget €23,000 to get the best model now – but which has a rare combination of small size, great efficiency and range, and a roomy cabin, as does the Citroen e-C3, whose prices start at just over €23,000.
There are more small, cheap EVs on the way, such as Renault’s ultra-stylish new Twingo, the Volkswagen ID.1, the supercool new Fiat Panda, and even a battery revival of the two-seat Smart car.
The improvement in affordability of electric cars isn’t limited to these small models, which slot into a class of car we’d once have called “city cars2. You can go bigger and still not pay through the nose. Having spoken of Renault already, it would be churlish not to mention that the ultra-stylish Renault 5 E-Tech has a starting price of just under €26,000, and that the related, roomier Renault 4 E-Tech can be bought for only slightly more.
Jeep has brought the cost of its cute little electric Avenger down to the same as the basic 1.2-litre petrol version, while Alfa Romeo has done the same with its Junior EV. The electric Peugeot 3008 is actually slightly cheaper than the hybrid version, while the hugely popular Volkswagen ID.4 is also slightly cheaper than the cheapest (and smaller) VW T-Roc SUV.
Even at the higher end, prices are coming down. The new 800km-ranged BMW iX3 is a bargain compared to the petrol-or-diesel-powered X3.
The question is, are these lower prices actually moving the dial when it comes to customer interest? Well, Derek Reilly of Nevo – an Irish EV specialist website – reckons they certainly have.
“The influx of more affordable EV models, including those priced below €30,000 and even €20,000, is a major factor driving this renewed interest in electric vehicles. When we survey people at our shows and on our site, the number one reason people move to electric is running costs; number two is the environment,” says Reilly.
“The availability of these models is helping to address the key barrier of upfront cost, which numerous surveys identify as the main obstacle to EV adoption. In 2024, the average price of a battery pack fell by more than 25 per cent globally, which contributed to a drop in manufacturing costs for EVs. Automakers are responding to this trend, with several models priced under €25,000 set to launch in the European market by the end of 2026. This includes models from companies like Renault and BYD.”
According to Reilly, the feedback from visitors to Nevo’s live electric vehicle shows (another one is coming to the RDS in Dublin on November 7th) is that a significant portion of visitors were looking for information on finance, the overall cost of ownership, and the charging ecosystem. Reilly’s hope is that the Nevo show helps to bridge the knowledge gap and build confidence in making the switch to an electric vehicle.
“I boil it down to the three C’s; choice, confidence and charging,” says Reilly. “Consumers have never had more choice. We’ll have our largest ever show this year with over 120 EVs on show with multiple Irish launches. It will be one of the largest EV shows in Europe. Drivers are getting more confidence in the estimated range of the latest batteries. Lastly, every day more chargers are coming online and the strong pipeline of hubs in the planning process shows a real intent from the charge-point operators.”
