Buying a Used EV

Now more than ever, there are more options and reasons to choose a used EV. High demand is driven by lower running costs, increased range, improved variety of models and a generous suite of incentives.

The used EV market is growing and there are models ranging from €10,000 upwards which can potentially meet your needs. With the coming legislation to ban the sale of new ICE vehicles by 2030 and all new cars to be zero emitting by 2035, it might be a good time to switch to an EV, as your petrol or diesel car’s resale value may reduce as we approach the upcoming ban.

Savings

While Purchase Grants & VRT relief apply to new cars only, other financial incentives including the home charger grant, reduced tolls, low motor tax, and VRT relief for imports, are available for a used EV. See Cost Savings for more details.

A vehicles total cost of ownership includes the purchase price, running costs, maintenance and resale value. Use our Compare & Calculate online tools to check potential cost savings.

• Journey Cost Calculator - See how much you could save on your typical journeys by switching to an EV. Calculate the cost of your trips in a range of cars.
• Total cost of ownership calculator - Browse and compare the full range of new electric, petrol and diesel vehicles in Ireland. See how much you can save in costs and emissions.  - Note: this calculator is based on buying a brand-new EV.

EVs have fewer moving parts, no gearbox/clutch, no timing belt, oil changes etc. so the potential for mechanical issues in the drivetrain of a used EV vehicle is considerably less.

Battery health and range

To make sure you’re aware of the battery condition of a used vehicle, check the SoH (State of Health), a battery should retain between 70%-80% SoH during its lifespan depending on the vehicle.

If you buy from a dealership, they will be able to provide a battery information sheet. You can easily check the battery status (or remaining capacity) through the car’s infotainment system.  

There are typically 2 gauges of varying formats to check:

• SoH (state of health), long term battery capacity, different vehicles will show this in different formats, sometimes with the use of bars.
• SoC (state of charge), is the short term charge and associated range, this can fluctuate day to day and is impacted by a many factors including temperature, road conditions and driver behaviour. In general, at 100% SoC, the km range will also be indicated

Importing

Buying a used EV through a car dealership, specialised car importer or private seller is a viable option. Vehicles imported into the Republic of Ireland that were first registered in Northern Ireland before 1st January 2021 do not incur the VAT charge and EVs qualify for VRT exemption up to €5,000.

Life cycle comparison to non-electric vehicles

Once an EV has driven more than 30,000 km, it will have offset the emissions used to build it.

EVs are considerably more sustainable than any other form of road transport and don’t create any tail pipe emissions (in fully electric mode) once they are driving on our roads. 

As Ireland moves to more renewables on the grid the CO2 associated with electricity generation will decrease.

Where to buy a used EV

Online marketplaces advertise used cars for both private sellers and dealers. There are a number of specialist used EV dealers in Ireland in addition to traditional car dealerships and most car manufacturers have EVs in their range now.