What it costs to charge Ireland's popular electric cars
First edition, 25 October 2026. Some figures are still being checked; we mark each one.
We took 21 versions of 20 popular electric cars in Ireland, new and second-hand, and worked out what each one costs to charge for a year. We used the makers' own figures and the charging prices we verify every day on EV·Echo Price Watch. Every car's charging cost is worked out the same way, so any two compare like for like. Prices are shown as each maker prints them, so they don't.
EV·Echo Car Watch, 25 October 2026 (charging prices verified that day): at 15,000 km a year, charging costs between about €685 and €1,010 a year across the cars with an official WLTP figure. Where you charge moves the bill more than which car you pick. On an average car:
Public rapid charging costs several times a good night rate, so the share you charge at home is the biggest lever.
The cars
The cars are the most-registered electric cars in Ireland by SIMI figures: new cars by registrations from January to September 2026, and older cars by new registrations plus used imports since 2011. They are listed in that order, not ranked by cost.
Battery in kWh, as the maker prints it. Official consumption (WLTP, kWh/100 km). Home AC charging (kW). Rapid DC peak (kW). DC 10–80% (min). Yearly charging cost (15,000 km, 70% home). Indicative price.
| Car | New / used | Battery kWh | WLTP kWh/100 km | AC kW | DC kW | 10–80% min | Charging a year | Indicative price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VW ID.4 Pro 77 kWh | New (VW: from existing stock only) | 77 | 15.5–16.4 | being checked | being checked | — | about €805 | About €40,500 after incentives (VW price guide dated Oct 2026, read 25 Oct) |
| VW ID.3 58 kWh | New | 58 | 14.0–14.9 | being checked | 105 | — | about €730 | About €37,000 after incentives (VW price guide dated Oct 2026, read 25 Oct) |
| Skoda Enyaq 85 | New | 77 usable | 15.4 | 11 | 165 | 29 | about €775 | About €43,500 after incentives (Skoda price list dated Aug 2026, read 25 Oct) |
| Skoda Elroq 60 | New | 58 usable | 15.4 | 11 | 105 | 26 | about €775 | About €38,000 after incentives (Skoda price list dated Aug 2026, read 25 Oct) |
| Hyundai Inster 49 kWh | New | 49 | 14.9–15.1 | 10.5 | 85 | 30 | about €755 | About €24,000–€26,500 after grant and VRT relief (Hyundai price list, read 25 Oct) |
| Toyota bZ | New | 73.1 gross | 13.6–13.9 (cost uses 13.6) | 11 | about 150 | about 30 | about €685 | About €42,000 after grant and VRT relief (Toyota price page, read 25 Oct) |
| Kia EV3 Long Range | New | 81.4 | 14.9–16.2 | 11 | 128 | 31 | about €785 | About €37,000–€50,500 including EV grants (Kia, all versions, read 25 Oct)* |
| Hyundai Kona Electric 65 kWh | New | 65.4 | 14.7 | 10.4 | 102 | 41 | about €740 | About €39,500–€42,500 after grant and VRT relief (Hyundai price list, read 25 Oct) |
| Kia EV5 | New | 81.4 | about 17.3–18.3 (converted from UK) | 11 | 150 | 30 | about €900 | About €43,000–€58,500 including EV grants (Kia, read 25 Oct)* |
| BYD Sealion 7 | New | 82.5 | about 20.0 (converted from UK) | 11 | 150 | 32 | about €1,010 | No Irish price published |
| Tesla Model Y RWD | New and used | being checked | 13.8 (Tesla page archived 14 Apr 2026) | being checked | 175 | — | about €695 (archived figure) | Being checked |
| Tesla Model 3 RWD | New and used | being checked | 13.0 (Tesla page archived 13 May 2026) | being checked | 175 | — | about €655 (archived figure) | Being checked |
| Hyundai Ioniq 5 84 kWh | New (older used cars have 58–77 kWh, not costed here) | 84 | 16.0–17.2 | 10.5 | 260 | 18 | about €840 | About €42,500–€53,000 after grant and VRT relief (Hyundai price list, read 25 Oct)* |
| Kia EV6 84 kWh | New (older used cars have 58–77.4 kWh, not costed here) | 84 | 15.9–17.7 | 11 | 260 | 18 | about €850 | About €43,000–€55,000 including EV grants (Kia, read 25 Oct)* |
| MG4 | Used | being checked | being checked | — | — | being checked | being checked | MG Ireland's Sep 2026 price list shows only the MG4 Urban |
| Kia Niro EV (2nd gen) 64.8 kWh | Used | 64.8 | 16.2 | 11 | — | — | about €815 | Used only |
| Hyundai Kona Electric 64 kWh (2018–22) | Used | 64 | 14.7 | 7.2–10.5 | — | 47 | about €740 | Used only |
| Nissan Leaf 40 kWh (2018–25) | Used | 40 | 18.0–20.6 | 6.6 | 50 (CHAdeMO) | — | about €975 | Used only |
| Nissan Leaf 30 kWh (2016–17) | Used | 30 | no WLTP figure | — | — | — | not costed | Used only |
| Hyundai Ioniq Electric 38 kWh (2019–22) | Used | 38.3 | 13.8 | 7.2 | — | — | about €695 | Used only |
| Hyundai Ioniq Electric 28 kWh (2016–19) | Used | 28 | no WLTP figure (older NEDC test only) | 6.6 | 50 | — | not costed (no WLTP figure) | Used only |
*The top versions are priced above SEAI's €50,000 grant cap (in force since 1 Aug 2026), so the grant-inclusive price the maker prints may not apply to them.
About the prices
Indicative list prices only, never a quote. Each figure is the maker's own published list price on the date shown, rounded to the nearest €500, as the maker prints it: some include the SEAI grant and VRT relief, some don't. We never subtract grants ourselves. They exclude delivery and dealer charges, vary by version and dealer, and change when grants change: check with a dealer before you buy. Each price lapses 14 days after its read date (8 November 2026) unless re-checked.
Still being checked
- Real-world consumption. Every figure here is the official WLTP test. Real-world use is usually higher, more so in winter. We will add a real-world line once we have a source we can cite.
- Usable battery size. Only Skoda publishes usable capacity, and Toyota's figure is gross. The rest print one number without saying which.
- Tesla Model Y and Model 3. We couldn't read Tesla's Irish pages in time, so these rows use archived Tesla pages and have no price yet.
- VW ID.4 and ID.3 home charging speed, and the ID.4's rapid-charging peak.
- MG4 specs, and an Irish price for the BYD Sealion 7.
- Two figures converted from UK units (Kia EV5, BYD Sealion 7).
- Non-Irish editions. Some specs, including several AC and DC charging figures (Kia EV3, EV5, EV6; Hyundai Inster and Ioniq 5), come from UK or EU documents; we are checking they match the Irish cars.
- Grant-inclusive prices above the SEAI cap. The top versions of the Kia EV3, EV5, EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 are priced above €50,000, so the grant the maker includes may not apply.
- Older used versions of the Ioniq 5 and EV6 have smaller batteries and are not costed yet.
- Kia e-Niro (first generation) is not in this table yet; see the case study.
How we worked it out
- Specs: the makers' own Irish, UK or EU brochures, price lists, spec sheets and press kits, read 25 October 2026 (archived Tesla pages are marked). Never comparison or review sites.
- Consumption: where a maker prints a WLTP range, we use the middle of it.
- Home charging: Energia EV Smart Drive, standard rate, 13.61c/kWh from 02:00 to 06:00 (12.25c with Energia's 10% direct-debit and eBill discount, which we don't apply), the plan EV·Echo Price Watch Home ranks first, verified on Energia's own tariff page 25 Oct 2026, with 10% charging loss.
- Public charging: ESB ecars at 73c/kWh, the contactless rate on DC 50 kW and above, from ESB's own price page, verified 25 Oct 2026, with 5% loss. ESB's app pay-as-you-go rate is 72c and its monthly subscription 67c, so app or subscription users pay a little less. We use a mainstream network rather than the lowest price on EV·Echo Price Watch, to reflect what most drivers pay.
- Mileage and split: 15,000 km a year (an example mileage), 70% charged at home.
- Standing charges, servicing, insurance and tax are not included.
- No maker or dealer paid for, or saw, this before it was published.
Running costs depend on where you charge.
When you charge away from home, EV·Echo shows which public chargers near you are free right now and what each one costs, so you pay the price you planned for.
