Cost to run an electric car in Ireland significantly higher than in other European countries

According to DoneDeal, the average Irish electric car owner could pay €1,132 a year to charge their car.
Higher electricity prices in Ireland sees electric car owners paying significantly more than owners in other European countries over the course of the year, adding hundreds of euros to their running costs, a new report by DoneDeal has found.
It comes as numerous electricity companies have instituted price increases going into the winter months which will only add to the costs of running an electric car.
According to the report, the average Irish electric car owner could pay €1,132 a year to charge their car. However, electric car owners in Spain would pay €734 a year, while in the Netherlands owners would pay €826 a year.
DoneDeal’s calculations are based on annual mileage of 17,000kms and an average real-world consumption of 18 kWh/100 km for a Volkswagen ID.4. It is also based on the average price of a kilowatt hour of electricity.
“This means that an Irish electric car driver pays about 35% more to charge their car than a driver in Spain — even though both are charging the exact same vehicle,” DoneDeal said.
In France, owners would pay €883 a year and in the UK it would cost €902 a year. Germany on the other hand is more expensive than Ireland with the average cost being €1,206 a year.
Head of Automotive Content at DoneDeal Cars, Paddy Comyn, said electric cars still save money, around €768 a year compared to the equivalent petrol car, but “Irish drivers are paying a clear premium because we have the most expensive electricity in Europe”.
“The extra cost of charging an electric car in Ireland compared with Spain is about €400 a year — more than double the extra cost petrol drivers face. Electricity prices, not fuel prices, are now driving the real cost gap.”
The report cites the International Energy Agency’s
which showed that Ireland and Germany have the highest electricity prices per kWh in the EU.While domestic charging is more expensive compared to other European countries, public charging prices are on a similar level. The report said ESB high-power charging costs up to €0.66/kWh while UK rapid chargers average around €0.76/kWh, and in the Netherlands, many public chargers cost €0.67–€0.86/kWh.
“Drivers relying heavily on public charging could see annual costs double compared with home charging,” the report said. “We often talk about electric car sticker prices, but running costs matter just as much,” said Mr Comyn.
“With electricity pricing now such a major factor, Ireland risks losing some of the cost advantage of switching to electric. Policy needs to focus on competitive tariffs, grid investment and transparent public charging costs if we’re serious about accelerating electric car adoption.”
The report also noted that while petrol prices are high, they are comparable to other European countries with a similar average running cost per year.
With an average price of €1.72 per litre of petrol here in Ireland, driving a petrol car could cost €1,900 a year. The cheapest country studied was Spain at €1,679 annual cost.
However, in the UK, it would cost €1,965, in France it would cost €1,957, and in Germany €1,957. The Netherlands is the most expensive at an annual cost of €2,189.
These calculations are based on a person driving a car 17,000kms in a year with an average consumption of 6.5l per 100km.