More than one-third of Irish people plan to buy an electric vehicle, poll finds

More than one-third of Irish adults plan to buy an electric vehicle, while EV sales continue to rise across Ireland, according to a new Irish Examiner poll. File picture

Over a third of people plan to become more environmentally friendly by buying an electric vehicle (EV) in the future.

In the Ipsos B&A poll of 1,056 adults for the Irish Examiner, a similar proportion said they would not be buying an EV.

Meanwhile, 44% of people identified EVs as one of the top ways a person can help combat climate change.

Conducted in late April and early May, the poll shows a significant proportion of the public would consider making a switch, at a time when petrol and diesel costs have surged following the US and Israeli war against Iran which crippled freight through the Strait of Hormuz.

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There is also a strong belief that getting an EV would be seen as a beneficial behaviour to combat climate change, with 44% of people ranking it as among the top five actions an individual can take.

According to figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI), there were 16,779 new electric cars sold in Ireland in the first four months of this year, a significant increase of 48.5% on the same period in 2025.

In April, 2,779 new electric cars were sold — this was more than double the same number in the same month last year.

SIMI director general Brian Cooke said at the time that, despite this progress, the new car market share for EVs is still below the required level to meet national climate targets, as he called for targeted measures to encourage widespread EV adoption before 2030.

Mr Cooke told the Irish Examiner that the strong growth in EV sales over the last 18 months has been reflected across all counties.

“The main driver of battery EV sales is private consumers who account for 77% of the market,” he said.

“Government incentives and reliefs currently in place have played a vital role in encouraging private consumers to make the switch, with the move from early adopters to mainstream buyers.

“With greater visibility of electric vehicles on our roads and over 100 different models to choose from, increased range, and a variety of price points, more consumers are now considering a battery EV.”

However, Mr Cooke said incentives are critical at the moment to main growth in the market which is not yet “fully established”.

More EVs being sold on the market would then feed down into the second-hand market that would allow more people to get on board.

“The Government must capitalise on this momentum by maintaining and extending current incentives for consumers and supporting more businesses to invest in Battery EVs,” he added.

The Electric Vehicle Charging Alliance of Ireland, made up of the country’s charging operators and providers, has called on the Government to fast-track planning and grid connections to support rapid rollout of renewable-powered EV charging infrastructure.

“Ireland remains heavily exposed to global fuel markets that are volatile, unpredictable, and increasingly insecure. Reducing that exposure requires longterm system design, not shortterm fixes,” said Schneider Electric’s Darren Kinsella, who is spokesman of the alliance.

The surge in demand is mirrored across Europe, where interest in electric vehicles has risen alongside higher fuel prices due to the war in Iran. Carmakers are reported to be increasing production to meet the growing demand, with online marketplace OLX saying customer enquiries for EVs in France had risen 80% since the war began.

“The Iran conflict has fundamentally reshaped how people think about energy security in their daily lives,” said OLX chief executive Christian Gisy.

“Europeans have shifted from ‘maybe someday’ to ‘right now’ on electric vehicles.”

Additional reporting by Reuters

This article was funded by the News Reporting Scheme

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