The rise in EV sales is ‘not particularly good’ given recent improvements in price and choice, Ger Herbert has said. 

In 2023, the Government cut the subsidy for EVs from €5,000 per vehicle to €3,500. 

In the aftermath, sales plummeted as customers turned back toward petrol and diesel models. 

On The Pat Kenny Show, motoring expert Ger Herbert said much of the reason for the decline in EV sales was due to “mostly ill-informed”. 

“There’s a 25.5% increase since this time last year,” she said. 

“The interesting thing about this is 2024 was not a very good year for electric cars - so, to compare 2025 to 2024 doesn’t tell us an awful lot. 

“But if you go back to 2023, we’re almost at an identical point. 

“From January to April 2023, 11,160 electric cars were sold; this year from January to April, 11,309 - but I don’t think that’s particularly good.” 

An EV charging. Picture by: Alamy.com.

Ms Herbert added that even in the space of just two short years, the EV market has changed dramatically. 

“The prices now are much lower,” she said. 

“The range is much, much better in terms of the cars; the actual choice of models is so much better.

“I don’t think being back in 2023 is particularly good. 

“That said, this is definitely better than this time last year but I would have expected things to have improved a lot more when you consider what’s on offer at the moment.” 

In the Programme for Government, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael promised to, “Examine the current EV grant system and the introduction of additional incentives with a view to increasing takeup of EVs and replacing older, polluting vehicles.”

Main image: Electric car vehicle plugged in at charging point station. Picture by: Alamy.com