EV vs Petrol & Diesel Calculator Ireland 2026

Calculator

Start with a preset (realistic new, like-for-like, used, or high-mileage), then adjust mileage, years, residual % and charging mix. Open Advanced to override pump prices, tariffs, motor tax bands, insurance quotes and monthly finance. The winner card and cost table update live.

What this calculator includes (and why it beats a single-price tool)

Many Irish EV-vs-ICE tools force one purchase price across all three fuels. That hides the real decision: EVs often cost more up front, diesels residual softer, and home charging changes everything. This tool models each fuel separately:

• Separate purchase prices for EV, petrol and diesel
• SEAI grant subtracted from EV cash outlay before depreciation
• Per-fuel residual % — diesel often weaker than petrol/EV in 2026
• Home night vs public AC mix with editable €/kWh rates
• Editable L/100 km and kWh/100 km per fuel
• Motor tax, insurance, service, tyres, NCT, other, finance per fuel
• Break-even annual km vs petrol and vs diesel
• 3 / 5 / 7 / 10 year ownership windows

Irish 2026 energy prices used here

Same benchmarks as our fuel cost and EV charging calculators — so figures stay consistent across odo.ie.

Break-even mileage explained

Break-even is the annual kilometre figure where the EV’s higher fixed costs (usually purchase / depreciation) are exactly offset by cheaper energy and tax. Below that mileage, the cheaper ICE can still win on all-in TCO; above it, the EV pulls ahead every year you keep driving.

• Like-for-like price + 80% home charging → EV usually cheaper at any realistic Irish mileage
• EV €5k–€8k dearer before grant → break-even often ~8,000–18,000 km/yr over 5 years
• Mostly public charging → energy gap shrinks and break-even rises sharply
• High mileage (25,000+) → EV almost always wins on cash running costs

Worked Irish examples

A — New family hatch, realistic prices, 17,000 km, 5 years

EV €36,500 − €3,500 SEAI = €33,000 net · petrol €29,500 · diesel €31,500. 80% home night. Typical result: EV wins on 5-year TCO by roughly €3,000–€6,000 vs the cheaper ICE once energy, tax and service stack — even after the higher net purchase. Use the “New family hatch” preset and read the live table.

B — Like-for-like €30,000 all three

Isolates running-cost advantage. At 15,000–17,000 km the EV typically saves ~€5,000–€7,000 over 5 years vs petrol, a bit less vs diesel — similar order of magnitude to other Irish calculators, but with our May 2026 pump prices (€1.82 / €2.05) rather than outdated €1.73-era figures.

C — Used 2021–23 EV vs used diesel

No grant. Lower purchase prices, softer diesel residual. For drivers with a driveway charger, the used EV is usually median-cheaper to run day-to-day; the preset shows the all-in picture including depreciation.

When an EV wins (and when it doesn’t)

Company-car buyers should also run our BIK calculator — employee cash cost is often dominated by Benefit-in-Kind, not pump prices.

Sources

• AA Ireland / pumps.ie — May 2026 national average pump prices
• ESB ecars, EZO, IONITY — public charging tariffs
• SEAI — BEV grant rules and consumption norms
• Revenue — motor tax CO₂ bands; BIK context
• TII — LEV toll incentive (50% EV / 25% PHEV)
• odo.ie — aligned with our Running Cost, Fuel and EV Charging calculators

Frequently asked questions