Searches surge 62% for Electric and Hybrid Cars

Searches for Electric and Hybrid cars surged by 62% year-on-year according to new data released by Ireland’s largest motor website – DoneDeal.ie.

The sharp increase in interest is notable, as Electric and Hybrid’s currently make up less than 2% of the new and used car stock currently on the market in Ireland.

During April, DoneDeal.ie surveyed over 1,000 people who were looking to purchase a car and found that 41% of respondents are interested in buying a new motor while 22% were in the market for a vehicle between 1 and 3 years old. 8% were interested in a car between 4 and 6 years of age with the remainder in the market for a vehicle 7 years or older.

Diesel drivers accounted for 67% of the market with Petrol drivers next at 29%. Hybrid (3%) and Electric (1%) rounded out the responses.

In Dublin, 2% of respondents indicated that they currently drive a hybrid or electric vehicle, while 5% of those living in the capital said they were actively seeking a hybrid or electric vehicle as their next car purchase, this was reflected in the increased search activity for Electric and Hybrid cars on DoneDeal.ie.

Outside of Dublin, less than 1% (0.6%) of people drive an electric/hybrid and just 1% (1.2%) said they would consider an electric vehicle for purchase.

Diesel drivers were the least likely to switch to an electric/hybrid with just 1% suggesting they would switch. In contrast, 5% of petrol drivers are actively considering a hybrid/electric car as their next car purchase.

Adam Ferguson from DoneDeal.ie said: “This large increase in the number of searches for Electric and Hybrid cars reflects the results we saw in our latest survey. Consumers, especially those in urban areas are looking to buy eco-friendly green vehicles.”

The survey ran on DoneDeal from the beginning of April and recorded the thoughts of over 1,250 motorists.