Electric vehicle (EV) owners in Ireland are paying significantly more than most other European countries to charge their cars at home, according to research from DoneDeal Cars.
Based on analysis from the buy-and-sell platform, charging a family-sized EV like a Volkswagen ID.4 at home costs around €1,132 a year in Ireland, which is €398 more in electricity costs than in Spain, €306 more than in the Netherlands, €249 more than in France, and €230 more than in the UK.
Germany is one of the few European countries where it is more expensive to charge the same EV (€74 more per year than Ireland).
The figures are based on findings from the International Energy Agency's (IEA) average electricity price for Ireland - and assume typical energy use.
Recently, the IEA found that energy retail prices in Ireland are three times higher than wholesale prices, one of the highest gaps in the world.
It said Ireland has the highest household electricity prices in the EU, averaging around €0.45 per kWh, compared with about €0.11/kWh in Hungary and Bulgaria.
The energy component of Irish bills is around €0.33/kWh, the highest in Europe.
Network charges, grid constraints, legacy renewable subsidies, and heavy reliance on gas are all cited as contributing to the cost.
The DoneDeal analysis points out that while charging an EV is still cheaper than running a family-sized petrol car, Irish EV owners are paying "hundreds of euro more each year to charge their cars at home than drivers elsewhere in Europe - and the gap between countries is now far bigger than for petrol".
According to the findings, "while petrol prices across Europe typically differ by around €332 a year between the cheapest and most expensive countries, the gap in domestic EV charging costs is about €472 - roughly 50% larger".
"That means electricity costs now vary far more than fuel costs do, and Irish drivers are among those paying the highest prices," the research adds.
The Head of Automotive Content at DoneDeal Cars, Paddy Comyn, said: "EVs still save money overall, saving around €768 a year compared to an equivalent petrol car, but Irish drivers are paying a clear premium because we have the most expensive electricity in Europe."
