Updated August 2026. The median used car asking price in Ireland is €17,950 (Autoza listing data, August 2026). By fuel type: petrol €16,088, diesel €19,995, hybrid €20,950, plug-in hybrid €34,950, electric €36,900 — a gap of roughly €20,800 between the median used EV and the median used petrol car. Meanwhile used imports are up 36% year-on-year (CSO, Jan–May 2026). The full breakdown by fuel and brand is below.
This page is the Autoza Used Car Price Index — the live reference for what used cars actually cost in Ireland. All medians are computed from live asking prices on autoza.ie and refreshed with each update. Journalists and researchers are welcome to cite these figures as "Autoza listing data, August 2026". For a valuation on one specific car, use the free car valuation tool.
What is the average used car price in Ireland in 2026?
The national median used car asking price in Ireland is €17,950 (Autoza listing data, August 2026). The median is the middle listing — half of used cars on the market are asking less, half are asking more. It is a better guide than the average, which gets dragged upward by a small number of high-end listings.
One line to quote: half the used cars for sale in Ireland right now are under €17,950.
How much do used cars cost by fuel type?
Fuel type is the single biggest price divider in the Irish used market. Petrol is the cheapest way into a used car at a median of €16,088; electric is the most expensive at €36,900. Diesel and hybrid sit in the middle, and plug-in hybrid prices closer to electric than to hybrid.
| Fuel type | Median asking price | vs petrol |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | €16,088 | — |
| Diesel | €19,995 | +€3,907 |
| Hybrid | €20,950 | +€4,862 |
| Plug-in hybrid | €34,950 | +€18,862 |
| Electric | €36,900 | +€20,812 |
Source: Autoza listing data, August 2026. Medians reflect the age, model and specification mix of cars currently listed in each category — they are stock medians, not like-for-like values for an identical car.
How big is the used EV vs petrol price gap?
About €20,800. The median used electric car in Ireland is asking €36,900 against €16,088 for the median petrol car (Autoza listing data, August 2026). Part of that gap is age — EV stock skews much newer — but for a buyer with a fixed budget, the sticker gap is what matters at the point of purchase.
One line to quote: the median used EV in Ireland costs roughly €20,800 more than the median used petrol car.
Hybrid is the natural mid-step. At a median of €20,950, a used hybrid costs about €4,900 more than the median petrol car but €15,900 less than the median EV — which is a big part of why hybrids move quickly on Irish forecourts. Browse current hybrid stock and electric stock to see the spread inside each band.
Do grants close the used EV price gap?
Only partly, and mainly on new cars. The SEAI grant is up to €3,500 and applies to qualifying new battery-electric cars priced over €15,000 and up to €50,000 — the cap dropped from €60,000 for applications made from 1 August 2026 (SEAI / Department of Transport, gov.ie, accessed 6 August 2026) — and standard used EVs bought in Ireland do not qualify. The ICE2EV scrappage scheme, which offered up to €8,500 in total support (€5,000 for scrapping a 2013-or-earlier petrol or diesel plus the €3,500 grant), opened on 1 July 2026 and closed the same day after reaching its 2,000-application limit (SEAI, seai.ie, accessed 6 August 2026).
The practical read for used buyers: grant support pulls some buyers into new EVs, which over time feeds more used EVs back into the market — but if you are buying used today, the €20,800 gap above is the real number, not the post-grant new-car maths. Importing? Check the tax cost first with the VRT calculator.
What do used cars cost by brand?
Brand medians run from €10,950 (Opel) to €31,900 (Skoda). Remember these are stock medians: a high brand median usually means the stock listed is newer or larger, not that an identical car costs more. Skoda's high figure, for example, reflects a listing mix weighted toward late-plate SUVs.
| Brand | Median asking price |
|---|---|
| Opel | €10,950 |
| Honda | €12,888 |
| Ford | €13,990 |
| Toyota | €15,250 |
| Volkswagen | €15,950 |
| Hyundai | €15,990 |
| Kia | €16,950 |
| Land Rover | €27,950 |
| Skoda | €31,900 |
Source: Autoza listing data, August 2026.
One line to quote: Opel is the cheapest mainstream brand to buy used in Ireland at a median of €10,950; Toyota, Volkswagen and Hyundai all cluster within €750 of each other around €15,250–€15,990.
What is happening to used car supply in Ireland in 2026?
Supply is being reshaped by imports. Used (imported) car licensing rose 36% year-on-year in January–May 2026 (37,888 vs 27,879), and June 2026 alone was up 42% on June 2025 (7,714 vs 5,448) — per the CSO's Vehicles Licensed for the First Time releases (cso.ie, accessed 6 August 2026).
More import supply is generally good news for buyers: it adds choice and puts pressure on asking prices, particularly in the segments importers target. If you are cross-shopping an import against Irish stock, factor in the VRT and NOx charges with the VRT calculator before comparing screen prices.
What should buyers do with these numbers?
Use the medians as your anchor. If a car is priced well above the median for its fuel type and brand, ask why — newer plate, lower mileage and strong history can justify it; nothing else should. If it is priced well below, look harder at history and condition rather than celebrating.
- Fixed budget around the national median (€17,950)? You are choosing between a newer petrol car, a mid-age diesel or an older hybrid. Compare running costs, not just sticker price.
- Considering electric? The gap to petrol is ~€20,800 at the median, so run the fuel-and-tax savings over your actual annual mileage before committing either way.
- Financing? A small rate difference can outweigh a €1,000 discount over a full term — check the monthly cost on the finance calculator before you negotiate.
What should sellers take from the index?
Price into the search results, not above them. Buyers filter by price band, so a car listed far above its fuel-type and brand median is invisible to the people most likely to buy it. Start from the relevant median above, adjust for your car's age, mileage and history, and sanity-check the result with a free valuation.
