Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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155. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will consider introducing a grant to incentivise people to purchase second-hand electric vehicles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46259/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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In line with our Climate Action Plan targets and EU regulatory requirements we are moving Exchequer supports for fleet electrification towards building out EV charging infrastructure. This change also aligns with similar polices in European nations, where countries including Norway, Germany and France have begun to taper vehicle subsidies and shift government investment towards infrastructure.

However, the Department hopes to provide certainty for both the motor sector and for consumers by maintaining a reasonable level of incentivisation for vehicle uptake through both direct funding interventions and by creating an advantageous policy ecosystem.

There is a suite of incentives in place from Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland, and where applicable with support from taxation incentives through the Department of Finance, to support the continued transition to electric vehicles and for the roll-out of electric vehicle charging infrastructure including:

•     A purchase grant for battery electric vehicles (BEVs);

•     A Home Charger purchase grant scheme;

•     VRT relief of up to €5,000 for the purchase of BEVs;

•     eSPSV grant scheme – a grant for taxi drivers to make the switch to an EV, including wheelchair accessible vehicles;

•     ZEHDV grant scheme – a grant for HDVs to bridge the gap between a low emission vehicle and a fossil fuel vehicle; and

•     Low rate of annual motor tax.

EV incentives and grants are reviewed regularly to ensure that they are delivering value for money and supporting delivery of EV targets.

While the second-hand EV market is still in the early stages, as we are seeing the transition from early EV adopters to the mainstream car market this should bolster the availability of second-hand vehicles, this change is critical to ensuring we make the shift to lower carbon private vehicles as available to as many people as possible.