A new, limited grant programme has been launched to help get the oldest, most polluting cars off the road and replace them with electric cars.

The ICE2EV scheme will give people an extra grant of €5,000 if they switch from a petrol or diesel car that is 13 years old, or older, to an electric car.

This is on top of the existing grant of up to €3,500 for new electric cars, meaning that people with a very old ICE car can get a maximum of €8,500 for an EV.

The scheme will launch on July 1 and be administered by the SEAI. It has been allocated €10 million from the Climate Action Fund, which will be split 65/35 between rural and urban applicants.

Anyone who permanently removes a petrol or diesel car registered in 2013 or before will get €5,000 which must be used towards the purchase of a new battery electric vehicle.

The scheme is aimed at removing the oldest and most polluting petrol and diesel cars from Ireland’s roads.

These are often found in households where money is a significant barrier to getting an electric car.

Applicants must demonstrate on the date of application that the ICE vehicle:

Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien said “There are almost 235,000 EVs on Irish roads today, and we are on course to reach many multiples of that figure in the coming years.”

“I want to support even more households to switch away from older, more polluting cars and on to electric vehicles. So for anyone considering changing an older car, I encourage you to make the move from ICE to EV.”

“It is a practical and effective step towards reducing emissions and improving air quality across Ireland.”

ICE2EV is designed to address a persistent emissions challenge within the private car fleet: the continued use of older, high-emitting ICE vehicles.

By swapping these straight to zero emissions vehicles rather than a newer petrol or diesel car, it will help deliver both climate and public health benefits.

“Older vehicles are among the highest emitters in our transport system, and many households face real financial barriers in moving to cleaner alternatives,” Minister O’Brien said.

“ICE2EV is designed to bridge that gap, helping people make the switch while delivering immediate and measurable reductions in emissions.”

CEO of the SEAI William Walsh said, “At SEAI, we’ve seen first-hand how much of a difference switching to an electric vehicle can make to the cost of running a household, while improving everyone’s quality of life through improved air quality and reduced emissions. I really welcome today’s announcement, which will help even more people make the change.”

The government is also altering the price threshold for the existing EV grant of up to €3,500 from the SEAI. The maximum eligible vehicle price threshold for grant will now be €50,000, rather than €60,000.

The amended price threshold will come into place for new applications received after July 31, 2026. It will not affect applications approved or submitted prior to this date, which will continue to be assessed under the current threshold.

This is meant to target funding for EV transition towards lower price bracket cars. It will also free up more funding under the National Development Plan to support the installation of public charging infrastructure.

Minister O’Brien said, “Reducing the price cap ensures that public funding is focused on supporting more affordable electric vehicles and delivers better value for money for taxpayers.”

“It reflects the growing availability of lower-cost EV options and allows us to support a greater number of households in making the transition. It also means we can focus a greater proportion of available funding on rolling out much needed EV charging infrastructure.”