The details below are from a report by The Irish Times (3 June 2026) ahead of a Cabinet briefing by Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien the same day. The scheme's final rules, dates and application process have not been published by the Department of Transport. This page will be updated when official details are released.
Ireland is set to pilot an EV scrappage scheme from July 2026 that would pay a combined €8,500 to owners of petrol or diesel cars aged 13 years or older who scrap them and buy a new electric vehicle — €5,000 for the scrappage plus the existing €3,500 EV grant, according to The Irish Times (3 June 2026). The pilot would run on a first-come, first-served basis from a €10 million fund, with 65% of the money ring-fenced for rural areas.
What's Being Proposed
Based on the reported details of the pilot scheme:
| Element | Reported detail |
|---|---|
| Who qualifies | Owners of petrol and diesel cars aged 13 years and above |
| What you'd get | €5,000 scrappage grant + €3,500 EV purchase grant = €8,500 total |
| What you'd buy | A new battery electric vehicle |
| When | Pilot expected from July 2026 |
| Fund size | €10 million — first come, first served, until exhausted |
| Rural priority | 65% of the fund (€6.5m) ring-fenced for rural areas; 35% (€3.5m) for residents of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford cities |
| What happens after | If the pilot proves popular, a broader scheme is hoped for in 2027 (per a source quoted by The Irish Times) |
The maths of why this matters: €10 million at €8,500 per car is roughly 1,175 cars nationwide. With 65% reserved for rural applicants, that's around 765 rural grants and roughly 412 city grants. A first-come, first-served fund of that size is likely to be claimed quickly — which is exactly what happened with previous capped Irish grant schemes.
Why Rural Drivers Get Two-Thirds of the Fund
The reported reasoning is straightforward: rural households depend on cars because public transport alternatives don't exist, so that's where swapping an old diesel for an EV cuts the most emissions per euro spent. Only €3.5 million of the fund would be available to residents of the five cities (Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford) — everyone else draws from the larger rural pot.
The Other Change: EV Grant Price Cap Dropping to €50,000 on 31 July
The same Cabinet briefing covers a second change that affects far more buyers than the scrappage pilot: the price cap on the existing €3,500 EV grant is set to fall from €60,000 to €50,000 from 31 July 2026, as the Department of Transport pushes buyers towards small and medium-sized EVs.
The existing grant scheme is also reported to be getting a €30 million top-up from the Climate Action Fund — departmental projections suggested the current funding would have run out by July, with EV purchases up 50% on last year. Full details of the current grant (amounts, vehicle categories, how the dealer applies for you) are in our electric car grant guide.
What We Don't Know Yet
The report leaves several practical questions open. Until the Department of Transport publishes the scheme rules, there is no official answer to:
- How you'd apply — through the dealer (like the EV grant), through an authorised treatment facility (like commercial scrappage), or a separate application
- Proof-of-ownership rules — how long you'd need to have owned the 13-year-old car (a standard anti-abuse measure in scrappage schemes)
- Price cap on the new EV — whether the scrappage route uses the same €50,000 cap as the main grant
- How "rural" is defined — the city/rural boundary for the ring-fenced funds
- The exact opening date in July
What to Do Now
- If your petrol or diesel car is 13+ years old (registered 2013 or earlier): don't scrap it yet. If the pilot launches as reported, scrapping before the scheme opens would forfeit €5,000. Wait for the official announcement.
- If you're buying an EV priced €50,000–€60,000: complete the purchase before 31 July 2026 to keep the €3,500 grant, based on the reported cap change.
- If you're buying any EV: the existing grant, VRT relief and charger grant all apply now — see the electric car grant guide and EV charger grant guide.
A 4 kWp solar system generates roughly 3,200 kWh a year — enough electricity for 15,000+ km of driving. Pair the EV grants with the €1,800 solar grant and your old diesel's fuel bill effectively disappears. Solar Quotes Ireland matches you with SEAI-registered installers in your county.
Get free solar quotes →Frequently Asked Questions
Not yet — but one has been proposed. According to The Irish Times (3 June 2026), the government plans to pilot an EV scrappage scheme from July 2026: owners of petrol or diesel cars aged 13 years or older would receive €5,000 for scrapping the car plus the existing €3,500 EV grant — €8,500 in total — towards a new electric vehicle. The scheme has been briefed to Cabinet but not yet officially announced, so details may change.
€8,500 in total, per the reported proposal: a €5,000 scrappage payment for a petrol or diesel car aged 13+ years, plus the existing €3,500 SEAI EV purchase grant on the new electric vehicle. The fund is reported to be €10 million, first come, first served — roughly 1,175 grants nationwide before it runs out.
The pilot is reported to start in July 2026, running until its €10 million fund is exhausted. The exact opening date and application process have not been published yet — the scheme was briefed to Cabinet on 3 June 2026 but the Department of Transport has not yet released official rules. If your old car might qualify, don't scrap it before the scheme officially opens.
Petrol and diesel cars aged 13 years and above, per the reported proposal — in practice, cars registered around 2013 or earlier. The replacement vehicle must be a new battery electric vehicle. Rules on how long you must have owned the old car, and any price cap on the new EV, have not yet been published.
Yes, reportedly. The price cap on the €3,500 EV grant is set to fall from €60,000 to €50,000 from 31 July 2026, according to The Irish Times. EVs priced between €50,000 and €60,000 would lose grant eligibility from that date. The current cap (€60,000) still applies as of today — verified against seai.ie on 3 June 2026.
65% of the €10 million fund is reported to be ring-fenced for rural areas because rural households have a higher dependency on cars — there are fewer public transport alternatives. Only €3.5 million would be available to residents of the cities of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.
Published: 3 June 2026. Author: Neil Russell. All scrappage scheme details are from The Irish Times, 3 June 2026 (Pat Leahy, Political Editor), reporting on a Cabinet briefing by Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien. The scheme is proposed, not confirmed — this page will be updated when the Department of Transport publishes official rules. Current (unchanged) EV grant facts verified against seai.ie on 3 June 2026.