Find out which cars offer the best value for your money in Ireland, with a focus on affordable new models. Explore the top five cheapest cars, including electric and hybrid options, that won't break the bank. Learn about their features, performance, and why they might be the perfect fit for you.
Surprisingly good cars that are also the lowest-priced on the Irish market – plus one quadricyclein Ireland – when the new number plate kicks in, with the first 251s hitting roads on January 1st – also coincides with the time of year when many of us seem to be broke, vaguely downhearted and nursing a colossal hangover. With that in mind, it’s surely important to maximise your motoring budget.
Cars have become increasingly expensive in the past half-decade, as the world deals with energy and employment crises, and spikes in inflation. That said, there are some truly cheap and cheerful cars still on sale, and here are the five most affordable cars you can buy in Ireland right now. One disclaimer: we’re basing this on the published list prices, and it’s not always possible to get hold of one of these cars, at list, from every dealership owing to stock levels and back-order times. That said, if your dealer can’t supply you with one of these, at the published price (leaving out delivery charges) then you should be, very pointedly, asking them why.Yes, the cheapest new car on sale in Ireland right now (well, almost; we’ll come to that in a minute) is a fully electric model. Will that finally put the kybosh on the Facebook commentariat who instantly respond to any post about EVs with “they’re all too expensive, I’m sticking with my old diesel”? Probably not, but we can hope. In any case, the Dacia Spring is good enough to be able to ignore such complaints. At its starting price of €16,990 (that’s including the €3,500 SEAI grant, but minus €645 for metallic paint, and €945 for delivery charges) you get the basic Expression version, which has a mere 45hp electric motor, and a range of 225km. Fast charging? You’ll have to upgrade to the pricier €18,790 Expression 65hp model. Still, you do get air conditioning, Bluetooth phone connection, a digital instrument display, rear parking sensors, and a clever clamp on the dashboard that turns your phone into the Spring’s infotainment screen. It’s not fast, but the Spring is light (975kg; incredibly slim for an EV) and actually kind of fun to chuck around the place, although it can sometimes wallow and wobble on its soft springs. An ideal car for those who don’t drive regular long journeys and who want to run their car on buttons and pocket fluff (if you’re charging on the cheapest night rate, the Spring’s 26kWh battery could cost as little as €2.50 for a full charge).How much does it cost to replace a battery pack in an EV?Everyone’s kind of forgotten about the Fiat Panda, mostly because it’s been on sale since 2011, and even then it wasn’t an entirely new model, but a reworked version of the olderPanda. Still, it’s a thoroughly good small car (if you can ignore the sitting-in-a-phone-box driving position and the non-existent Eurorating) with perky performance from a 70hp 1.0-litre hybrid engine that’s capable of returning 4.8-litres per 100km. It’s cheap, but not cheerless with an interior that actually feels better-built than you might expect, and it’s tiny dimensions and ease of parking will come as a cold-water-shock to anyone used to an SUV. Like Hugh Grant, it’s ageing but still charming, and much better value than the more obviously cute 500. Standard kit includes a seven-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, rear parking sensors, air conditioning, electric front windows, and rain sensing wipers. Fiat charges €750 for delivery, and €695 for metallic paint.Little surprise that there’s two Dacias on this list, as the Franco-Romanian brand has long since been the undisputed king of motorised value. However, there’s a salient point in terms of rising car prices being made here – when Dacia first arrived in Ireland in 2013, the cost of this basic Sandero hatch would then have bought you a top-spec four-wheel-drive Duster. Nonetheless, the current Sandero represents excellent value for money simply because it no longer feels like wearing a hair shirt. The original Sandero was ruthlessly built down to a price, and could actually feel pretty miserable inside. This one doesn’t, thanks to mostly good-quality materials, plenty of space, and exterior styling that looks understatedly smart even when parked next to the likes of a VW Polo or Renault Clio. There’s a useful 328-litre boot, and the 90hp turbocharged 1.0-litre engine is peppy, although the five-speed manual gearbox feels short one ratio. Basic Essential models get LED headlights, cruise control, air conditioning, and the classic Dacia phone clamp, which turns your phone into the car’s infotainment screen. Metallic paint is €645 extra, and delivery is €945.Cheapest list price: €18,490. Current offer of €159 per month on 0% APR PCP finance package with a deposit of €6,450The Picanto, like the Fiat Panda, has been around a while now, although with the first versions of the current Picanto going on sale in 2017, it’s a bit younger than the Grandpa Simpson-like Fiat.
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