ANOTHER SCRAPPAGE SCHEME offering €5,000 for drivers to trade in their old cars for electric vehicles could be rolled out again next year. 

The pilot scheme offered a €5,000 scrappage grant to drivers to trade in their vehicle if it was over 13 years old and get an electric vehicle.

Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien said the scheme was “incredibly successful”, indicating that he is minded to repeat it next year. 

When the scheme opened in July, it reached its applications limit within 75 minutes of coming online.

The €5,000 grant drivers received was in addition to the existing €3,500 EV purchase grant, which drivers can already avail of. It was only available on fully electric vehicles and did not apply to second-hand cars.

O’Brien told The Journal this week that the scheme managed to get 2,000 old cars off the road in less than 90 minutes.

While he said EV sales are really strong this year even without the scheme, he wanted to focus the additional grant on removing older, more pollutant cars off the road. 

His department will publish the data on the scheme in the next couple of weeks, said O’Brien, adding that the indications are there was a strong take-up in rural areas.

O’Brien said: 

It was very successful. I’ll review it. Will there be another one? Potentially next year.

The minister said the switch to an electric vehicle can save families and households about €1,600 a year on average in terms of tax reduction and the near-zero fuel consumption.

The scheme ringfenced 65% of the funding, or €6.5 million, for people outside of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford to target those living in areas with fewer public transport options.

The remaining 35% or €3.5 million will be allocated to applicants within Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.