A new limited €10m scheme which aims to accelerate and incentivise the transition from older, more polluting internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to cleaner electric vehicles (EVs) is being introduced by Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien.

The ICE2EV scheme is a targeted measure to reduce emissions on Irish roads, through the removal of diesel and petrol (ICE) vehicles aged over 13 years from Ireland’s private car fleet and by replacing them with new battery EVs.

The scheme has been designed to focus on the continued use of older, high-emitting diesel and petrol vehicles, often among households facing financial barriers to transition to EVs.

What you need to know

  • The scheme will launch on 1 July.
  • It will be administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).
  • Eligible applicants can receive €5,000 for the scrappage of a qualifying ICE vehicle registered in 2013 or earlier.
  • The payment must be used towards the purchase of a new battery EV.
  • The €5,000 grant is in addition to the existing €3,500 EV grant administered by the SEAI, bringing total available support up to €8,500 per vehicle.
  • Applicants must demonstrate on the date of application that the ICE vehicle has been registered in their name within the State for at least 12 months prior.
  • The ICE vehicle must hold a valid NCT certificate, or one expired by no more than six months on the date of application.
  • The ICE vehicle must be taxed and insured for road use during the six months prior to the application.
  • The scheme consists of €10 million in funding from the Climate Action Fund under the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment.
  • To ensure balanced access, 65% of the funding will be allocated to rural applicants and 35% to urban applicants, based on Central Statistics Office Census 2022 definitions.

    • Commenting on the new scheme, the Minister for Transport 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.”

    SEAI electric vehicle purchase grant

    Additionally, Minister O’Brien has also announced a change in the existing SEAI electric vehicle purchase grant.

    Previously the maximum eligible vehicle price threshold for the grant was €60,000. This has now been changed to a maximum of €50,000.

    This change aims to target funding for EV transition towards lower price bracket cars, enabling more of the funding available within the national development plan to support public charging infrastructure, in line with the draft EV charging strategy published in February 2026.

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