SEAI Electric Vehicle Purchase Grant
The SEAI grant is up to 3,500 euro towards a new electric passenger car bought privately; SEAI says the dealer applies for it and the amount is deducted from the price. VRT relief is a separate Revenue measure.
What the grant is
The SEAI Electric Vehicle Purchase Grant is a grant towards buying a new battery electric car in Ireland. SEAI states that the maximum grant for a qualifying new passenger car bought privately is 3,500 euro, and that SEAI grants are not available for used electric vehicles.
How the grant is applied for
SEAI's grant page tells buyers that the dealer will apply for the grant for them and that the grant amount is deducted from the total price agreed. Under the scheme guidelines, dealers registered with and approved by SEAI may apply on behalf of the customer, and the grant is payable directly to the dealer.
Price limits
SEAI's grant page says a vehicle with a full price of more than 50,000 euro or less than 15,000 euro receives no grant. The scheme guidelines set the passenger-car price cap at 50,000 euro from 1 August 2026, honour applications made before then for cars between 50,000 and 60,000 euro, and say a passenger car priced at 15,000 euro or less is not eligible.
Timing and funding
The SEAI offer (the letter of offer) is valid for the lesser of four months or 31 December of the year of approval. The guidelines say the grant is first come first served and limited to the scheme's maximum funding.
Related measures
Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) relief for electric cars is a separate measure from Revenue. Revenue states that series-production passenger cars and commercial vehicles (VRT categories A and B) powered only by an electric motor and registered before 31 December 2026 are eligible for relief from VRT up to a maximum of 5,000 euro, and that the relief is applied automatically at registration.
The ICE2EV scrappage pilot, which paid 5,000 euro on top of the grant, is closed. SEAI states that it reached its target of 2,000 applications and that the 3,500 euro grant remains available for all private customers.
Find out where you stand
The check runs against the real eligibility rules and tells you what you would receive.