19k to spend on a car

@tom1ie - "This thread was to find out was their an EV at 19k that suits my needs which there isn’t- not my financial education 😂"

Fair point but I think I speak for a few other posters too in saying that I'm worried you are making a decision that is not good for you. Just give it some thought before you decide to take up that loan. Whether it's for an EV or an ICE.

Tom1ie - fair play for doing a decent cost model, most people dont. Your unit charge can be got lower but it will push up your day time home unit costs. Also you need to be really honest with the range - if 280km is a winter test range in reality you won't run it down to 0% so 260km is probably more realistic- and this will likely force you to stop and pay between 35 cent and 80 cent to charge at a public charger somedays. Factor in degradation too - e.g that Kona with 124k isnt going to be 100% unless its had a battery change, so the range could have dropped another 10% and you could be looking at 240km realistic range. With your mileage even a brand new ev is going to lose range over the next 6 years.

You consumption on the Civic is low, but your diesel costs very high so probably balance out. You would need to factor in some repairs too. As Unkel correctly points out higher repayments on a dearer car is not all cost - the more expensive car will be worth more in a few years. I would disagree with general comments around E.V.'s holding better value than petrol or diesels- I think it depends on the car and many diesels are holding their value really well and demand for most used cars is really high. I know people being offered more for two year old Tiguan's that they cost new in 2020. If anything I would se diesels holding value best as new ones are going to be priced out of it with higher VRT but I would assume all cars will depreciate.

In your shoes I would keep ev in real focus but hang on till you are more comfortable spending 50k+ on a long range car that can easily do 400km without charging. In meantime I think the Civic is a decent option - but equally with petrol tracking 20 cent a litre cheaper an economically hybrid might be the way to go https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/toyota-auris-auris-hybrid-luna-sport/32664129

On the Toyota hybrids above I had a 1.8 CHR 182 loaner while waiting for my EV to come in and it was honestly the roughest, most unrefined and underpowered yoke I've ever driven, I hated it. It wasnt even really any more economical than the 190bhp Audi A6 i had just sold, maybe with the recent price differential between diesel and petrol it would be a bit cheaper to run but very little difference in consumption.

I'm not sure if Toyota do better hybrids than that but my god it was desperate. I see they are in the top 4 or 5 sellers in the country.

If you can easily afford a 3-5 year term, why are you prepared to give the credit union an extra €1000 in interest payments, for flexibility which you say you don't need?

If the €144 extra per month could be the difference in missing a payment or not, then I think the €160 loan is a bad idea too.

What's the reason you need to change car?

Yeah, you are more or less. A Toyota or other hybrid will be comparable in running costs to a typical diesel motorway cruiser, probably slightly cheaper but it will also have better resale value as a) they're hugely popular in Ireland b) the ar5e may (probably will) fall out of diesel.

A plug-in hybrid is better for nipping around town but you have to always remember to plug it in. Plenty I know don't in which case they end up funding a usually big and thirsty petrol engine all the time. The mild hybrids work completely differently on an Atkinson Cycle model where a portion of the petrol produced power is constantly going to charge the battery which is in turn constantly assisting the internal combustion engine to reduce running costs regardless of town or country driving.