Thinking of going electric

I would say the main advantage of a Tesla is the supercharger network. There's a supercharger site in Dublin, so if an SR will cover the distance from Cork then you could use it as a destination charger

Otherwise the route from Cork to Dublin is reasonably well served with high powered chargers at Cashel, Mayfield and Kill

So I would say you'll probably be fine with any of the cars you listed, although the Model 3 charges fastest of all of them I think

A number of years ago I started on the electric car journey with caring commitments too. To be honest, much as I love driving electric, be careful. If you need to get to Dublin in any medical emergency, you can't be stuck waiting for a charger. Therefore I think that Tesla is the only real option given the supercharger network. Any other option will have you tearing your hair out. We went with PHEV and were very thankful on the few occasions that we had to jump into the car and run that there was no waiting or uncertainty. When circumstances changed we were so happy to go full electric and got used to planning trips with the flexibility in case we can't get a charger for a while.

Honestly, once you drive the Tesla Model 3, everything else will pale into insignificance.

It’ll be faster that everything else, more efficient than everything else and will charge faster (and also on its exclusive network) than most everything else remotely in the same price bracket as it.

The infotainment system is light years ahead of anything else that’s out there… YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, games etc… (Kids LOVE it… fart noises ffs!!!)).

Tesla’s are also some of the safest cars on the roads (Euro NCAP)

Regarding the trips up from Cork to Dublin, you are extremely well covered and would have so many options…. the simplest option would be stop in Ballacolla on the way up and top up to about 90-95% (8 stall Tesla Supercharger and chance of queuing would be extremely low). From there it’s a 212km round trip up to Crumlin & back, and even in the depths of winter a 2023 RWD will easily cover that with buckets of range to spare…. Then on the return to Cork, you simply top up enough again in Ballacolla to get home.

if you wanted you could also probably do the trip with 1 charging stop at Ionity Kill either northbound on the way up or southbound on the way back home.. (or even to J14/Mayfield a little further down the M7), the only issue with these sites is they are open to all, and Ionity only have 4 stalls per side of the N7… so queuing would be likely…

Either way I wouldn’t even consider looking for a charge in Dublin (unless the Applegreen in Ballymount/M50 gets its 6 units returned and turned on) as it’s just too much of a sh1tshow..

The beauty about charging in a Tesla though is you have the excellent infotainment system to keep you occupied though in fairness you have little time to watch stuff as they charge so fast anyway!!

since the price drop on Friday it shouldn’t even be up for debate!!! The only issue now is how long before you can collect as I’d imagine orders have been nuts the last 3 days!!!

I have off street parking with untethered type 2 charging 2min walk from Crumlin hospital, which is unoccupied during working hours. If anyone is visiting the hospital in crumlin, they are welcome to use the parking free of charge and use the charger if they cover electricity costs.

Pm for details

With a budget of €44k, you are not far off a Tesla Model Y at €46,500 on the road. It's a more practical car than the Model 3 as it is considerably bigger and has a hatchback, so more practical. Because of its more popular form factor, it will likely have less depreciation than a Model 3 and thus a lower total cost of ownership.

I echo what the others said, if you are stopping on your trip from Cork to Dublin anyway on both legs, you might as well get the shorter range Tesla. Tesla because of the supercharger network which really will save a lot of stress in your situation, and of course because since the big price drop 2 days ago, they are now really far better value than any of the competition. Also the short range Teslas have LiFePO4 batteries too, which you know last a long time and are safe. Also the Tesla Model Y was the safest car ever tested by Euro NCAP last year. And short range is relative, the Model Y RWD has a WLTP range of 440km

Before going with any car the most important thing is to make sure you have it before the 1st July

The €5k grant is being reduced then. Nobody knows by how much. What you do know is the greens don’t think most houses need to own a car and they will put pressure to bring it to €0. Whether it only comes down €1k, €2.5k or €5k (or not at all) can have a serious impact on your decision

Salesmen will tell you what will sell the car but dyor.

Ireland is rhd cars and there are not many countries with that. Any manufacturer that has a surplus will have the majority in lhd cars

Something to consider

Edit: This is what pushed me to pull the trigger myself

OP said they wanted a new car not a clapped out five year old oil burner with all the potential problems around the corner like flywheels, injectors, DPF, AdBlue pumps not including standard maintenance.

And EGR? If it's a BMW, it will go on fire 😂 If you're unlucky, that will happen just after you've paid several grand for the timing chain to be fixed 🤣

@kippy - "5 year old Petrol Toyota Corolla works out around 18-19K."

That's insanely expensive. You can buy a second hand Leaf 40kWh or Ioniq 28kWh fully electric, younger and for less money. And save yourself thousands per year on total cost of ownership

The depreciation alone on that Corolla will be at least double that of these two EVs over the next few years

Yes agreed that Ioniq 28kWh or Leaf 40kWh are unsuitable for the OP, just mentioned them as a car like that 5 year old Corolla for €19k is way overpriced for what it is. It could well be that it would have higher total cost of ownership than a brand new €46k Tesla Model Y, if there is no financing involved. And presuming the grant will go per 1st July, making for a very low depreciation car.

As of last week Cork only had the Long Range Model Y, which may well not have the comfort suspension. The Tesla fella there, Cian, said he would give me a call when a Y RWD arrives in.

They may well have a model 3 at cork, had no interest in one, as already have one☺️.

Best thing to do is drop them an email at sales_cork@tesla.com

There are no RWD Model Y in Ireland on Irish reg plates. The only 3 I know of are on UK reg plates and they are in Tesla Sandyford, all available for test drives. If I were you, I'd make a call to Tesla to see is there one in Cork too or can they get one over there for you to test drive

And don't drive an AWD LR Tesla Model Y thinking it will be pretty much the same. It isn't the same. The suspension has been hugely improved.

It's a slightly tricky one for many people. Obviously if there's a serious emergency you'd be calling an ambulance

But in the case of the OP they might need to urgently see a consultant in Dublin. You could probably afford a short stop on the way, but you certainly don't want to be queuing for a measly ESB charger

In my case I don't let the battery drop too low as I want enough to get to the hospital

Getting home from the hospital I don't really care about stopping to charge

Would charging with a granny cable not be faster than waiting on an Ambulance?

Agreed, I needed an ambulance for a boy with a broken arm last year and was waiting an hour and 25 minutes for one. He wasn't in any immediate danger so I can understand him not being high priority, but he was in distress.