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Year: 2014
List price: €24,995
Owners: 1
Mileage: 9,514km
Location: Dublin
There are loads of nearly-new BMW i3s available if that's the way you want to go, but we found this great value version from 2014, making it one of the first in the country. It has less than 10,000km on the clock and there are much less moving parts in an electric car than in a conventional vehicle so there should be no issues with reliability, etc. For the record, the i3 is one of our very favourite electric cars, as it's futuristic looking and surprisingly good to drive. It's even quite quick.
2 - Nissan Leaf
Year: 2012
List price: €9,999
Owners: 1
Mileage: 25,750km
Location: Clare
Nissan has been at the forefront of electric vehicle development of late and stole a march on its rivals with the Leaf. It's the most 'normal' of all the EVs on sale, which explains why it's the best-selling electric car yet launched. There are plenty in the classifieds, for all budgets, and we've chosen this low mileage example in Clare that just ducks under the €10k barrier. It's well-equipped too, with satnav, auto lights and wipers, etc. and the owner is even throwing in a home charging cable worth €400.
3 - Renault Twizy
Year: 2013
List price: €6,250
Owners: 2
Mileage: 16,000km
Location: Dublin
The Renault Twizy is the antithesis to Nissan's Leaf, in that it's the most abnormal car on the road. You buy this because you want attention and indeed many will be used as mobile billboards for businesses. It's the least practical car around, though at least this example has the optional doors and windows - I kid you not. While running costs are low, it's worth bearing in mind that you actually need to pay Renault monthly 'rent' for the battery.
4 - Tesla Model S
Year: 2016
List price: €169,950
Owners: none
Mileage: 50km
Location: Dublin
There is no official sales outlet for Tesla in Ireland as yet, so the cars are imported first by independent dealers. Here's the latest 'P90D' version with a performance upgrade and something called 'ludicrous speed' mode. Believe me: it lives up to that name. In spite of its supercar-like acceleration, the Tesla Model S also has, by far, the longest range of any modern electric car. Naturally you pay for what you get, but don't be surprised to be hearing a lot more about this brand in the coming years.
5 - Nissan NV200 Combi
Year: 2015
List price: €17,895
Owners: 1
Mileage: 14,000km
Location: Galway
Finally, we've chosen an all-electric van. This NV200 Combi would be an excellent option for a business based in a city or large town with no requirement to go further afield. It's quiet in operation, simple to drive, relatively nippy and comes with ultra-low running costs. Would do a business's image no harm either to choose something to eco-friendly.