Hybrid cars sit just above EVs with a median price of €28,985, while petrol remains the cheapest option upfront at €22,900 for a three-year-old model.
Plug-in hybrids are the most expensive, with a median price of €46,688.
The figures mark a sharp turnaround in the used-car market. In 2022, electric vehicles were about 10pc more expensive than comparable diesel cars, the report said.
By the second half of 2025 that had reversed, with EVs trading at roughly an 11.3pc discount compared with diesel models when factors such as age, mileage and make were taken into account.
The report suggests the steep drop in used EV prices seen in recent years has now stabilised.
Prices fell sharply through 2023 and 2024, but the latest data shows the market largely flattening out.
In the final quarter of 2025, used EV prices slipped just 1.1pc, while annual prices were down only 0.1pc, a significant slowdown compared with the 12.9pc drop recorded the previous year.
Depreciation rates across fuel types are now similar. Electric cars are currently losing about 11.9pc of their value each year on average, compared with around 12.4pc for diesel vehicles and 10.1pc for petrol models.
Prices for other fuel types have begun rising again. Hybrid vehicles posted an annual price increase of 2.4pc, while the broader internal combustion engine market grew by about 3.5pc year-on-year, the report said.
It’s a significant turning point for buyers considering making the switch
The report also shows continued pressure in the cheaper end of the used-car market.
Vehicles priced below €6,000 rose by 7.6pc year-on-year as supply of lower-cost cars remains tight.
The DoneDeal price index shows steady conditions across the sector, with modest price growth rather than the sharp spikes seen during the Covid-19 supply shortages.
It noted that Brexit is also continuing to reshape Ireland’s used-car supply chain. Imports from the UK have collapsed from more than 108,000 vehicles in 2019, about 95pc of imports, to just over 12,800 in 2025, or roughly 18pc of the market. In its place, Japan has emerged as a key supplier. Imports from Japan have surged from just over 5,000 vehicles in 2019 to more than 36,000 in 2025, accounting for around half of all used-car imports into Ireland.
“The big shift is that electric cars are no longer carrying a premium over diesel. In many cases, they’re thousands cheaper, which is a significant turning point for buyers considering making the switch,” Paddy Comyn, head of automotive content and communications at DoneDeal, said.
“Separately, the report shows how Brexit has reshaped Ireland’s used-car supply chain. Imports from the UK have fallen sharply since 2019, while Japan now accounts for roughly half of all used-car imports into Ireland, many of them European brands originally sold in the Japanese market before being re-exported.”
source