Driver's Republic Podcast

No surprises, the additional EV grant sold out within a couple of hours of going live on July 1st - will it come back in 2027? Mark has seen the new BMW X5 and not everybody is a fan. Just how good is the Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 50? Plus the other car bits and news relevant to Ireland this week! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We went straight to the top to get all the latest details on the new fully electric vehicle grants from the man who has been charged with spearheading it - Minister For Transport, Darragh O'Brien. Why 13 years? Why not used EVs? Will the grants continue into 2027? We ask all the relevant questions! Enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark has decided to see how hard it is to pass a driver theory test 20 year+ after he last did his driving test. Paddy has more cars that should be on your radar if you're considering the new €8,500 grants. Is the Tesla Model 3 standard THE one to buy in 2026? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With new EV grants announced earlier today, Paddy takes us through what it means for motorists. We've also test driven the new Cupra Raval, Honda Prelude and even been to Slane Castle to check out the new Jeep Compass. Ian Tolan from Honda Ireland and Mark McGrath from Cupra Ireland are our special guests this week! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We discuss lots on this one! Paddy has been crunching the numbers when it comes to drink driving breath tests and the numbers are well... sobering. Skoda have finally released the Epiq with prices detailed in this episode. Honda get a new Irish brand ambassador and Mark is having another mid life crisis! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Busy one this week... (yes we say that regularly but it's true)! Mark has been to China for a week with BYD and tells us all about it. Paddy has a big birthday coming up, will he sell his VW eUp! as a present to himself?! And VW boss Thomas Schäfer sits down for an extended chat about his 'True Volkswagen' era. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back after a little break and we have a LOT to catch up on including the new Mercedes GLB, Skoda Peaq, Kia PV5 and the True Volkswagen presentation in Hamburg. Why Mark is a little nervous ahead of his first trip to China with BYD! And Paddy gives us an insight of living close by to the only oil refinery plant on the island on a week that has seen one of the largest protests ever by the Iris...

A busy one for car launches this week with MG S6, BYD Seal, Polestar 5 and the dynamic drive in Spain of the new Mazda CX-5 which Mark travelled to. Just who is behind the "Mind The Gap" voice on trains in Ireland? Paddy caught up with Zac Hollis from Polestar at their new showroom in Dublin. How was the steak at the annual SIMI dinner in Dublin and who won what? And on a week where DoneDeal Cars...

We talk about the new Kia PV5, Tesla have made the Model Y go even further for less  and VW's ID.Promise initiative is explained. Financial advisor Paddy Delaney from the incredibly successful podcast 'Informed Decisions' joins us for an extensive chat about the true cost of financing both new and used cars and why you might be better off spending that hard earned cash on something else... Br...

Lots of new cars on the pods this week, Skoda Fabia 130, Golf GTI Edition 50, Volvo ES and the XPeng G6 facelift. Matthew Caffrey from the long established Gerry Caffrey Motors in Terenure in Dublin joins us to chat about the key to their family being in business for so long and explains how he is bringing the well known dealership into new territory with The Jimny Motor Co. Volkswagen Ireland hav...

Kevin McPartlan, CEO of Fuels For Ireland is our guest this week. He talks about how much fuel Ireland has before we run out, why prices work the way they do and if there's anything we can do about it. Mark has been to the launch of Kia's EV2 in Belgium and tells us what he thought Paddy tells us about the search history of Ireland's car buyers as we look back on another positive year of EV growth...

Kia have launched the EV5 and their Irish MD Ronan Flood brings us through a record year for Kia in Ireland. Paddy wants to ask Mark a few things about Christmas FM, including why a particular song is high up on the playlist!! The lads chat to Dr. Becky Spelman, an esteemed HCPC-registered psychologist, entrepreneur, and mental health advocate with over two decades of experience about how music, o...

Nils Hesse, BMW's Vice President for Product Sustainability chats to us at the K-Club for the recent Irish launch of the BMW iX3. Paddy has lots of interesting stats when it comes to new EV sales in Ireland, in particular how most of the fastest growing sales are coming from Chinese brands in 2025. Nobby has finally sourced a classic car for himself and reveals the story behind his latest motoring...

Paddy has been range testing the Leapmotor T03 and isn't sure if the tyres are up to the job! Skoda Ireland get a little hot and bothered with a limited Fabia model. Mark has been tyre kicking some Audi Quattros, Clio V6s and Peugeot 205 GTIs in sunny Spain. And we discuss the problem of blocking EV charging spaces. That and lots more on the last episode in the current series! Hosted on Acast. See...

It's a busy one this week! Paddy has been shoving his mic into faces again, chatting to Aidan Timmons from Toyota Ireland about 4 new models for Ireland and he also sits down with the gaffer at VW Group Ireland, Pierre Boutin who is responsible for all of the VW brands in the country from Audi to Cupra. Mark has been to Copenhagen to try the Carlsberg (and drive the new Nissan LEAF)! We chat about...

This week, Paddy's loveable eUp has caused him some issues - find out more inside.  With Budget '26 announced, we look at what is in it for motorists and just how much money do the Irish government take on every litre of fuel that you put into your vehicle. Mark has said goodbye to his Porsche 911 but a look at what might have been his next car didn't quite live up to his expectations. ...

DoneDeal Cars have released their latest Price Index which gives good insight into the current state of used car prices in Ireland with an emphasis on used EV prices. Could they finally be stabilising?  Another hot hatch bites the dust this week, the final Ford Focus ST has rolled off the production line in Germany, the lads discuss the legacy of the famous Ford and wonder which version was b...

Sad news this week as the man behind the Mazda MX-5, Tom Matano passes away.  Paddy has had a good experience with the Ford Puma Gen-E this week doing his usual Dublin-Cork-Dublin road trip.  Should a dealer ever be bringing your car home at night when it's in for work? And Mark has another expensive week keeping a near 20 year old Porsche 911 on the road! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/...

In DRP this week, Mark has been driving the new Volvo EX90, what did he think of it? Paddy can't help his commute from Dublin to Cork but he attempts it in a Citroen eC3 - how many times did he have to stop to charge?! Can you make enough money being a YouTube car reviewer in Ireland and should you get started at it? Paddy picks Mark's brain on this one.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac...

Paddy and Mark have been to IAA in Munich where they discuss an array of cars from Volkswagen, Hyundai, XPeng, Leapmotor, BMW, BYD and many, many more.  We have a number of guests from the event too but most notably VW's Head Of Design, Andreas Mindt who sits down with the lads for an extended chat about his life, career and his early years cutting his teeth in car design with a family backgr...

We discuss the newly unveiled Volkswagen T-Roc and explore the futuristic new Hyundai Ioniq 9. Ever wondered what it’s really like to camp with a Tesla? Mark has been testing out the Model Y Long Range and the useful camp mode. We reflect on the sobering reality of road safety with RTE’s Anatomy of a Car Crash , examining the devastating aftermath of fatal collisions and what it means for drivers...

With Jaguar and Nissan announcing job cuts and factory closures this week, the lads discuss the worrying trend of OEMs facing headwinds. California Dreamin' - we both spent some time living it up in the new Volkswagen camper van, find out how Mark got on in Wicklow and hear how Paddy rolled into Galway - the pros and cons of forking out on a camper van. And we speak to Natisha Chattan, leading UK...

Nadia has become a familiar face in motoring in Ireland. Whether it's her TikTok clips, her huge Instagram following or her regular appearances on both Irish TV & radio in relation to all things car news.  She has also attracted some criticism for refusing to accept trade ins or retailing any electric cars despite 2025 being one of the better years for Irish EV sales.  In this episod...

Of course, Paddy and Mark chat about the news this week including the latest SIMI sales figures, what they're both driving and all the other things two lads chat about BUT we also jump inside a new Leapmotor C10 EV ahead of its official launch in September in Ireland and we chat extensively to one of the key members of the team behind the launch of yet another Chinese manufactured car in Ireland,...

Big shifts and bold plans in the motoring world. Renault’s CEO makes a surprise exit, while BYD slows EV production in China. We put the all-new Dacia Bigster head-to-head with a four-year-old Skoda Kodiaq at a similar price point—what offers better value? Plus, exclusive insights into Mazda Ireland’s roadmap, including three brand-new models set to arrive in 2026. We also dive into whether buying...