Opel reckons that it can put Irish car buyers into one of its new electric cars for less than the cost of an equivalent petrol or diesel model.
€5,000 off an Astra or Mokka
That’s the promise of the company’s ’Eco Bonus’, which is being rolled out for the 242 registration plate changeover in July. The bonus is a €5,000 price cut for Mokka Electric and Astra Electric battery-powered models for cars bought and registered by the end of July. The idea is that the price cut means that Opel’s electric models are now cheaper to buy than its combustion-engined cars.
By way of comparison, Opel points out that its Mokka in Elegance trim with the 1.2 petrol automatic currently retails from €35,595 plus delivery. With Opel’s €5,000 Eco Bonus, plus the SEAI grant and VRT allowance, a Mokka Elegance Electric model now retails from €30,849 plus delivery and related charges, representing a cost saving of €4,746 when the customer chooses electric. And that’s before you factor in an electric car's potentially lower running costs compared to petrol power.
Cheap finance
It works for the new Astra Electric, too. The five-door hatchback (and estate) is currently available in petrol manual, petrol automatic, diesel automatic, PHEV, and all-electric versions, with a range of up to 416km for the electric Astra. A basic SC trim diesel automatic currently retails from €37,295 plus delivery. With Opel’s €5,000 Eco Bonus, plus the SEAI grant and VRT allowance, an equivalent Astra SC Electric model now retails from €34,598 plus delivery-related charges, representing a substantial cost saving of €2,697.
In addition to those savings, Opel is also offering finance rates of 2.9 per cent interest on PCP finance and zero per cent interest on Hire Purchase. Those offers are available on the entire Opel lineup, along with three years of free servicing.
James Brooks, Opel's Managing Director, said: “At Opel, we have one simple objective: remove the barriers for customers who wish to move to electric. As widely accepted, charging anxiety is much-reduced when a driver has a suitable home charging solution and through our Energia partnership, customers can avail of a home-charger, plus 20 per cent off green electricity. To support customers who remain unsure if electric is for them, we offer complete peace of mind: through our Opel Take Charge programme, if a customer is not satisfied with all-electric mobility, after six months, they can trade back into an equivalent ICE.
Cost-effective
“More and more, affordability is absolutely key, and our zero per cent APR Hire Purchase or 2.9 per cent APR PCP finance offers, plus three years’ free servicing, significantly reduce our customers’ monthly payments. And now, with our €5,000 Opel Eco Bonus, not only will customers pay less on annual road tax and weekly running costs, but their initial outlay is now also significantly reduced too. Going electric has never been simpler or more cost-effective at Opel.”