If you've got home charging, the public network is mostly an insurance policy — nice to have for occasional long trips. If you don't, it's how you actually fuel your car. Either way, the differences between Irish networks are real and the wrong app on the wrong day will cost you 30 minutes you didn't budget for. Here's the honest comparison.
The four networks that matter
1. ESB eCars — the rural lifeline
Coverage: nationwide, including genuinely rural areas (Donegal, Mayo, Kerry). The most-everywhere network in Ireland by a wide margin.
Speeds: a mix of legacy 22 kW AC chargers, 50 kW DC fast chargers (the workhorse of the network), and an expanding fleet of 150 kW DC ultra-rapid chargers at motorway service stations and major hubs.
Pricing (April 2026): €0.43/kWh on the 22 kW AC network (with subscription), €0.50–€0.62/kWh on the DC network depending on speed tier and time of day.
App: the ESB eCars app is functional rather than slick. Real-time availability is reasonably accurate. The fault-reporting feature works.
Reliability: mid-pack. A meaningful subset of the legacy 50 kW units have intermittent issues; the newer 150 kW Ionity-style units are reliable.
Verdict: not optional — you need the ESB eCars app to drive an EV in rural Ireland. Sign up before your first long trip and put a starter top-up on the account.
2. Easygo — the urban contender
Coverage: strong urban presence (Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick) and good south/west motorway and town coverage. Expanding fast.
Speeds: 22 kW AC, 50 kW and 200 kW DC. The 200 kW units are now common in major hubs and pull genuine high speeds when paired with a capable car.
Pricing (April 2026): €0.42–€0.48/kWh AC, €0.55–€0.59/kWh DC depending on hub. Subscription tiers offer modest discounts; not as cheap as the Ionity subscription but more flexible.
App: the best-designed of the major Irish charging apps. Real-time availability is accurate. Payment flow is fast.
Reliability: the most reliable of the major Irish networks in our experience. New units, fewer legacy headaches.
Verdict: the network we'd default to in cities. Pair with ESB for rural runs. Easygo also operates the chargers at many hotels, restaurants and supermarkets via host partnerships, so you'll often see Easygo branding on a charger that's "free to use while you eat".
3. Ionity — the motorway specialist
Coverage: motorway-only. Major hubs on the M1, M50, M7, M8, M9. Sparse off-motorway.
Speeds: 150–350 kW DC only — no AC. Ionity units are the fastest publicly available chargers in Ireland.
Pricing (April 2026): a punishing €0.69/kWh on the casual tariff — or €0.39/kWh with the Ionity Power subscription (€11.99/month). The subscription pays back if you do more than ~30 minutes of Ionity charging per month.
App: functional. Most users access Ionity through their car's native navigation (Tesla, BMW, VW, Audi, Mercedes all have direct integrations) rather than the app.
Reliability: excellent. Ionity has the best uptime of any Irish network, partly because of the newer hardware and partly because the parent consortium (BMW/Mercedes/VW/Ford/Hyundai) actively monitors them.
Verdict: if you do regular long-distance motorway driving and your car is capable of pulling 150+ kW DC, the Ionity Power subscription is genuinely transformative. Without the subscription, the casual price makes it the most expensive way to charge in Ireland.
4. Applegreen Electric — the forecourt option
Coverage: forecourts on the major M-routes, plus selected urban Applegreen sites. Smaller footprint than the big three.
Speeds: 50–200 kW DC. Most sites have a mix.
Pricing (April 2026): €0.55–€0.65/kWh DC. No casual-vs-subscription split; same price for everyone.
App: contactless payment + Applegreen app. Slightly clunky.
Reliability: mixed. The newer 200 kW sites are reliable; some legacy 50 kW units are tired.
Verdict: useful as a backup if your primary network's nearest hub is busy or down. Forecourt facilities (toilets, food, coffee) are a real plus on a long drive.
The smaller networks worth knowing
- Tesla Supercharger. Most Irish Superchargers are now open to non-Teslas, with payment via the Tesla app. Pricing is competitive (€0.49–€0.54/kWh casual, with a Membership discount available). Hardware reliability and ease of use are both excellent. Worth signing up to even if you don't drive a Tesla.
- Hotels and restaurants via Easygo. Mostly 22 kW AC. Often free or pay-as-you-eat. Useful for "while I'm here anyway" charging. Identify your local cluster on the Easygo map.
- SuperValu / Lidl / Aldi car-park chargers. Patchy and slow (mostly 7–22 kW AC) but free at some sites. Don't rely on them; do appreciate them when they work.
- Local-authority kerbside (Dublin City, Fingal, DLR). A pilot programme expanding through 2026. Useful for residents in apartment-heavy areas. App-based; pricing roughly matches Easygo street rate.
The "double app" rule
Always have at least two charging-network apps installed and both with credit on them. Networks have outages. Slot occupancy at popular hubs gets tight on bank-holiday weekends. The day you actually need to fast-charge will be the day your default network is having a bad afternoon. Our recommended pairing for most Irish drivers:
- ESB eCars (rural / nationwide coverage)
- Easygo (urban / Easygo-host coverage)
- Add Ionity Power subscription if you do motorways often.
- Add Tesla app for Supercharger access (works for most non-Teslas now).
Pricing comparison at a glance
| Network | AC price | DC price (casual) | DC price (subscription) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESB eCars | €0.43 | €0.50–€0.62 | €0.43–€0.55 (eMembership) |
| Easygo | €0.42–€0.48 | €0.55–€0.59 | €0.49–€0.54 (Easygo+) |
| Ionity | N/A | €0.69 | €0.39 (Ionity Power) |
| Applegreen Electric | N/A | €0.55–€0.65 | N/A |
| Tesla Supercharger | N/A | €0.49–€0.54 | €0.39–€0.45 (Membership) |
Etiquette — the unwritten rules
- Don't sit on a fast charger past 80%. Charging slows dramatically above 80%, and you're blocking someone who needs the slot.
- Cable management: leave the cable hung tidily, not coiled on the ground.
- Pay attention to the bay markings — some are EV-only, some are time-limited even with an EV plate.
- Report broken units in the network app. The network can't fix what no-one tells them about.
- If you're charging at a hotel or restaurant via Easygo and the slot is "free with a meal", actually have the meal.