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We offer an impressive, hand-picked selection of Toyota, Nissan, Kia and Renault hybrid and electric vehicles in Northern Ireland. We’ve carefully chosen the models in our range to provide only the most trusted vehicles, so you’ll never have to compromise on quality. Browse our selection below to find out which of our vehicles is best suited to your needs.
Offering the best of both worlds, plug-in hybrid vehicles are powered by a compact combustion engine and an electric power reserve for optimum efficiency. With up to 40 miles of zero-emissions travel, buying a new plug-in hybrid car in Northern Ireland is a fantastic option for commuters seeking simple, inexpensive travel. With a plug-in hybrid, you can also enjoy:
Browse below our impressive range of all-new plug-in hybrid cars for sale in Northern Ireland here at Shelbourne Motors.
Going all-electric will transform your motoring experience. Efficient and cost-effective, an electric car boasts lower overall running costs without the hassle of oil changes or refuelling stops. Our new electric vehicles in Northern Ireland are powered by a lithium-ion battery and electric motor, offering a smooth, quiet driving experience. Benefits include:
Discover our latest selection of new, all-electric cars for sale in Northern Ireland below.
Mild hybrid cars combine a dominant combustion engine with a smaller, efficient electric motor and lithium-ion battery, offering refined performance and increased efficiency. These cars make a great starting point if you’re thinking about getting a new electric vehicle in NI but you’re not yet ready to commit to going all-electric. Benefits include:
Explore our selection below to learn more about new mild hybrid cars for sale at Shelbourne Motors.
Self-charging hybrids make the perfect introduction to electric motoring. With innovative self-charging technology, you’ll never need to plug in the vehicle at a charging point. Convenient, straightforward and stylish, new self-charging models are a pleasure to own. You’ll benefit from:
Discover our range of the newest self-charging hybrid cars for sale in Northern Ireland below.
While both make an energy-efficient choice, new electric and hybrid vehicles are powered differently. Electric vehicles run solely on battery power and regularly need to be charged, whereas hybrid vehicles shift seamlessly between two power sources that can work independently or simultaneously.
Generally, electric vehicles boast an impressive range. This depends on the model but, as an example, the Nissan Leaf covers up to 239 miles, while the Kia EV6 allows for over 316 miles on a fully charged battery.
There are over 330 free-to-use public charging points in Northern Ireland and these can be easily found from your phone using the Zap Map app. Furthermore, additional rapid charging points are expected to be added to the NI network by 2023. If you’d prefer to charge your new electric car in NI at home, government grants are available for installation.
It’s free to charge at any public charge point. For home charging points, costs vary depending on your energy provider and the specific model of your new electric car. On average, you could expect a full charge to cost between £5 and £10.
With a rapid charging point, you can charge your electric vehicle in as little as 45-60 minutes. EV drivers often use public charge points at any convenient opportunity to maintain a healthy level of charge. Charging overnight at home, meanwhile, is a time-efficient way to guarantee a fully charged battery.
Yes! Electric vehicles help to cut fuel emissions, promote sustainable driving and reduce our carbon footprint. Without doubt, switching to an electric vehicle in NI helps to fight climate change.
Speaking about switching to an electric vehicle can bring about all manners of uncomfortable conversations — a lot are in fact
just walking examples of the Dunning-Kruger effect in action. People who think they know a lot about a lot when really it's all
opinion rather than fact. The media is also to blame for sharing inaccurate reflections about EV driving. So we've busted a few
of their myths below to put your mind at ease about making the switch.
EVs don't have enough range.
The average EV range in the UK is 236 miles
That EVs won’t get you too far is perhaps the most widespread myth. Mostly coming from those who have never owned or driven an EV. If only they would, it would take no longer than a week to deprogram this misinformation from their mind. Why just last year, a Volkswagen ID.7 with an 87KwH battery drove close to 500 miles (794km) on a single charge.
Plus, according to The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) the average range of an EV in the UK is 236 miles. Now, we must say that WLTP official battery range figures - like combustion cars mpg figures - will vary in real-world driving and colder temperatures. But with battery tech getting better and better, range anxiety shouldn’t even be a debate any more.
EVs catch fire more than ICE cars
EVs are 20x less likely to catch fire than a combustion car
Less than 1% of all car fires are electric vehicles. According to Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions, 239 fires recorded in the UK from July 2022 to June 2023 were linked to EVs. Meanwhile, according to Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, some 1898 fires in 2019 were from petrol and diesel vehicles and 54 were from EVs.
Another study by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency found that EVs are 20 times less likely to catch fire than ICE cars. An additional study by that agency and an American insurer found that just 25 out of 100,000 EVs suffer fire damage. By comparison, 1530 per 100,000 ICE cars experience fire, and hybrid vehicles suffer a much higher risk of 3475 per 100,000. That said, EV fires do take more effort to put out.
EV batteries don't last
One Tesla Model S has over 400,000 miles on its original battery
There is common chatter that electric car batteries will give out much sooner than any ICE car. Even if that were true, many manufacturers offer battery warranties up to 100,000 miles, so if anything did go wrong, they’ll replace it. In Tesla’s 2022 impact report, they stated that the battery degradation (loss of capacity) on its older S and X models after 200,000 miles is 12%. Then, in April 2024 the Fully Charged Show tested an Australian 2018 Tesla Model S that had covered 414,247 miles on its original battery pack. It still worked a dream.
There’s no concrete evidence available to show persistent, premature, or unexpected failures of EV batteries. It is now widely accept that EV batteries will generally outlast the chassis of the car.
EVs are more expensive
New EV prices are plummeting
Generally speaking, this is correct. But the price displacement is narrowing. You just need to look at the Dacia Spring, which costs only £15,000 and is the UKs cheapest EV. Comparison site, Green Match, analysed the difference between the average price of an EV, compared to a combustion car in 2024, which came in at £7,000, but by 2025 is expected to drop to £4,000. In February 2024, Market research firm, Gartner, said that by 2027, EVs will be on average cheaper to make than combustion cars due to lower production costs. Pedro Pacheco, Vice President of Research at Gartner, said: “New technology means BEVs will reach ICE cost parity much faster than initially expected.”
There aren't enough raw materials
There is no fundamental shortage of any ley materials
Another myth clouding the reality of our sustainable future is that there aren’t enough critical minerals to keep making the lithium Ion batteries for EVs. In July 2023, the Energy Transitions Commission found there was “no fundamental shortage” of any key materials. It said:
“There is no fundamental shortage of any of the raw materials to support a global transition to a net-zero economy: geological resources exceed the total projected cumulative demand from 2022-50 for all key materials, whether arising from the energy transition or other sectors.”
They also reported that battery designs and improved electro chemistry have reduced future cobalt needs by 50% in five years and by 2040 over 50% of lithium used in batteries could come from recycling.
EVs cost more to maintain
EV maintenance costs are 30% less than those of ICE cars
With approximately 20 moving parts in an EV versus over 2,000 in a combustion car, there are fewer friction-facing components, resulting in fewer points of failure or replacement. The absence of spark plugs, oil changes, timing belts or chains, exhaust systems, particulate filters, or clutches translates to substantially lower ownership costs for EVs.
Tusker Direct, a UK leasing company managing 16,000 EVs, estimates that their EV maintenance costs are 30% less than those of ICE vehicles. Furthermore, data from a survey by BookMyGarage.com conducted in February 2023 revealed that overall maintenance expenses, including MoT tests, servicing, and repairs, were up to 43% lower for EVs compared to other fuel types.
EVs lose more range in winter than ICE Cars
EV range is cut by 20% in winter compared to 15% in ICE cars
While EVs do experience reduced range in winter conditions, the difference is comparable to the decrease in fuel efficiency seen in petrol cars. In a study conducted by the Norwegian Automobile Association in 2020, 20 EVs were tested in winter conditions. The results showed that, on average, EVs lose up to 20% of their range at temperatures between 0 and 2 degrees Celsius. Additionally, the US Department of Energy conducted tests showing that gasoline cars also experience a 15% decrease in fuel efficiency in cold weather.
Modern EVs are now equipped with heat pumps designed to expedite battery heating, which helps mitigate the impact of low temperatures on range, continuously improving winter performance, making EVs a practical choice even in colder climates.
EV batteries run out of power and breakdown often
2% of AA breakdown calls are for EVs
According to the AA’s report in May 2023, only 2% of EV callouts were due to being ‘out of charge’, totalling 135 EVs. AA President Edmund King OBE emphasised, “our data on ‘out of charge’ clearly shows that charging anxiety doesn’t match the reality.” Throughout 2023, the AA has responded to 39,109 EV breakdowns of all types, accounting for 2.86% of their entire breakdown call-outs.
This figure includes breakdowns for petrol and diesel vehicles as well. Interestingly, the AA also notes that 45% of breakdown calls from EV owners are for punctures and 12v batteries, not related to the EV drivetrain or battery itself.
The choice of EV models is very poor
There are over 100 EV models available in the UK - and rising
Britons can now choose from 102 EV models in the UK. A decade ago, there were 16. The choice and cost of new mid-range models has improved with the Dacia Spring at £15,000, BYD Dolphin at £25,490, Vauxhall Corsa Electric at £26,895 and MG 4 at £26,995. The ZEV mandate will mean car makers must sell more EVs meaning the choice will improve and prices will fall.
EVs take too long to charge
Ultra-rapid chargers can add up to 100 miles in 15 minutes
We concede, charging does take longer than filling up with fuel. Key factors in EV charging speeds include charger power, battery size, and vehicle charging capability. The majority of EV owners charge at home while they sleep on a type-2, 3 to 7 kW domestic supply or on-street lamppost chargers. This takes between six to 12 hours. The most common high-powered ultra-rapid chargers (150kW) add around 100 miles in 15 minutes (or provide an 80% charge on a 250-mile range EV in 30 minutes). Ultrarapids can be up to 350 kW, reducing charging times further.
Battery technology is improving all the time. In April 2024, Polestar engineers charged an EV prototype and added 200 miles in 10 minutes (charging from 10% to 80% capacity).
There are many more nonsensical myths floating around about owning and driving an EV. Much of it false and uneducated.
If you have any EV queries of your own, our teams can help answer anything to put you at ease about EVs.
Shelbourne Motors Limited trading as Shelbourne Motors Portadown, Shelbourne Motors Nissan, Shelbourne Motors Newry, and Fleet4u is an Appointed Representative of Automotive Compliance Ltd, who is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA No 497010). Automotive Compliance Ltd’s permissions as a Principal Firm allows Shelbourne Motors Ltd to act as a credit broker, not as a lender, for the introduction to a limited number of lenders and to act as an agent on behalf of the insurer for insurance distribution activities only.
We are a credit broker and not a lender. We can introduce you to a carefully selected panel of lenders, which includes manufacturer lenders linked directly to the franchises that we represent. We act on behalf of the lender for this introduction and not as your agent. We are not impartial, and we are not an independent financial advisor. Our approach is to introduce you first to the manufacturer lender linked directly to the particular franchise you are purchasing your vehicle from, who are usually able to offer the best available package for you, taking into account both interest rates and other contributions. If they are unable to make you an offer of finance, we then seek to introduce you to whichever of the other lenders on our panel is able to make the next most suitable offer of finance for you. Our aim is to secure a suitable finance agreement for you that enables you to achieve your financial objectives. If you purchase a vehicle, in the majority of cases, we will receive a commission from your lender for introducing you to them which is either a fixed fee, or a fixed percentage of the amount that you borrow. This may be linked to the vehicle model you purchase. Different lenders pay different commissions for such introductions, and manufacturer lenders linked directly to the franchises that we represent may also provide preferential rates to us for the funding of our vehicle stock and also provide financial support for our training and marketing. But any such amounts they and other lenders pay us will not affect the amounts you pay under your finance agreement; however, you will be contributing towards the commission paid to us with the interest collected on your repayments. Before we propose you to a potential lender, we will inform you of the likely amount of commission we will receive and seek your consent to receive this commission. The exact amount of commission that we will receive will be confirmed prior to you signing your finance agreement.
Automotive Compliance Ltd, The Factory, 44 Alfred Street, Gloucester, GL1 4DD Telephone: 01452671560 E-mail: complaints@automotive-compliance.co.uk
If we cannot resolve your complaint within 8 weeks, you may refer your dispute to the Financial Ombudsman Service. This service is free to use. Their consumer helpline is available on 0800 023 4567 or 0300 123 9123 or you can visit their website at www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk
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