Press Release

Western Motors Announced the County Galway Winner of the ZEVI Electric Vehicle Dealership of the Year Awards

• 124 car dealerships from 24 counties participated in the second EV Dealership Awards
• Western Motors are the County Galway winners and make the shortlist for the Regional Finals to be announced at the SIMI Irish Motor Industry Awards February 16^th 2023
• One overall national winner will be announced at SEAI Energy Show on March 30^th 2023

27 January 2023: Zero Vehicles Emissions Ireland (ZEVI), a dedicated office within the Department of Transport, and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) today announced the winners of ZEVI’s EV Dealership of the Year Awards which is now in its second year. These awards recognise and reward excellence in the promotion and sales of electric vehicles (EV) in Ireland.

In total, 124 car dealerships from 24 counties participated in the 2023 ZEVI EV Dealership of the Year Awards, representing a 6% increase in entries from 2022. Car dealerships are a vital part of the transition to clean and efficient transport. Funded by ZEVI, these SEAI administered awards recognise the dealerships who are working to increase consumers understanding and experience of EVs and their uptake on Irish roads.

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said

 “We saw record sales of EVs in Ireland last year. The dealer awards commend the hard work of the car dealers supporting their clients making the switch to electric and celebrates the growing shift towards sustainable clean transport. It’s an exciting time to be working in this growing area. As the sales of EVs continue to grow, it is the award winners of today who are setting the standards and demonstrating the expertise needed in this industry in future.”

Commenting on today’s announcement Declan Meally, Director of Business, Public Sector and Transport at SEAI said:

“The 2023 dealer awards were extremely competitive, and we want to congratulate the 24 county award winners.  It is inspiring to see the continued commitment and dedication of the dealerships to reducing emissions in the transport sector and helping Ireland develop a cleaner, more efficient transport future.  It is great to see a significant increase not only in EV sales, but in participation in the 2023 awards.  SEAI recognises that car dealerships and their staff are a key enabler of EV uptake and are delighted to reward excellence in the showroom.”  

Commenting on their win, James McCormack, Managing Director at Western Motors said:

                “We’re delighted to receive this award and recognition from ZEVI and the SEAI. We aspire to deliver a high level of knowledge and sales experience for consumers when purchasing an electric vehicle. The electrification of transport is a crucial part of the journey to reducing emissions in the transport sector and achieving the Climate Action Plan (CAP) targets. These awards are important for recognising the efforts of dealerships and staff across the country and industry to encourage the uptake of EVs in Ireland. We’re looking forward to the announcement of the Regional Winners in the coming weeks.”

The winners announced today are on the shortlist for the ZEVI EV Dealership of the Year regional awards which will be announced at this year’s Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) Irish Motor Industry Awards and Annual Dinner taking place on Thursday, 16th of February 2023. The four regional winners will then be on the shortlist for the overall national winner award which will be announced at the SEAI Energy Show taking place in the RDS, Dublin on March 30^st 2023.

For full details on all winning dealerships, visit www.seai.ie.

ENDS

For more information, or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Laura Daly, Carr Communications, ldaly@carrcommunications.ie, 087 317 1992 or

Marie Lynch, Carr Communications, marie@carrcommunications.ie, 087 973 0522

Notes to Editor

About ZEVI

Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland has been established as a dedicated Office within the Department of Transport charged with supporting consumers, the public sector and businesses to continue to make the switch to zero emission vehicles. The Office will lead on the delivery of the Ireland’s ambitious target under the Climate Action Plan 2021 to have 945,000 electric vehicles in the Irish fleet by 2030. Supported by cross-agency resources and expertise, ZEVI acts as a one stop shop for information on grants, initiatives, and information to support the public, industry, and businesses in making the switch to zero emission vehicles. More information on ZEVI can be found at www.gov.ie/zevi.

About SEAI

SEAI is Ireland’s national energy authority investing in, and delivering, appropriate, effective, and sustainable solutions to help Ireland’s transition to a clean energy future. We work with Government, homeowners, businesses, and communities to achieve this, through expertise, funding, educational programmes, policy advice, research, and the development of new technologies.  SEAI is funded by the Government of Ireland through the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment.

County Winners

*Note there are no winners in Leitrim or Roscommon