EU move on rental cars will hit Cork tourism says MEP

A proposed European Union policy may result in a rental car shortage in Ireland which could hurt tourism in counties such as Cork.

That is according to Ireland South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, who has called on the EU Commission to clarify proposals that would force rental car companies to switch their entire feet to electric vehicles in a very short space of time.

Ms Ní Mhurchú, who is a high-ranking member of the EU Tourism taskforce, said there is no charging capacity currently available to car rental operators at Dublin Airport, but 52% of all car rentals in Ireland originate from Dublin airport.

Although Ms Ní Mhurchú has welcomed existing targets that all new cars purchased from January 2035 be zero emission cars, her concerns are in relation to the news that the EU Commission is now considering the introduction of mandatory electric vehicle quotas for corporate fleets ahead of the 2035 deadline.

“Forcing car rental companies to go electric before we have the necessary infrastructure in place will damage rural tourism by making rental cars more expensive and less available,” said Ms Ní Mhurchú.

“I am 100% in favour of the switch to electric vehicles but if we put the cart before the horse in this case, we will hurt rural tourism in areas such as Clare, Cork, Kerry, Wexford, and beyond. That means lost jobs for coastal communities and that is something I cannot stand over.”

Similar proposals to those now being considered by the EU Commission have already been rejected by the incoming German government, as well as in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Finland, Italy, and Slovakia.

Ms Ní Mhurchú added: “Irish tourism depends heavily on the car rental sector. Rental cars allow tourists to travel to remote parts of Ireland, where there isn’t the necessary charging infrastructure. Tourists would be dependent on public charging points, and we just don’t have enough in rural and remote parts of Ireland, as things stand.”