Driver's Republic Podcast

Vicky Riley, BYD Ireland sales chief, on the Seal 6 super hybrid and BYD’s rapid market push. Zac Hollis, Polestar regional manager, on the Polestar 5, brand expansion and showroom plans. They cover Irish car launches, the new Mazda CX-5 drive, industry awards night and DoneDeal’s ChatGPT car search. Short, lively chat about models, service networks and tech ambitions.

Paddy Delaney, a financial advisor and Informed Decisions podcast host, breaks down the money side of buying cars. He discusses depreciation as a real annual cost. He explains PCP mechanics and hidden fees. He contrasts HP vs PCP, using savings to reduce loan costs, and thinking long term about opportunity cost.

Lots of new cars on the pods this week, Skoda Fabia 130, Golf GTI Edition 50, Volvo ES and the XPeng G6 facelift. Matthew Caffrey from the long established Gerry Caffrey Motors in Terenure in Dublin joins us to chat about the key to their family being in business for so long and explains how he is bringing the well known dealership into new territory with The Jimny Motor Co.Volkswagen Ireland have hosted their annual 'Drive' event in Dublin with key staff members on hand to chat to the Irish media as they unveil all the new models coming to Ireland in 2026. We also sit down with Skoda Ireland boss John Donegan to get an insight into what has made Skoda so successful in Ireland.Brought to you by DoneDeal Cars - There’s a new way to buy with confidence — free history checks, now included on cars from Trusted Dealers. So you can feel reassured you’re making a good choice. Because buying a car should feel this good. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kevin McPartlan, CEO of Fuels For Ireland is our guest this week. He talks about how much fuel Ireland has before we run out, why prices work the way they do and if there's anything we can do about it.Mark has been to the launch of Kia's EV2 in Belgium and tells us what he thoughtPaddy tells us about the search history of Ireland's car buyers as we look back on another positive year of EV growth Kieran Campbell from Tesla Ireland talks us through the most affordable Model Y yet - the 'standard'. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kia have launched the EV5 and their Irish MD Ronan Flood brings us through a record year for Kia in Ireland. Paddy wants to ask Mark a few things about Christmas FM, including why a particular song is high up on the playlist!!The lads chat to Dr. Becky Spelman, an esteemed HCPC-registered psychologist, entrepreneur, and mental health advocate with over two decades of experience about how music, our mood and many other factors that can determine how safely we can operate a car.What are some of the new models coming to Ireland in 2026 that we should be ready for?Take us on your next Christmas break walk with us and we guarantee you'll get your 10,000 steps in! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nils Hesse, BMW's Vice President for Product Sustainability chats to us at the K-Club for the recent Irish launch of the BMW iX3. Paddy has lots of interesting stats when it comes to new EV sales in Ireland, in particular how most of the fastest growing sales are coming from Chinese brands in 2025.Nobby has finally sourced a classic car for himself and reveals the story behind his latest motoring purchase. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paddy has been range testing the Leapmotor T03 and isn't sure if the tyres are up to the job! Skoda Ireland get a little hot and bothered with a limited Fabia model.Mark has been tyre kicking some Audi Quattros, Clio V6s and Peugeot 205 GTIs in sunny Spain.And we discuss the problem of blocking EV charging spaces.That and lots more on the last episode in the current series! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a busy one this week!Paddy has been shoving his mic into faces again, chatting to Aidan Timmons from Toyota Ireland about 4 new models for Ireland and he also sits down with the gaffer at VW Group Ireland, Pierre Boutin who is responsible for all of the VW brands in the country from Audi to Cupra.Mark has been to Copenhagen to try the Carlsberg (and drive the new Nissan LEAF)!We chat about the new Leapmotor C10 and T03 Irish launch at Mount Juliet.And with new speed limits on the cards for rural Ireland, we discuss if they are the solution to driver behaviour on our roads. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Paddy's loveable eUp has caused him some issues - find out more inside. With Budget '26 announced, we look at what is in it for motorists and just how much money do the Irish government take on every litre of fuel that you put into your vehicle.Mark has said goodbye to his Porsche 911 but a look at what might have been his next car didn't quite live up to his expectations. We also announce the Irish prices for the new Nissan Micra with fresh reaction from the lads.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

DoneDeal Cars have released their latest Price Index which gives good insight into the current state of used car prices in Ireland with an emphasis on used EV prices. Could they finally be stabilising? Another hot hatch bites the dust this week, the final Ford Focus ST has rolled off the production line in Germany, the lads discuss the legacy of the famous Ford and wonder which version was best!Paddy has been testing the new Opel Grandland and Mark has been putting the new Tesla Model Y Performance to the test.And with yet another trip to DOB Sportscars, Mark has been learning all about the Porsche 911 997 issue of bore scoring! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.