The replacement time between cars has gotten shorter, cost is still key and people are asking AI for help researching a car to buyHow often are Irish people changing cars and what are they spending? On average, according to a recent report by Carzone, Irish car owners now change cars every five years and that replacement time has shortened from 5.6 years in 2025 to 5.2 years. Three in ten plan to buy a new car in the next year, and the average spend on their current car was €19,400, with buyers planning to spend about €1,900 more on their next purchase. Overall, 55pc of car owners have used car finance, three‑quarters of them say it makes buying more affordable, and two in five current finance users expect to trade their car in against another finance deal once it’s paid off. One in four Irish car owners has already used AI in their car search, and over half would feel comfortable using AI to help them find the right car.

Source: Irish Independent February 22, 2026 16:03 UTC