It's not thrilling, but it is thoroughly competent.
Each year, the vehicles Irish families choose reveal something deeper than preference — they trace the contours of aspiration, practicality, and a quiet reckoning with the future. The Irish Times, surveying the SUVs and crossovers that dominate the nation's roads in 2023, finds a market stretched between the admirably humble and the extravagantly refined, with electrification threading through every tier like a current that can no longer be ignored. That the overall best-buy crown falls to a pure electric vehicle — not a compromise, not a luxury — suggests the forecourt conversation in Ireland has shifted in ways that will not easily reverse.
- The SUV and crossover segment now so thoroughly dominates Irish roads that any serious buyer's guide must span from a €15,000 Romanian-engineered seven-seater to a Range Rover that rivals the Mercedes S-Class in opulence.
- The Dacia Jogger disrupts automotive snobbery by doing the one thing premium rivals cannot — fitting real adults in a genuine third row at a price that makes alternatives almost impossible to justify.
- Electrification is no longer a footnote: plug-in hybrids now appear across every price tier, while fully electric successors to segment stalwarts — Volvo's XC90, the Range Rover itself — are either imminent or already here.
- The Hyundai Tucson's unbroken grip on the Irish best-seller chart since 2018 signals that competence, warranty confidence, and value still outweigh excitement for the majority of buyers.
- The MG4 EV, a pure electric car in a guide built around combustion and compromise, claims the overall best-buy title — a result that reads less like a recommendation and more like a verdict on where the market is heading.
The Irish Times spent a fortnight examining the cars actually moving off Irish forecourts, and having already weighed the electric and hybrid landscape, turned its attention to the segment that defines the modern road: SUVs and crossovers. The resulting guide stretches from the defiantly affordable to the quietly stratospheric.
At the entry level, the Dacia Jogger confounds expectations. Its safety rating is weak and its second row a little tight, but it achieves something rare — genuine, comfortable third-row seating for adults — at a price that makes rivals hard to defend. A hybrid version is coming. The Cupra Formentor offers a sportier, more stylish alternative, while the Toyota Corolla Cross is expected to arrive with hybrid power and broad appeal.
In the mainstream, the Hyundai Tucson has held the Irish best-seller position almost continuously since 2018. It is not exciting, but it is spacious, well-equipped, frugal in hybrid form, and backed by a five-year unlimited-mileage warranty. The Volkswagen Tiguan matches it for interior quality, though its diesel future looks uncertain. The all-electric Mini Countryman is on its way with a roomier, more refined package.
For seven-seat buyers, the Skoda Kodiaq has grown from budget workhorse into a car that can cost €50,000 and feel worth it, though its rearmost seats remain children-only territory. The Peugeot 5008 revives the spirit of great French family cars with a removable third row and a cavernous boot. The Kia EV9, arriving in 2023, promises a fully electric seven-seater built on the acclaimed EV6 platform.
The premium tier is led by a transformed BMW X3 — larger, quieter, and capable of 5.5 litres per 100km in diesel form, with an electric iX3 managing 350km between charges. The Audi Q5 remains handsome and practical. The incoming Mercedes-Benz GLC brings a plug-in hybrid capable of 100km on electricity alone.
Among premium SUVs, the Land Rover Defender has pulled off one of motoring's more remarkable relaunches, combining genuine off-road ability with Range Rover-level refinement. The plug-in hybrid sacrifices nothing in long-distance economy. The BMW X5, though visually ageing, remains deeply capable. Volvo's all-electric EX90 will soon replace a model the brand has dominated since 2003, with over 500km of range.
At the summit, the Range Rover has completed its transformation from farm vehicle to luxury rival for the Mercedes S-Class. Its plug-in hybrids offer up to 113km of electric range; a fully electric version arrives in 2024. The Porsche Cayenne, which once saved the company, remains extraordinary — its 680hp plug-in hybrid capable of silent urban running and supercar-hunting on open roads.
The guide's overall winner, however, is none of these. The MG4 EV — a pure electric car — claims the best-buy title across the entire spectrum, a result that says as much about where Irish buyers are heading as it does about the car itself.
The Irish Times has spent the past fortnight working through the cars people are actually buying—or saying they want to buy, based on what's moving off the forecourts. After weighing the merits of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, the publication has now turned its attention to the segment that dominates Irish roads: SUVs and crossovers. The verdict spans everything from the bargain basement to the stratospheric, and it crowns an unexpected winner as its overall best buy for the year.
In the small crossover category, the Dacia Jogger emerges as the standout choice, a car that seems to operate outside the usual logic of automotive snobbery. It has genuine flaws—a weak official safety rating, a slightly cramped second row—but it performs a trick that few rivals manage: it actually fits full-size adults in the third row, comfortably. The 1.0-litre petrol engine is surprisingly capable, the steering is sharper than you'd expect, and the price point makes it almost impossible to justify buying anything else in its class. A hybrid version is coming next year. The Cupra Formentor offers a different appeal: a low-slung, fun-to-drive crossover that looks striking in optional blue-green paint, while the Toyota Corolla Cross, arriving soon, is expected to hit the Irish market's sweet spot with chunky styling and hybrid powertrains.
Move up to the mainstream crossover segment and the Hyundai Tucson has held an iron grip on the best-seller crown since 2018, interrupted only occasionally by Toyota. It remains stylish, practical, and well-equipped, with a roomy cabin and generous boot space. The hybrid version is frugal; the plug-in hybrid adds electric performance. It's not thrilling to drive, but it is thoroughly competent, well-priced, and backed by an excellent five-year unlimited-mileage warranty. The Volkswagen Tiguan offers similar virtues—a roomy interior, solid cabin quality, and respectable road manners—though its diesel engine casts a long shadow over its future. The Mini Countryman, arriving soon, will bring all-electric power and a roomier, better-looking package to a segment where it has already proven surprisingly successful.
For those needing seven seats, the Skoda Kodiaq represents the brand's evolution from humble origins into genuine luxury. It can be a sensible family hauler or a €50,000-plus luxury car depending on specification. The cabin is roomy and high-grade, though third-row seats are tight—suitable for children only. The Peugeot 5008 offers a spiritual successor to the great Peugeot family cars of decades past, with seven seats, a removable third row that reveals a cavernous boot, and plenty of space. The Kia EV9, waiting in the wings for 2023, promises to be a fully electric seven-seater with space-age styling and the proven platform of the acclaimed EV6.
In the premium crossover realm, the BMW X3 has evolved dramatically since its cramped, ungainly debut in 2007. Now it is larger, roomier, and exceptionally refined on the motorway, capable of returning 5.5 litres per 100km in diesel form. The all-electric iX3 easily manages 350km between charges. The Audi Q5 remains handsome and practical, though its plug-in hybrid version can be thirsty. The Mercedes-Benz GLC, arriving soon, promises incremental improvements across almost every department, including a 100km-capable plug-in hybrid option.
The premium SUV category belongs to the Land Rover Defender, a remarkably successful relaunch of a beloved badge. Despite the brand's reputation for build quality issues, the current Defender combines Range Rover refinement with genuine off-road ruggedness. The long-wheelbase 110 is the most capable; the shorter 90 is cooler; a stretched 130 seating eight is coming. The plug-in hybrid offers 30-40km of electric range without sacrificing long-distance economy. The BMW X5, though visually dated, remains stunningly capable, while the Volvo EX90, arriving soon, will bring a sharply-styled all-electric replacement to a segment Volvo has dominated since 2003, with 500km-plus range and a substantial price tag.
At the luxury pinnacle sits the Range Rover, a master of reinvention. It has evolved from farm-biased workhorse to posh SUV to outright luxury car rivaling the Mercedes S-Class. The P440e and P550e plug-in hybrids offer up to 113km of electric range with decent long-distance economy. A fully electric version arrives in 2024. Few Irish buyers will choose the conventional diesel; fewer still the wicked 530hp petrol V8. The Porsche Cayenne, which saved the brand financially, remains exceptionally capable, with a 680hp plug-in hybrid that can run silently through town before hunting down Ferraris on open roads. The Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, arriving soon, brings high-tech sophistication and exceptional range in an all-electric package.
But the overall winner—the car the Irish Times believes represents the best value and most compelling proposition across the entire spectrum—is the MG4 EV, an electric vehicle that breaks the mold entirely. In a guide dominated by internal combustion engines and hybrid compromises, it is the pure electric option that takes the crown, signaling a decisive shift in what Irish buyers actually want when they walk onto a forecourt.
Notable Quotes
If badge snobbery and the constant pressure to 'buy premium' were eliminated, we'd all drive one of three cars—this, a Citroen Berlingo, or a Skoda Octavia.— Irish Times on the Dacia Jogger
The X3 is a perfect example of what years of careful honing and development will get you.— Irish Times on the BMW X3
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does the Dacia Jogger win the small crossover category when it has a poor safety rating?
Because it does something almost no other car at that price can do: it genuinely fits adults in the third row. The safety rating has a deeper story—the test conditions don't quite capture what the car actually is. But the practicality is undeniable.
The Hyundai Tucson has dominated since 2018. What's the secret?
It's not exciting, but it's relentlessly competent. Good looks, plenty of space, a cabin that feels expensive without being fussy, and that five-year warranty. It does what you need it to do without pretense.
The Land Rover Defender has a terrible reputation for reliability, yet it wins the premium SUV category. How does that work?
Because the current generation is genuinely well-engineered. It's a successful relaunch of something people thought was unrepeatable. Yes, the brand has problems, but this car itself is exceptional—it combines Range Rover refinement with real off-road capability.
Why does the MG4 EV win overall when most of your guide is about combustion engines?
That's the point. The market is shifting. The MG4 represents what people actually want now—pure electric, affordable, practical. It breaks the pattern of the entire guide, which is exactly why it had to be the winner.
Several cars here are "wait for" models arriving in 2023. Why include them?
Because readers are making decisions now about what to buy next year. If something genuinely better is coming in six months, they should know. It's part of the real conversation about what's actually worth buying.