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03/06/2026
The fleet of cars used to ferry government ministers and officeholders around the country cost taxpayers more than €8 million over the past year.
Some of the newest vehicles in the fleet are gas-guzzling diesels, including an Audi A6 50 TDI Quattro registered this year and three Skoda Octavia 2.0 TDI models from 2025.
Two fully electric cars – both Hyundai Ioniqs – have run up comparatively low mileage compared to other vehicles which have clocked up in excess of 300,000 kilometres.
An Garda Síochána said two new vehicles were added to the fleet in the past year with one disposed of during the same period.
However, they refused to provide details of purchase or scrappage costs, saying the information was commercially sensitive.
The overall cost of providing the ministerial car service was €8.4 million, mostly related to the cost of drivers for the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Ministers, and other officeholders.
An Garda Síochána declined to say exactly how many officers were allocated to the ministerial pool but said their salaries totalled €7.67 million.
They said information on gardaí who formed part of the Special Detective Unit (SDU) or the Security and Intelligence Section was protected under Freedom of Information laws.
A further €311,000 was spent on fuel while costs for maintaining the fleet – with some vehicles more than a decade old – came to around €436,000.
https://www.thestory.ie/2026/06/03/annual-bill-of-more-than-e8-million-for-providing-garda-drivers-and-ministerial-vehicles-for-cabinet-members-and-other-officeholders/
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