Advertise on podcast: Driver's Republic Podcast

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 thought Paddy 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.

Sad news this week as the man behind the Mazda MX-5, Tom Matano passes away.  Paddy has had a good experience with the Ford Puma Gen-E this week doing his usual Dublin-Cork-Dublin road trip.  Should a dealer ever be bringing your car home at night when it's in for work? And Mark has another expensive week keeping a near 20 year old Porsche 911 on the road! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In DRP this week, Mark has been driving the new Volvo EX90, what did he think of it? Paddy can't help his commute from Dublin to Cork but he attempts it in a Citroen eC3 - how many times did he have to stop to charge?! Can you make enough money being a YouTube car reviewer in Ireland and should you get started at it? Paddy picks Mark's brain on this one.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paddy and Mark have been to IAA in Munich where they discuss an array of cars from Volkswagen, Hyundai, XPeng, Leapmotor, BMW, BYD and many, many more.  We have a number of guests from the event too but most notably VW's Head Of Design, Andreas Mindt who sits down with the lads for an extended chat about his life, career and his early years cutting his teeth in car design with a family background in the field. Thanks for listening and don't forget to leave us a review! Brought to you by DoneDeal Motors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We discuss the newly unveiled Volkswagen T-Roc and explore the futuristic new Hyundai Ioniq 9. Ever wondered what it’s really like to camp with a Tesla? Mark has been testing out the Model Y Long Range and the useful camp mode. We reflect on the sobering reality of road safety with RTE’s Anatomy of a Car Crash, examining the devastating aftermath of fatal collisions and what it means for drivers today.  To round things off, we’re joined by Colin Sheridan, MD of Citroën Ireland for an exclusive chat about the new affordable  eC3 electrification, and what’s next for Irish motorists. Brought to you by DoneDeal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Jaguar and Nissan announcing job cuts and factory closures this week, the lads discuss the worrying trend of OEMs facing headwinds. California Dreamin' - we both spent some time living it up in the new Volkswagen camper van, find out how Mark got on in Wicklow and hear how Paddy rolled into Galway - the pros and cons of forking out on a camper van. And we speak to Natisha Chattan, leading UK YouTube motoring journalist who is dealing with a seemingly growing trend of new motoring brands seeking to pay for editorial in order to gain a foothold in the massive UK market.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nadia has become a familiar face in motoring in Ireland. Whether it's her TikTok clips, her huge Instagram following or her regular appearances on both Irish TV & radio in relation to all things car news.  She has also attracted some criticism for refusing to accept trade ins or retailing any electric cars despite 2025 being one of the better years for Irish EV sales.  In this episode, Paddy and Mark visit Nadia in her new showroom in Ashford, Co. Wicklow and ask her all the questions people want to ask! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Of course, Paddy and Mark chat about the news this week including the latest SIMI sales figures, what they're both driving and all the other things two lads chat about BUT we also jump inside a new Leapmotor C10 EV ahead of its official launch in September in Ireland and we chat extensively to one of the key members of the team behind the launch of yet another Chinese manufactured car in Ireland, Stephen McGrath. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.