Suzuki, who have a great reputation with mature Irish people like myself and also with first-time buyers, held off for a long time before making the switch to full electric. But last week in Enniskerry they launched their first full EV – the e-Vitara to the Irish motor writers.
The company insist that they will still have the hybrid version of the Vitara on sale, so no worries, if you are not yet ready for the switch to full electric where the starting price is €32,995. When talking about electric cars I find that most people just want the answer to two questions, price and range. And the answer to the second part of the question is 426km.
If you are ready to go fully electric, then you will probably need a home charger for peace of mind. And Suzuki has chosen Cork-based company, Ohme, who will install the home charger for you. Call into any of the 25 Suzuki dealers around the country and they will give you full details on their first fully electric car and how you can install a home charger.
Suzuki first introduced their Vitara in 1988 and while the second and third generations were known as the Suzuki Grand Vitara, the fourth generation dropped the ‘Grand’ prefix.
I drove a few versions of the e-Vitara last week and was impressed. As with most other car brands, colour is really important when buying a new car. One of the cars I drove was a Bluish Black Pearl. It looked great, but the interior was a bit dark for my eye.
Later in the day I got to drive a silver version of what is a very neat car and where the interior colour was tan and that was much more to my liking.
Suzuki also provided an off-road site in Enniskerry for journalists to test their All-Grip version. I had to decline that offer as I am currently recovering from a shoulder injury and was nervous of going off-road right now.
The electric version comes with two battery types, 49kWh or 61kWh, as well as optional All-Grip four-wheel drive version.
The e-Vitara features a design that combines a sense of advanced technology and strength, a BEV powertrain that delivers a nimble and sharp driving experience, and a newly developed platform specifically for BEVs.
The new car is manufactured at Suzuki’s Gujarat facility in India with initial production for European markets, closely followed by production for other global regions including India and Japan.
The e-Vitara is the first mass-production electric vehicle made by Suzuki and is part of a tie-up between this Japanese manufacturer and Toyota, in which the latter has already donated the RAV4 and Corolla cars to be repurposed as the Suzuki Across and Swace respectively.
In turn Toyota will be borrowing the e-Vitara to create its own Urban Cruiser.
As I mentioned earlier, Suzuki has a loyal following in Ireland with record sales in 2025 of 2,370 units which represented a 15% growth and 1.9% market share. In a full year, it’s expected that the e-Vitara will represent around 25% of Suzuki sales in Ireland.
You get a ten-year, or 160,000km vehicle and battery warranty, comprising of three years manufacturers, seven-year vehicle service activated, plus eight years manufacturer battery warranty and two years’ service activated warranty.
And if you are looking for finance, the e-Vitara is available until June 30th with 0% APR.
I will return to the e-Vitara for a longer test drive in a few weeks.
