This paper deals with the presentation and discussion of recent research on the transport of electrons and ions in gases at low energies. Particular emphasis is placed on electron swarm experiments related with the negative differential conductivity of electrons in some gas mixtures, and with secondary ionisation processes due to the impact of metastables with neutrals (Penning ionisation). Ion transport is firstly adressed through some recent measurements on atomic and molecular systems for which both theory and experiment have reached a high degree of agreement, and also on those in which the ranges of the density‐normalized electric field intensity E/N have been increased susbtantially. Also, the recent advances on the application of transport theories dealing with inelastic collisions are presented, as well as some recent measurements of negative ions and charged clusters in gaseous mixtures, leading to the successful test of Blanc’s law at low fields, to the experimental mobiliites. © 2004 American Institute of Physics