Can I tax this Hyundai commercial privately?

I am thinking of buying a 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.0-litre SUV that is 'crew cabbed' and has annual tax of €333, though it has five seats. Do I need commercial insurance? Can I tax it without owning a commercial business?

Joseph Murphy (Clonygown, Tullamore, County Off)

Jan 2021 Filed under: commercial vehicle

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Expert answer

Hi Joseph,

If you want to tax a commercial vehicle at commercial vehicle rates, then it has to be strictly used for work purposes, so yes you would need a commercial business to do that. It has to then be used strictly for work purposes — no dropping the kids to school or heading off for the weekend — and there are substantial fines for any breach of that rule. If you want to use it as personal or family transport, then it’ll have to be taxed as a private car. 

Read our Buying a commercial vehicle for private use feature for more detail.

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Advisor
@neilmbriscoe