Expert answer

Hi Neil,

You've not told us which car you are referring to, but we suspect it's a Stellantis one with an automatic gearbox. The "m" in that case would allow the driver to select a manual gearchanging mode and they change gears via paddles behind the steering wheel.

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Revenue does run a tax-relief scheme for vehicles adapted for drivers and passengers with disabilities, but the Government has confirmed that this does not apply to public service vehicles such as taxis or hackneys, wheelchair-accessible or not. In other words, a wheelchair-accessible taxi is not automatically free of VAT and VRT.

What you can benefit from is the National Transport Authority's Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) Grant Scheme, which offers a cash grant towards the cost of buying or converting a wheelchair-accessible taxi or hackney. That grant doesn't remove VAT or VRT, but it can significantly reduce the overall cost to you – by up to €17,500 depending on the age of the vehicle.

Read the information guide on the WAV Grant Scheme here

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Hi Patrick,

We'll do our best to answer your questions, though you may be as well off to pop into your local Toyota dealer to talk it over and take the car for a test drive yourself.

1 – The 18-inch wheels are only available on the GR Sport model and yes, they will be more susceptible to damage than the 17-inch rims fitted to most versions, but not drastically so.

2 – Yes, the tall wheels help give the Aygo X higher ground clearance than most small hatchbacks, that's for sure. It's not an off-road vehicle, though.

3 – There is no official figure for how far the hybrid Aygo X will travel on battery power as it only has a small battery, and it is not a plug-in hybrid. The system shuts the engine off regularly when driving in slow traffic. Though there is an “EV mode” button to force the car to use the battery charge, there's no reliable way to observe how far it travels on purely battery power for a single charge of the battery.

4 – The entry-level touchscreen measures nine inches across the diagonal, while a 10.5-inch screen is available on the higher specification models.

5 – No, Toyota does not use a Google-based operating system in the Aygo X. If you want Google Maps then you'll have to use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in conjunction with a smartphone.

6 – We managed to beat the official fuel consumption figure – of 3.7 litres/100km (76.3mpg) – recording 3.2 litres/100km (88.3mpg) on a day of mostly slow enough driving, but including one section of motorway.

7 - The coefficient of drag is 0.31.

Expert answer

Hi Damien,

That's quite the automotive journey! 

Revenue has since attempted to make things a little simpler, so don't worry about the year of the car being imported from the North. All that matters - to avoid paying VAT and import duty - is that the car was imported into the North and used there for, as Revenue puts it "a reasonable amount of time".

We believe three months is fine, though you'll need paperwork to prove all that.

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Hi Mark,

Morgan is distributed by Edgewood Automotive in Co. Cork, though obviously it's a niche brand.

Lotus cars are no longer on sale in the Republic for some reason, so you'd have to go to Belfast to get one.

GWM Ora still has a few dealers, but only one model to sell and no change on that for quite some time now.

Subaru dealers are awaiting news on a raft of new models that should be more competitive.

Expert answer

Hi Raymond,

The only way to know for sure is to present the idea to a Hyundai dealer, but we suspect that no, you won't make back any cash.

Expert answer

Hi Conor,

That recall won't apply to every version of the cars listed sold in every country. 

According to the RSA recalls website, it only applies to two Skoda models sold in Ireland, produced between 2012 and 2014.

You can call your local Skoda dealer if you wish to check that of course.

Expert answer

Hi Sean,

Gowan Auto, the Citroen distributor for Ireland, has confirmed that there are no plans to import the Holidays at this stage.

Expert answer

Hi Michael,

DS Automobiles will not be represented at the IAA Munich show next month, unfortunately. 

Your best bet is France, as the car is already available to configure on the French DS Automobiles website. I'd suggest contacting dealers ahead of time there if you're planning to travel to France soon, as it's highly likely they have cars available for test drive.

Expert answer

Hi Fiona,

The Single Administrative Document (SAD) is the standard EU customs declaration form. It records the details of goods being imported or exported and proves that customs obligations (VAT, duty, etc.) have been met.

For cars coming from Great Britain into Northern Ireland, a SAD is generated automatically when the HMRC Supplementary Declaration is completed through the Trader Support Service (TSS). Most buyers never see it, but Revenue can request a copy if they want extra proof that a vehicle has cleared customs correctly.

In most cases you won't need to show an SAD when presenting the car for a VRT inspection. Revenue usually accepts the HMRC Supplementary Declaration together with the V5C as proof that the car was lawfully imported into Northern Ireland and is in free circulation under the Windsor Framework.

If the car's paperwork was processed by a customs agent, they can electronically submit the SAD on your behalf, as it should already exist given the HMRC Supplementary Declaration has already been processed.