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Hi Aaron,

Not necessarily. Officially the emissions-based taxation system came into force from the 1st of July 2008. Everything registered after that date is automatically on the CO₂-based system. For cars registered between January 1st and June 30th 2008, it’s a little different. Initially, they would have been taxed on the old engine capacity system, but if the tax cost would have been lower under the CO₂ system, then the car should have been switched over at first renewal. If it hasn’t been switched by now, it probably means that it’s more affordable to tax on the old capacity system, so has been left on that one.

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Hi there,

We can usually only guess at what Revenue will charge in terms of VRT (and it’s dependent on equipment levels, of course, as well), but we’d take a guess at a VRT cost of around €6,900 on that one.

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Hi Martin,

The price looks reasonable — about in the middle of the road for a 2015 A4, so the true value will depend on the car’s specification and its overall condition. A figure of 72,000 is a very reasonable mileage if it’s in miles (and if it is in miles check to see if the car was imported from the UK — that’s not necessarily a problem but you’d want to be a little more wary about its history if it is an import) and exceptionally low if it’s in kilometres. If it is 72,000 kilometres, rather than miles, I’d actually be slightly suspicious of that figure, as it may have had the clock turned back.

Audis are well-made, and generally very reliable and that 2.0-litre TDI engine is solid, but make sure that it’s had its software recalibrated to reduce its pollutants (the changes that were mandated after the diesel scandal became public) and make sure that it has a full and complete service history — these are complex cars that need looking after, so if there are any gaps in the service record, I’d walk away; there are plenty of other A4s out there.

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Hi Muhammad,

It’s a rough guess (you can never quite tell which way Revenue is going to go with some cars), but I’d say you’ll pay between €900 and €1,000 VRT on that.

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Hi John,

OK, that’s a slightly tough set of criteria, but I think we’ve found some winners. How about a Honda Insight Hybrid? Ultra-low CO₂ means ultra-low tax, it’s auto, Hondas run for ever, it’ll do 50mpg easy and there’s just about enough space for a family of three. Your budget gets you a 2010 model.

If you need something smaller, there are automatic Nissan Micras around for that sort of money, but you might find them a bit small for the wee one. Fancy something posh? You could try a 2010 Mercedes C 180 Estate, which we found, but the tax on that will be a bit higher. Something newer? A Skoda Fabia Combi estate from 2012? Reliable and tonnes of space in the boot. Cracking car.

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Hi Mike,

Anything is possible, though you might find the effort outweighs the gain. Best bet is to employ the services of a good auto-electrician to assist you with this.

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Hi Sean,

The short answer is that we don’t know yet — the XCeed is only going to be first shown to the public at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month, and so that means we’re a long way from Irish prices and specs just yet. However, we can make an educated guess. Kia in Ireland tends to offer a single specification for its niche models, such as the Proceed sports estate and the e-Soul electric car, so it’s possible that the XCeed will follow suit. In fact, and I must emphasise that is is a guess, I’d expect that the XCeed and the Proceed will probably be closely aligned on price and spec, with the XCeed coming in just a little cheaper than the Proceed’s €28,946. The Proceed comes, as standard, with an eight-inch touchscreen with navigation, wireless smartphone charging, 17-inch alloy wheels, lane keeping assistance and auto-dip high-beam lights (among other items).

We do know that items such as connected services and a new 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster will be available as options, but we’ll just have to wait and see what Kia Ireland comes up with when the car is launched here.

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Hi Renate,

Well, there’s no legal requirement to change the valves, but it’s such a simple and cheap process to do so, one would wonder what other corners were cut? Was your car’s tyre pressure monitor reset as well, assuming it has one? Were the wheels properly balanced? I’d go back and ask a few tough questions. 

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Hi Patricia,

That sounds like a specialised job for someone familiar with the workings of the satnav system. A Honda dealer or good auto electrician are your best bets.

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Hi Ashfaque,

We've not heard of a widespread issue with this in the i40, to be honest. If you're sure there's no way you could be accidentally shifting it into manual mode yourself, then the best advice is to bring the car along to a good mechanic to have it checked over. It may be best to bring it to a Hyundai dealer.