Which SUV for up to €30,000?
Looking to buy a family car - budget €25,000 to €30,000 (so I assume a 2021/2022). Looking at the Tucson, Sportage, Audi Q3 or the equivalent Skoda. Looking for reliability. Which of the above would you recommend? Or is there another option I should be looking at?
Cathal O Loghlin (Boyle)Apr 2025 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
Hi Cathal,
The Audi Q3 is a bit smaller than the Kia and Hyundai mentioned so make sure you try one out for size if you're serious about that. The equivalent Skoda (to the Sportage and Tucson) is the Karoq, though the larger Kodiaq would also be in budget.
I'd have a little more confidence in the Kia and Hyundai in terms of reliability in comparison to the Audi and Skoda, but only a little as all of these are decent cars. The Hyundai is the most common by far, which means you could afford to be picky in terms of mileage, condition and specification. The Sportage and Tucson are effectively identical under the skin, though the Sportage may come with more of the original warranty in tact, which is another consideration.
In terms of alternatives, we've always liked the Mazda CX-5 for how it drives and, if you're not set on diesel, then the Toyota RAV4 hybrid shouldn't be ignored, either.
Feel free to come back to us if you need further help narrowing things down.
Let us know how many in the family and on which car seats if applicable, plus your annual mileage.
Is it worth buying this 2007 Audi?
Is it worth buying a 2007 Audi A4 Sport 1.6 petrol for €3,200 with 113,360 miles on the clock?
Adam Humphreys (Ireland )Apr 2025 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
Hi Adam,
That doesn't seem like very high mileage for the year, so maybe get a history check on the car to look into that, and ask for as detailed a service history as possible as well.
Our top tip for buying used cars is to test drive as many examples of the car from other sellers as possible so you get a feel for which is a good one.
As with any used car, check it drives well, there are no warning lights on when it is up and running and try to get a look underneath to make sure there's nothing drastically wrong.
Ideally a mechanic you trust would take a look at it for you, but I guess you can't expect perfection from a 2007 car.
The price sounds ok rather than amazing, but if the condition and history are good then it's probably worth it.
Can I convert a Land Cruiser before importing it?
Hi,
I'm buying a 2005 Toyota Land Cruiser SWB in Northern Ireland where it has been registered from new. It's a passenger version. My question is, can I take out the seats and register it as commercial in the south or if not, can it be registered as commercial in NI first before I bring it in or is it not worth the hassle?
What roughly would the VRT be?
Dermot (Louth)Apr 2025 Filed under: commercial vehicle
Expert answer
Hi Dermot,
The conversion work would either have to be done (and certified) before importation (in which case it could be imported as a commercial) or the Land Cruiser would have to be imported as a passenger car and the conversion carried out afterwards. Either way it's a lot of hassle for sure.
As a passenger car, the Land Cruiser would likely attract 30 per cent VRT. That's 30 per cent of the Open Market Selling Price (OMSP) as determined by Revenue. If we assume that's €8,000, then the VRT would be €2,400. And the NOx levy would be on top of that - up to a maximum of €4,850 for diesel cars if you can't prove it has a lower level of NOx emissions.
How much to replace a Mondeo's head gasket?
How much would it be to replace the head gasket in a MK5 Ford Mondeo?
Jonathan Byrne (Tallaght)Apr 2025 Filed under: repair
Expert answer
Hi Jonathan,
We don't usually attempt to give readers estimates for repair work to their cars as there is such variability out there in terms of labour rates, quoted prices and even parts prices depending on where you go to get the work done.
I will say that it's a very big job that's unlikely to cost less than €1,000 and comes with nearly 15 hours of solid labour on the car.
The full extent of the engine damage won't be clear until the cylinder head has been taken off as well, so no mechanic is likely to give you a fixed price before they start.
Please do come back to us when you've done the work and give us an account of it all, as that may be of use to another reader in the future.
Do I pay VRT importing a BMW i3 from GB?
Hello
I was planning on buying a 2016 BMW i3 from GB. I'm totally new to cars and don't really have a good idea on what I'm doing. The garage I'm buying it from has it listed for £7,000. I was just wondering how much VRT I would be paying for this car and any other expenses?
Vakaris (Dublin)Apr 2025 Filed under: importing
Expert answer
Hi Vakaris,
Actually, as the BMW i3 is an EV, and there's VRT relief for electric cars on first registration in Ireland (it doesn't matter if the car is new or used), you won't pay any VRT.
However, if the car has indeed come from England, Scotland or Wales, you will have to pay VAT and customs duty. Customs duty is 10 per cent of the 'customs value', which is defined as the price you paid for the car, plus transport and insurance costs. VAT is 23 per cent of the customs value plus the customs duty paid.
If the car is actually coming from Northern Ireland, and not GB, the situation is different.
I suggest you give our guides on all this a read:
Does the MGS5 have lumbar adjustment?
Does the MGS5 have lumbar support adjustment?
Eugene Walsh (Dublin)Apr 2025 Filed under: seating
Expert answer
Hi Eugene,
While we don't yet have Irish specifications for that car, MG UK has confirmed its offering for the S5 EV and it includes manual lumbar support for the driver on the top Trophy Long Range model only.
We would expect the Irish cars to be the same.
How much BIK on a Volkswagen Amarok?
I'm looking at buying a new VW Amarok Aventura for around €80k including VAT. It will primarily be used for work, but I will on occasion use it for personal use. How do I work out the BIK?
Paul (Athlone)Apr 2025 Filed under: benefit-in-kind
Expert answer
Hi Paul,
Revenue is likely to treat that vehicle as a company car – not a van – due to it having rear seats, a high specification and suitability for use as a regular car. That's irrelevant of what you actually do with it.
BIK is calculated using the Original Market Value (OMV), a percentage determined by the car's CO2 emissions and the annual business mileage. In the case of the Amarok Aventura, the CO2 is 267g/km, and the retail-on-the-road price is €76,820 before options.
Such a high emissions rating puts this vehicle into the highest band for BIK, category E, and the percentage then depends on the annual business mileage from a high of 37.5 per cent for up to 26,000km to a low of 15 per cent for over 52,001km (it's 30 per cent for 26,001-39,000km and 22.5 per cent for 39,001-52,000km). You must keep records.
Say for example you do 25,000km a year for business reasons. That means 37.5 per cent of €76,820 as the calculated “cash equivalent” (€28,807.50) and that is then added to your total pay from a tax calculation point of view.
You can bring that down by doing more business mileage or choosing a more efficient – or cheaper – vehicle.
There are plenty of other bits and pieces to take into consideration, so it's worth taking a look at Revenue's own Private use of employer provided vehicles page for up-to-date information.
Will future Volkswagens have buttons instead of touchscreens?
Hi,
Do you know if it's true that Volkswagen is putting a/c and heating control buttons back on its vehicles for 2026? I'm not a fan of having everything on screen. Changing basic settings can take my attention off the road for longer than it's safe and it's so easy to press the wrong setting by mistake. Turning off the heated seat when at its highest takes four swipes on my Golf. I don't have voice control. Buttons are far more instinctive.
Thanks.
Teresa (Co. Clare)Apr 2025 Filed under: infotainment
Expert answer
Hi Teresa,
There is certainly a move that way, though don't expect all models to change all at once. It would appear that the car makers (not just Volkswagen) have listened to buyers such as you and critics such as us on this, and there will be a gradual reintroduction of some physical switchgear. Organisations such as Euro NCAP and even the EU are closely monitoring this, too, so we have high hopes for a return to less reliance on touchscreens for basic tasks in a car.
Volkswagen's recent show cars that preview forthcoming production models - such as the ID.1 and ID.2 - have buttons as well as a touchscreen.
My relative's cars have been off the road a long time...
I'm in a pickle. I have a 2005 car. An elderly relative has a 2002 VW Transporter and VW Passat and I want to take ownership of both, possibly take mine off the road and in time convert the VW Transporter to a camper. Both have been off the road for over two years now and the van was commercial. Will it cost me big money to tax and insure both? Where is best to get insurance how do I put both in my name?
Leona Costello (Roscommon )Apr 2025 Filed under: taxation
Expert answer
Hi Leona,
From what you've told us, the easiest thing to do here would be to change ownership of your relative's cars to you. This is simply a case of filling in section C on the back of the Vehicle Registration Certificate (VRC) for each of the vehicles and sending the VRCs off to the Vehicle Registration Unit (the address is on the VRC). This can be done online as well via www.motortax.ie.
When a vehicle changes hands, its tax arrears are wiped out, so you won't need to worry about that. And if you don't intend to use the vehicles for a time, you can declare them off the road using the Statutory Off Road Declaration (SORD). This can be done online at www.motortax.ie or at your local motor tax office.
Note: this must be done ahead of time, not after the fact, and can only be submitted for periods of up to 12 months (though it can be renewed).
That would avoid the need for motor tax if you're not using the vehicles or if you're in the midst of converting the Transporter, for example.
If that's not an option, then motor tax for the van in particular could be expensive as it will be taxed according to its engine size (read our Motor Road Tax Prices In Ireland Explained feature for full details).
In terms of insurance, multi-car policies are not common in Ireland, unfortunately, so you'll need to do some ringing around or employ the services of a good insurance broker. And be aware that it can be tricky to get private insurance on a commercial vehicle.
Come back to us if you want us to go into more depth on any of this.
Are these VRT estimates on a Transit Custom right?!
Hello,
I am looking to buy a family nine-seater like the Ford Tourneo Custom in NI. Unfortunately, Revenue's VRT calculator can't find anything from the years I've searched (2018, 2019, 2020), giving me a "No vehicle found for combination selected" error.
I tried vrt.ie, but it's giving me very high estimates. Could they be true?
For example, for a Feb 2019 Ford Tourneo Custom 2.0 EcoBlue 130hp Titanium, asking price £20,000, it came out at €16,493.48 CO2 (WTLP CO2 emissions: 215.867g/km, which seems crazy?) and €2,625 NOx charge.
For another specimen, a Jan 2020 Ford Tourneo 2.0 EcoBlue 130hp Titanium, they came at €8,979.6 CO2 (WTLP CO2 emissions: 164g/km) and €2,625 NOx.
Are these estimations even realistic? NOx is most certainly not right, but even the CO2 part seems excessive. But it's my first rodeo, so I really don't know! I would be very grateful for any clues.
Slawek (Lucan)Apr 2025 Filed under: VRT
Expert answer
Hi Slawek,
We've found Revenue's VRT estimator to be lacking in a lot of ways and it certainly doesn't list all makes and models for all years.
Let's break down the figures.
First up, the NOx levy quoted by vrt.ie (€2,650) is actually the maximum possible charged for a vehicle with a diesel engine. Neither of the examples you provided will emit enough NOx to warrant that, though you will need to have proof of their official figure to avoid paying the maximum. We'd estimate that a NOx levy of about €250 is more realistic in this case.
Be careful with the CO2 figures. The 164g/km rating quoted for the second vehicle appears to be the old NEDC figure and Revenue will actually apply an “uplift” formula (see our Guide to Importing Cars from the UK feature for that) to bring it up to an equivalent WLTP rating. It comes out as 204g/km, meaning VRT at 41 per cent.
In your first example, this appears to have been done already, resulting in the 215g/km rating.
In both cases, that would mean VRT at 41 per cent of the OMSP, the Open Market Selling Price.
Now this is where things become less clear. The OMSP is not the asking price of the car, or even the price you pay for it, but the value Revenue places on it as a vehicle registered in Ireland and on sale here. It's not easy to estimate for relatively rare vehicles. For the purposes of our calculation, let's say €45,000. At 41 per cent, the VRT on that would be €18,450.
Obviously that could go up or down depending on how much Revenue believes the vehicle is worth, but we're certain of the 41 per cent VRT rate, unfortunately.