Expert answer

Hi Justina,

Start-stop issues are common with a lot of cars and we get many queries about it. If your car is not being used much right now, then the battery may not be in great condition and that's a leading reason for stop-start problems. It could be something else of course. Your car should still be under warranty if you want to talk to your Hyundai dealer about it.

In the meantime, read Why won't my car's stop-start system work? on the subject.

Expert answer

Hi Seamus,

This is obviously a tricky decision, and we wish your wife all the best in coping with this. When it comes to ride quality, the most important factors are the stiffness, overall, of the suspension, the size of the wheels, and the sidewall depth of the tyres. Basically, smaller wheels and normal suspension is the rule of thumb if you’re trying to get a car with a soft ride quality.

SUVs are actually generally quite bad for ride quality. That sounds counter-intuitive, because of course they’re taller and have longer-travel suspension, but the problem is that the springs and dampers have to be stiffened up to prevent the higher centre of gravity from inducing too much body roll. I would therefore suggest that keeping away from SUVs would be a good bet.

That said, the Subaru Forester you’ve mentioned below does indeed have a soft ride quality, again as long as you avoid the larger alloy wheel options. Ditto the smaller Subaru XV, which is helpfully lower to the ground and can get away with slightly softer suspension rates. Citroen, of course, is famed for having pillowy-soft ride quality, and the current C5 Aircross is pretty soft and springy, and has great seats into the bargain. You should definitely look at a Toyota Camry as well (very soft, and again with great seats) and the Skoda Superb.

Avoid anything that has a sporty designation (S line, R-Line, M Sport etc) as that will almost automatically have stiffer springs and bigger wheels.

Hope that helps. Below are links to our reviews of the cars mentioned above:

Subaru Forester reviews

Citroen C5 Aircross reviews

Subaru XV reviews

Toyota Camry reviews

Skoda Superb reviews

Expert answer

Hi Maire,

Unfortunately, you might as well ask us how long a piece of string might be. Irish insurance companies are something of a law unto themselves, and the cost of insurance will depend more on you and your record than on the vehicle itself. On top of which, some of our readers have been telling us that they have been finding it difficult to get some insurers to cover commercial vehicles as private cars at all. Our advice is to get hold of a good broker, who can help you navigate through all this. 

Expert answer

Hi Russell,

If you like your current car then it’s definitely a good idea to bring it with you. Importing a vehicle as part of a change of address means that you won’t have to pay Vehicle Registration Tax, which is a significant saving. All you need is proof of the change of address, and proof of at least six months’ tax and insurance at your previous address.

Read our Guide to Importing Cars from the UK feature for more.

Expert answer

Hi Donal,

They’re not VRT exempt; it’s that Revenue applies a rebate of VRT, up to a maximum of €5,000, on an imported electric car, as long as it’s a regular production model, up to a maximum OMSP of €50,000 (that’s the current Irish market value as defined by Revenue). So, as a rough example, if the car you’re importing has an OMSP of €35,000, you’ll technically pay VRT of seven per cent, at €2,450, but that is obviously covered by the VRT rebate, so you effectively pay nothing. However, the car has an OMSP of €60,000, you’ll pay €4,200 in VRT and won’t get any rebate.

If you’re bringing a car in from the England, Scotland or Wales, even if it’s an EV, you’ll be liable for 21 per cent VAT (charged on the OMSP value) and ten per cent import duty (charged on what you paid for the car plus the costs of getting it here). If you're bringing it in from Northern Ireland, as long as it’s either previously been registered to a person or company resident in the North, or you’ve bought it from a dealer, then you won’t pay the import duty, and you’ll only be charged VAT if the car is younger than six months, or has fewer than 6,000km on the clock.

Expert answer

Hi Leanne,

In theory, no. According to Revenue’s official wording on this, you don’t have to pay either import duty nor VAT on a used car coming from Northern Ireland as long as it was either previously registered to a business or an individual resident in the North, or was sold to you by a car dealer whose business is registered and addressed in the North. In theory, the invoice for the car, issued by the dealership when you bought it, should cover you but just make sure you have as much paperwork as humanly possible to back you up.

Expert answer

Hi Gerry,

If it is taxed according to its emissions, then the annual rate is now €2,400 for such cars. Read our Motor Road Tax Prices in Ireland Explained feature for full details.

Expert answer

Hi Dave,

I’m afraid not. If you were VAT-registered and buying a commercial vehicle strictly for business use, then yes you could, but on a private car? No way, I’m afraid. Worse, you’ll have to pay VAT in two territories thanks to Brexit, unless you're buying from Northern Ireland.

Read our Guide to Importing Cars from the UK feature for more.

Expert answer

Hi Fran,

You have it in a nutshell there, except the UK is defined as including Northern Ireland. Just be careful of the details. Such as NOx levy regardless of where you import it from. And there's also custom duty if you buy from England, Scotland or Wales, but not the North. Oh, and this is all assuming we're talking about a car that's older than six months old and has more than 6,000km on the clock, as otherwise that's classed as new and there is a VAT complication coming from the North.

Read our Guide to Importing Cars from the UK for more

Expert answer

Hi John,

Without knowing your budget, your seating needs and your range requirements, we can't give you a definitive answer on that. Some reading for you to consider:

Every electric car currently on sale in Ireland

Five of the best electric cars in Ireland (this needs updating as more cars have arrived on the scene since)

Come back to us with your detailed needs and we will try to help you decide on the best option.