Expert answer

Hi Bevan,

Sadly, insurance is the critical thing here, and it’s the bit we can help you with least as Irish insurers — as ever — ladle on the risk when it comes to young drivers. Any ballpark figure we give you could be €1,000 — or more — out.

Expert answer

Hi Howard,

If I were you, I'd stick with diesel for now. Assuming that, with such high mileage, you won't have time to plug the car in to charge it up regularly, the 530e won't get near the 520d's average economy. Once the battery charge is used up, you're effectively driving a heavy petrol car. The fact you're VAT-registered and can claim back the VAT on the diesel is another reason to stick with it for now.

Yes, electrification is coming to all cars, but we don't believe it suits all motorists just yet. The beauty of you changing your car every 15 months is that you can react quite quickly to changes in taxation and new model launches.

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Hi Mary,

If you do manage to get it registered before the end of this month (if you've not already got a VRT appointment, I'm afraid to tell you that you are unlikely to now) then your car will be taxed on its NEDC CO₂ rating, which I believe is 127g/km. That means €270 per annum now and no change for 2021. These guides might be of interest:

Motor Road Tax Prices in Ireland Explained

Guide to Importing Cars from the UK

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Hi Colum,

The facelifted Picanto is the one Kia Ireland is now marketing and pricing on its website. We spoke to our contact there and he confirmed that cars are already arriving into Ireland now and your local dealer should be able to talk to you about pricing and availability. 

Expert answer

Hi Mark,

OK, we’ve found a few cars that meet both your budget and your small engine requirement, and can pretty easily handle the hack to Ennis and back.

All small car searches should start with a Fiat 500 — looks cool, is fun to drive, costs buttons to run and no they’re not unreliable.

Want something a bit more conventional? You should be able to track down a 2009-ish Ford Fiesta with the 1.25 engine. Terrific all-rounder.

If you want something cheaper to run, there’s the Kia Picanto (circa 2010),  which has a peppy enough 1.0 to be able to cope with the Ennis run.

Or finally a Toyota Yaris, with that brilliant 1.0 VVTi engine, would make a hugely sensible choice, but you’ll have to go for an older one to stay on budget — 2008 or thereabouts. 

Expert answer

Hi Pauric,

Not sure about ‘deal of a lifetime’ but it certainly sounds pretty solid from what you’ve told us. Obviously, be careful to read the fine print of any deal regarding monthly payments and so on, and to make sure that you’re happy with the terms and conditions, whether it’s a PCP deal or Hire Purchase. The V60 is definitely one of our favourite cars, and the D3 diesel is ideal if you’re doing high regular mileage (which from the sounds of the car you’re trading in, you do).

Just remember that, being an ex-demo, you’re going to be the second name on the logbook not the first, so come resale time that will have a small effect on the trade-in value, although if you keep it for long enough that will be negligible.

Expert answer

Hi Kinga,

Though you imported the car only six years ago, it was first registered in 2006, so its taxation is based on its engine capacity for pre-2008 cars.

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Hi John,

You should have no VRT to pay as you will have owned the vehicles already for for than six months. There will be small re-registration fees, that's all. Have a read of these for more information:

How Much VRT is Paid in Ireland?

Guide to Importing Cars from the UK

Expert answer

Hi Tommy,

I agree completely with you, and I bet there are loads of people that believe that, when the front daytime running lights are on, so are the rears... A few car manufacturers have started making this the case, but it's not the law at this time. 

Expert answer

Hi Aisling,

We can't answer that question definitively as yet, as we don't drive the new Tucson until January (keep an eye on our Hyundai Tucson reviews page for it). 

You can compare the data for the cars yourself on the Hyundai and Toyota websites. There is a wide range of pricing from both brands to cover from about €36,000 to €43,000 so you'll need to delve into the specifications to see if you get more for your money in either of them. They appear well-matched to us, though Hyundai's five-year warranty trumps Toyota's three-year offer. That only matters if you're keeping the car that long of course.

In terms of performance, the Hyundai is a little quicker and should feel it even without extending the engine, as it uses a turbocharged unit, whereas the Toyota's engine has no turbo.

There's very little to separate them in terms of efficiency, though the RAV4 appears to be slightly better on that count, depending on the version.

In contrast, the Hyundai has the more modern cabin and a larger boot. 

In short, there's no clear winner between them. So, we'd recommend you get a test drive in both before you decide, in as close as possible to the final specification you would consider buying.

Please do come back to us and let us know which you decided upon and why, as that will help other readers.