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Hi Philip,

A battery in a PHEV (and an EV for that matter) and its various components are no less waterproof or more susceptible to damage in such conditions than an engine and its various components. EVs and PHEVs go through the same stringent quality control checks and have to withstand the same lifecycle as their petrol-powered counterparts. 

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Hi William,

That engine uses a timing chain.

As for things to watch for, there are a few known things:

• Make sure all the doors lock and unlock correctly as the internal mechanism can fail and need replacing
• Ensure you can press the clutch pedal properly and it returns to expected position as issues with the pedal itself and the clutch master cylinder can occur - can mean it's difficult to engage gears too
• If you see the instruments flickering or dropping back to the off position while driving it could mean a new instrument panel is needed
• The gearbox's sensor for it being in neutral can cause starting problems and an issue with the start-stop system so watch out for that - often accompanied by an oil leak from the gearbox

Otherwise it's quite a reliable car. As with all used cars, we'd recommend you drive a few different examples of the same car to get a feel for how it should drive, ask for a detailed service history and make sure you take a proper test drive including some motorway driving.

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Hi Dee,

It's possible that you may have legal recourse here, though that's never an easy route to go down. I'd suggest getting in touch with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) to discuss the situation before you decide.

In terms of general finance rules, if you have paid more than half the PCP value of the car already, then you can by law hand it back and not have to pay anything else. You forfeit any potential equity in the car if you do that of course and if you've paid much more than half, you won't get a refund either. 

In your situation, including a good relationship with the dealer, I'd be tempted to ask for a formal meeting to discuss the problem. Indicate that you're not happy with the car and you want to change it, that you'd rather not explore legal avenues and you'd rather keep your business with the dealer (if that is true). Firmly state that you have no confidence in them fixing the car and that you want to change it. Then let them come up with a solution. If they don't, consider other options as laid out above.

Either way, please do let us know how you get on.

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Hi Ainsley,

In our opinion, the better EV out of the pair is the Tesla Model 3 - but there are caveats to that, and one very big one to consider. Subjective, of course, but the Megane E-Tech is nicer to look at outside and in, and the quality of its interior fittings are also better. It also drives very sweetly, so it's a strong contender.

However, the Model 3 has greater one-shot driving range (both official and real-world), is the more refined car at speed and, once you've tried it you'll realise just how much of a USP the proprietary Supercharger system is for Tesla; there is no finer public recharging experience than this.

The big caveat with the Model 3, though, is the placement of the indicators and the windscreen wiper controls on the steering wheel in the facelifted  version - it's a cackhanded piece of ergonomics if you come to it direct from a car with conventional column stalks.

On top of that, there's a vastly different customer service model at work, as Renault has a nationwide network of dealers you can just pop into, and Tesla does not.

We'd suggest you take all that into consideration while you go test-drive both cars for yourself.

Please do let us know which one you go for.

Expert answer

Hi Karen,

I'm afraid we are no better-placed to make that decision for you as we know nothing about the car or the dealership. If the dealership says it replaced the belt then it's not likely to be lying about that, and you could pay an independent mechanic to take off the timing belt's top cover to inspect the belt. 

I'd be as worried about oil and filter changes, which are crucial for the long life of an engine.

If you have any doubts, walk away from the deal, as there will be other cars.

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Hi Patrick,

The exact figure will be on the car's log book, and we assume you mean the 1.5 TSI 150 as the 1.5-litre engine only came in that guise in the Karoq.

We found data for three different UK trim lines (I'm assuming you're looking at importing from the UK) and all came back with a NOx rating of 29mg/km. However, the highest CO₂ rating for these cars was 127g/km, not 133g/km, so it's possible that the actual NOx figure of the car you're looking at might be a little higher than 29mg/km.

It won't be much higher anyway so that's a good estimate for you to calculate the NOx levy from.

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Hi Richard,

Is it an import from Japan or elsewhere? Or is it a special edition? It's not unusual for imported cars and special editions to get different bonnet badges.

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Hi Rory,

The answer is thankfully pretty straightforward. No, there’s no upper limit on the number of cars you can bring in, but you have to make sure that they all qualify for VRT relief under the regulations.

Full response from Revenue below:

"When transferring residence into the State, a person can apply for relief from Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) for their personal vehicles.  Whilst there is no limit on the number of personal vehicles in respect of which an individual can avail of Transfer of Residence relief, each vehicle must individually fulfil all qualifying criteria. One of these qualifying criteria requires that the vehicle must be in use by the applicant for a period of 185 days prior to their relocation."

Expert answer

Hi Catherine,

Stop-start systems can be tempermental. We get so many queries about them that we decided to write a feature explaining the potential issues - Why won't my car's stop-start system work?

Nonetheless, issues with it are regularly caused by weak batteries. Saying that, I wouldn't expect your car to start properly in the morning if there was a big battery problem, so I don't think the boot opening problem is linked to the battery. The Fiat 500 has a known issue where the wiring near the tailgate hinge can become damaged or broken - I suspect that's where your problem lies.

A decent mechanic should be able to quickly fix that for you.

Expert answer

Hi Philip,

The Prius is due to land in Ireland in June so I'd expect cars available to test in dealers by early July. Have you seen our first drive review of the car?

And yes, you're right about the Mitsubishi - the brand is no longer being sold here.