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Hi David,

Depends on your driving style, but 55mpg should be a gimme, 60mpg if you're a bit careful and 70mpg if you're driving with baby kittens under the accelerator pedal.

You're quite right about 1.2 engines, at least for now. They usually have to be worked too hard to drive at normal speeds to get the best economy and, for now, 1.6 seems to be a displacement sweet spot. That will change though - just check out the economy you can get (with some effort) from Volkswagen's 1.2 TSI petrol unit.

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Hi Ciaran,

Benefit in kind is, unfortunately, not a fixed figure and depends as much on your personal circumstances as it does the particular car. Have a look on the Revenue website to learn more, but you’re going to need an accountant.

As for tax on the vehicle itself, the VRT payable is 13.3 per cent of the purchase price and, taxed as a commercial, it’s €333 a year, but if you’re using it for any sort of social, domestic or pleasure driving then you’ll have to tax it as a private car, and that means €1,200 per year.

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Hi David,

OK, if you're determined to go diesel and you need a reliable 60mpg plus then the only safe option is to get yourself a Golf BlueMotion. Your Polo plus your budget should get you easily into one, but you have to remember that getting good fuel economy is actually all about your driving style. We recently managed to get better than 60mpg out of a 1.2 TSI petrol Skoda Rapid, and that was with four big blokes on board...

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Hi Robbie,

It could well be a wheel bearing. Though it could just as easily be a tyre. Best bet is to bring it to a different mechanic to have it checked over.

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Hi Blaithin,

In my personal experience the most efficient car I've ever driven was the Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion - it easily averages better than 60mpg in everyday driving and I'm not the most economical of drivers. €20k should get you a nicely specced 2010 or 2011 model.

How does that sound?

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Hi Jim,

Basically, it's the same as buying an ex-rental. The good news is that all the scheduled servicing and maintenance should have been carried out in full and on time, but the bad news is that you just don't know who's been driving it previously and what kind of driving they've been doing. Generally speaking, someone being given a loan car by their insurer will probably just have had a shunt and will likely be in a careful mood, but you just never know. Check everything very carefully, from the cabin for unexpected wear and tear to the suspension for alignment issues or other damage. This could be a good one to break out the AA inspection on, just to be on the safe side.

Let us know how you get on

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Hi Janice,

Yes, but perhaps not the most economical in the class. Going on personal experience, a Mercedes-Benz E 200 or E 250 CDI will average in the high forties mpg whereas a BMW 520d or an Audi A6 2.0 TDI should easily get over the 50mpg barrier in everyday driving.

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Hi there,

Generally speaking SsangYongs are very reliable, not least because the older models tend towards the crude and simple end of the scale. On the Actyon just keep an eye out for sticking transmissions (or lumpy changes if it's an auto) and fragile cabin trim. Oh, and for a diesel car it's not very fuel efficient - you'll be lucky to break 30mpg in daily driving.

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Hi Audrey,

Go for the Tiguan and go for four-wheel drive if you can find a good one within your budget. That first generation Kuga didn't age well at all (interior feels very cheap and nasty now) and the last time I drove a four-wheel drive version I struggled to get better than 35mpg out of it. By contrast a 4Motion Tiguan should easily crack the 40mpg barrier in everyday driving, has a lovely cabin and is crackingly good to drive.

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Hi Paul,

It could be down to a number of factors, but excessive fuel consumption can usually be traced to a few specific areas:

Are the tyre pressures correct all round? Tyres that are under pressure can seriously increase your fuel consumption.

Are you using a roof rack or roof box, or are you constantly carrying around heavy loads in the boot?

Has the engine been serviced recently?

Finally, there’s your own driving style, which is often the bigger contributing factor to fuel consumption. If you’re trying to save fuel, try accelerating a little more gently, anticipating the traffic flow a little further ahead, backing off earlier and not idling the engine when standing still for long periods.