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Hi Mark,

Your dealer is definitely the starting point here. It is very annoying, I agree, but you'll need to work with them to sort this out. Hopefully there will be no further issues, but of course they are responsible for sorting those as well.

Best of luck.

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Hi Maria,

Basically the same rules apply irrespective of the vehicle itself. If it’s currently registered and taxed as a commercial, then you can indeed tax it as a private vehicle. To do that, you revert to the old by-engine-capacity tax system, which might be bad news depending on which version of the Ibiza we’re talking about. If it has a 1.2-litre engine, you’re fine — you’ll actually pay the same €330 rate as if it were a commercial. If it’s a 1.4, though, then you’ll have to pay €385.

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Hi Declan,

A lot will depend on condition and history, but it should be worth in the region of €2,500 to €3,500.

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Hi Joseph,

You've not told us the year, so, taking the 2014-2015 model as an example, it's every 20,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first.

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Hi Zura,

OK, the good news is that you’ve got a clean record and a decent budget. The bad news, I’m afraid, is that an Irish insurer just won’t care about any of that. As far as they’re concerned, you’re starting with a blank slate. Sorry to have to tell you that, but the sad fact is that Irish insurers are incredibly hard to deal with and incredibly expensive on top.

I would think that €1,200 should be enough to cover a Focus 1.6 (especially given that you’re in your mid-thirties, which is considered a safe age), but it could be a safer bet to go for the Yaris, as insurers prefer a 1.0-litre engine (it’s an outdated view, but there you go). It would definitely be worth getting in touch with a good local insurance broker, though. They can often find better deals than are available through the usual websites etc. so definitely worth having a chat with.

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Hi Orla,

Get the Skoda. Trust me, as the father of two growing boys a Qashqai is just not big enough inside. The Octavia, on the other hand, has lots of rear legroom (crucial for people in rear-facing child seats or boosters) and a massive boot, especially if you go for the very practical Combi estate version. If you’re looking for other alternatives, stick within the mid-size estate market — they’re much more practical for families than a compact SUV, and usually cheaper too run too. Oh, and they’re not much bigger than the hatchbacks they’re based on, so parking etc. is still a doddle.

Good alternatives to the Skoda are the Ford Focus Estate, the Kia Ceed Sportswagon, the Hyundai i30 Tourer and the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports. Click on those links to read our reviews of each.

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Hi Anne,

Our information shows that the recommended change interval is 140,000 kilometres (about 87,000 miles) or every 10 years, whichever comes first.

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Hi Aoife,

If your five-year old is big/heavy enough to get by on a booster cushion, that would be a big help, as the narrowest cushions will generally fit into the middle seat of just about any car of Golf-Focus-Corolla size or bigger. If you’re still using a high-backed seat, then it becomes a little trickier, and you basically need to go for the biggest car you can with the widest back seat possible. Would you consider a Volvo S80? That has one of the widest rear seats known to human-kind, and if you get the 1.6 diesel version, they’re impressively economical too. If you need something smaller on the outside, consider a five-seat MPV such as a Volkswagen Golf SV.

Before you commit to any car, though, make sure you physically try out your car seats in it.

Expert answer

Hi Roseanna,

First things first — if you’re doing mostly urban and motorway miles, you really don’t need an SUV. A more conventional hatchback, saloon, or estate is going to be more comfortable, better value, more economical and a better-engineered vehicle all round. If you’re looking for something with practicality then the likes of a Skoda Octavia Combi estate, a Volkswagen Golf Estate, a Kia Ceed SW, or the new Ford Focus Estate all have much bigger boots than any small-to-medium SUV (more than 600 litres, all of them, compared to around 450 litres for, say, a Nissan Qashqai), and they’re all better to drive and more frugal.

However, if you’re hooked on SUVs then we’d recommend a SEAT Ateca (plain wrapper, but it’s roomy, comfy and nice to drive) or a Toyota C-HR (small on the inside, relatively, but hugely stylish and the hybrid version is frugal). If you’re looking to ‘posh-up’ a bit, then the incoming new Audi Q3 is a bit of a stunner, or if you want something smaller and more affordable than any of those, try the updated Fiat 500X, which is kinda cute and charming.

Here are our relevant reviews for you to read more:

Skoda Octavia Combi review

Volkswagen Golf Estate review

Kia Ceed Sportswagon review

Ford Focus Estate review

Nissan Qashqai reviews

SEAT Ateca reviews

Toyota C-HR reviews

Audi Q3 reviews

Fiat 500X reviews

Expert answer

Hi Colm,

OK, first off, with that kind of mileage you’re well into the sort of levels that would justify a diesel engine, although the best of the down-sized turbo petrols are still certainly worth looking at. Of the three cars you’ve selected, I’d leave the Astra, as your €10,000 budget won’t get you into a new-shape model, and the older Astra was pretty dull. Of the other two, the Focus is the best, by far, to drive, and has solid reliability, but the i30 is better for interior space, and would be the more reliable in the long run.