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Audi or Ford for my daughter's first car?

My daughter is getting her first car; she is 18. She wants an Audi, but I think they might be expensive and dearer parts etc. So, we are now thinking of a 2014 Ford Focus diesel for reliability and safety etc.

Padraig O HEanachain (Mayo)

May 2025 Filed under: choosing used car

Expert answer

Hi Padraig,

Though there's likely to be very little difference between the two cars in terms of reliability and safety (assuming other things like age, mileage, condition and service history are equal), you're most likely correct in terms of more expensive servicing and parts for the Audi. 

And make sure you get an insurance quote before you commit to any car.


Should I keep my Kia Rio into retirement?

I have a 2016 Kia Rio hatchback with 32,000km on the clock. Should I keep it? I am looking for my last car as I am a senior and once I retire I won't be able to have a monthly payment going out.

Terri Bock (London Ont)

May 2025 Filed under: choosing used car

Expert answer

Hi Terri,

Only you know if you can afford to replace the Kia now and have it paid off before you retire.

However, with such low mileage on the clock, and the good reputation the Kia Rio has for reliability, there's a strong argument for not changing it at all. Just make sure you keep it maintained to a high standard, even if you're not covering a lot of distance. 


Looking to import an ex-police converted Ford Kuga...

Hi,

I have purchased a Ford Kuga. It is an ex-police 'K9' dog unit converted from a car to a two-seat commercial. It came with a five-seat car v5, though, so can this unit be classified as a commercial in Ireland?

What issues will there be with registering the vehicle? And where can I get an engineer's report on the conversion done by UK police?

Nicholas Walsh (Wexford)

May 2025 Filed under: commercial vehicle

Expert answer

Hi Nicholas,

When the vehicle is presented at an NCT centre for inspection, on importation, it doesn't matter what the UK registration document says. If the vehicle has been converted to a two-seat commercial with a bulkhead and no rear seats, then it is likely to be treated as such.

Assuming there is no paperwork relating to the conversion; however, it may be advisable to get an engineer's report beforehand. The NSAI has a list of Approved Test Centres here that should be able to help with that. https://www.nsai.ie/certification/automotive/national-type-approva/atc/

You are supposed to book the vehicle in for an inspection with the NCTS within seven days of its arrival and have it re-registered within 30 days, so keep all that in mind when you're booking appointments.

Do let us know how you get on.


Is the 2006 Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi a good car?

I would like to buy a 2006 Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi estate. Is it a good car?

Thank you. 


Aubril (Dans La Manche 50)

May 2025 Filed under: choosing used car

Expert answer

Hi Aubril,

The Focus estate in general is pretty decent, but the 1.8-litre diesel engine was not Ford's finest hour and unless it has verified low mileage and/or a detailed service history showing regular oil changes, it's best to look for an alternative. The 1.6-litre diesel is a far superior engine from Ford, for example.


Which SUV for up to €30,000?

Looking to buy a family car - budget €25,000 to €30,000 (so I assume a 2021/2022). Looking at the Tucson, Sportage, Audi Q3 or the equivalent Skoda. Looking for reliability. Which of the above would you recommend? Or is there another option I should be looking at?

Cathal O Loghlin (Boyle)

Apr 2025 Filed under: choosing used car

Expert answer

Hi Cathal,

The Audi Q3 is a bit smaller than the Kia and Hyundai mentioned so make sure you try one out for size if you're serious about that. The equivalent Skoda (to the Sportage and Tucson) is the Karoq, though the larger Kodiaq would also be in budget.

I'd have a little more confidence in the Kia and Hyundai in terms of reliability in comparison to the Audi and Skoda, but only a little as all of these are decent cars. The Hyundai is the most common by far, which means you could afford to be picky in terms of mileage, condition and specification. The Sportage and Tucson are effectively identical under the skin, though the Sportage may come with more of the original warranty in tact, which is another consideration.

In terms of alternatives, we've always liked the Mazda CX-5 for how it drives and, if you're not set on diesel, then the Toyota RAV4 hybrid shouldn't be ignored, either.

Feel free to come back to us if you need further help narrowing things down.

Let us know how many in the family and on which car seats if applicable, plus your annual mileage.


How much to replace a Mondeo's head gasket?

How much would it be to replace the head gasket in a MK5 Ford Mondeo?

Jonathan Byrne (Tallaght)

Apr 2025 Filed under: repair

Expert answer

Hi Jonathan,

We don't usually attempt to give readers estimates for repair work to their cars as there is such variability out there in terms of labour rates, quoted prices and even parts prices depending on where you go to get the work done.

I will say that it's a very big job that's unlikely to cost less than €1,000 and comes with nearly 15 hours of solid labour on the car.

The full extent of the engine damage won't be clear until the cylinder head has been taken off as well, so no mechanic is likely to give you a fixed price before they start.

Please do come back to us when you've done the work and give us an account of it all, as that may be of use to another reader in the future.


Looking to buy an EV for about €25,000...

I'm looking to buy my first EV but not sure which is best value, performance, warranty, most suitable for family of five that, alongside city driving can also travel on 400km trips about 10 times per year and 1,000km drive once per year.

Looking for advice please. My budget is about €25,000.

Thank you.

Niall Murphy (Dublin)

Apr 2025 Filed under: choosing new car

Expert answer

Hi Niall,

With your requirements and budget, you'll certainly be looking at a used EV rather than a new one, which may mean buying a car that doesn't have much of its original regular warranty remaining (as the industry default is three years - though there are exceptions). However, the car makers include a longer warranty on the drive battery to reassure buyers of their longevity. Typically, this is for eight years and 160,000km (from new), though the precise figures vary from model to model.

You've not specified if any of your kids are in small seats or boosters so we assume three of them can fit across in one row of a normal car (do come back to us if we're wrong on that as that will limit your options considerably).

In terms of your driving use, and assuming you'll get a home charger to cover day-to-day charging, you're going to have to plan to use the public charging network on your longer journeys. Very few used EVs in your budget will do 400km on a charge all year around with five people on board.

Most should require just one top-up on that trip, however, taking no longer to charge than it will to get the kids all out and into the bathroom and for you to grab a coffee.

I'm sure you'd have to stop a few times on a 1,000km trip regardless of charging up the car.

Taking a look at what's on the market for under €25,000, here are some options we'd recommend:

Cupra Born: This is a five-seat, five-door hatchback about the same size as a Volkswagen Golf on the outside (and indeed it's the same underneath as the Volkswagen ID.3), but it has way more rear-seat space. Your budget gets you a 2022 example using the 58kWh battery pack, which means a realistic range of about 300km between charges.

Read our Cupra Born reviews here

Hyundai Kona Electric: The Kona is a five-door, five-seat crossover you should find as new as 2023 available within budget. That's the last of the previous-generation model. It's smaller in the boot and back seat than the Cupra mentioned above, but it is efficient. There are even some available with a 64kWh battery for a realistic range between charges of nearly 400km.

Read our Hyundai Kona reviews here

Kia e-Niro: This is another five-seat crossover, actually sharing its underpinnings with the Hyundai. However, the Niro is noticeably bigger inside the cabin and boot. There are loads of 2022 examples around with a 64kWh battery - meaning a real-world range of nearly 400km again. Sidebar: the Kia e-Soul is a stylish alternative sharing most of the same components, though it's less practical as a family car.

Read our Kia Niro reviews here
Read our Kia Soul reviews here

Skoda Enyaq: The Enyaq is a fantastic family car with much more space in the cabin and boot than all of the above. Sadly, there are very few about at your budget, though we did find a couple so it might be worth holding out for. The compromise is that you'll only be able to afford the 58kWh model, which should manage a little over 300km between charges.

Read our Skoda Enyaq reviews here

Volkswagen ID.3/ID.4: The ID.3 is VW's equivalent to the Cupra Born above and there are more of them about, most with the same 58kWh battery. Saying that, we did find a few with the 77kWh battery pack, enabling a much longer range. The ID.4 is notably larger inside and comparable with the Skoda Enyaq. It's not common within budget though.

Read our Volkswagen ID reviews

Hopefully that's some useful food for thought. Don't hesitate to come back to us if you want us to help narrow down your search.


Are these VRT estimates on a Transit Custom right?!

Hello,

I am looking to buy a family nine-seater like the Ford Tourneo Custom in NI. Unfortunately, Revenue's VRT calculator can't find anything from the years I've searched (2018, 2019, 2020), giving me a "No vehicle found for combination selected" error.

I tried vrt.ie, but it's giving me very high estimates. Could they be true?

For example, for a Feb 2019 Ford Tourneo Custom 2.0 EcoBlue 130hp Titanium, asking price £20,000, it came out at €16,493.48 CO2 (WTLP CO2 emissions: 215.867g/km, which seems crazy?) and €2,625 NOx charge.

For another specimen, a Jan 2020 Ford Tourneo 2.0 EcoBlue 130hp Titanium, they came at €8,979.6 CO2 (WTLP CO2 emissions: 164g/km) and €2,625 NOx.

Are these estimations even realistic? NOx is most certainly not right, but even the CO2 part seems excessive. But it's my first rodeo, so I really don't know! I would be very grateful for any clues.

Slawek (Lucan)

Apr 2025 Filed under: VRT

Expert answer

Hi Slawek,

We've found Revenue's VRT estimator to be lacking in a lot of ways and it certainly doesn't list all makes and models for all years.

Let's break down the figures.

First up, the NOx levy quoted by vrt.ie (€2,650) is actually the maximum possible charged for a vehicle with a diesel engine. Neither of the examples you provided will emit enough NOx to warrant that, though you will need to have proof of their official figure to avoid paying the maximum. We'd estimate that a NOx levy of about €250 is more realistic in this case.

Be careful with the CO2 figures. The 164g/km rating quoted for the second vehicle appears to be the old NEDC figure and Revenue will actually apply an “uplift” formula (see our Guide to Importing Cars from the UK feature for that) to bring it up to an equivalent WLTP rating. It comes out as 204g/km, meaning VRT at 41 per cent.

In your first example, this appears to have been done already, resulting in the 215g/km rating.

In both cases, that would mean VRT at 41 per cent of the OMSP, the Open Market Selling Price.

Now this is where things become less clear. The OMSP is not the asking price of the car, or even the price you pay for it, but the value Revenue places on it as a vehicle registered in Ireland and on sale here. It's not easy to estimate for relatively rare vehicles. For the purposes of our calculation, let's say €45,000. At 41 per cent, the VRT on that would be €18,450.

Obviously that could go up or down depending on how much Revenue believes the vehicle is worth, but we're certain of the 41 per cent VRT rate, unfortunately.


Timing belt or chain in my 2017 Mondeo 2.0 diesel?

I have a 2017 Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi Titanium (180hp). Has the car a cambelt or timing chain?

Alex (BASINGSTOKE)

Apr 2025 Filed under: servicing

Expert answer

Hi Alex,

That engine has a cambelt.


How much to tax an imported Ford Kuga TDCi?

How much to tax a 2019 Ford Kuga TDCi EcoBlue 2.0-litre Zetec? It's a UK import.

Nicholas Walsh (Wexford)

Apr 2025 Filed under: taxation

Expert answer

Hi Nicholas,

It depends on which version it is and which gearbox it has. It will be either €390 or €570 per year according to our data. If you have the registration we should be able to check for sure. 


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