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Hi Joe,

If you are moving to Ireland, and bringing the car with you, and you can show proof of at least six months’ tax and insurance, as well as proof of change of address, then you’ll be exempt from paying VRT.

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Hi John,

Yes, you can. The minimum period for SORNing a car is three months, and the maximum 12 months. Just remember that you have to declare it as SORNed before the current tax runs out. 

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Hi Leslie,

I would double-check this with your local motor tax office, but in theory a Land Cruiser Utility will be charged at 13.3 per cent VRT of the Irish Open Market Selling Price. The short-wheelbase Land Cruiser retails at €43,950 new in Ireland, so it’s going to be a fair chunk of VRT, plus if it’s a new car you’ll have to pay the VAT on top of that. 

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Hi Rik,

If you mean literally haul it to a scrapyard and have it taken to bits, then yes, that won’t be a problem. If you mean take advantage of one of the numerous 'scrappage' offers that are around at the moment, then no. Most of those offers have stipulations that say the car you’re trading in has to be taxed and insured (often for up to six months beforehand), and driven to the dealership under its own power. 

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Hi Mags,

OK, there’s a bit of a balance to be struck, here. The Avensis would, normally, be a good, solid choice and of the two cars you’ve mentioned, it’s the more economical overall. However, we’re always slightly wary of cars that may have been used in the past as taxis, so you’d want to carefully check the history on that one, using Cartell.ie, for example.

The Mazda CX-5 is one of our favourite cars, but if it’s a 2017 model you’re looking at, then you’d want to make sure that it’s the second-generation CX-5 — not that the older car is bad or anything, but the newer version is a deal more sophisticated and refined, so worth stretching the budget for. The current version arrived in Ireland during 2017. It would be a bit thirstier than the Avensis but of the two it would be our choice.

Others worth looking at? Honda’s CR-V is always an excellent choice (massively roomy, hugely reliable), VW Passat (go for the estate), or the Skoda Superb. Here are a few our reviews to help:

Toyota Avensis reviews

Mazda CX-5 reviews

Honda CR-V reviews

Volkswagen Passat reviews

Skoda Superb reviews

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Hi Johnnie,

Are you quite sure that it’s a seven-year warranty? Toyota UK generally offers a five-year warranty, which is the standard pan-European three-year warranty, topped up for an extra two years by the UK importer. In Ireland, Toyota only offers the standard three-year warranty, so it’s unlikely that the extra two years of the UK one will be honoured here, as it’s a market-specific offer. 

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Hi Susan,

Sadly, we have no idea. Insurance in Ireland is a minefield so complex that it could put off an entire tank battalion. With your age (insurers tend to get a little jumpy once a driver passes the age of 70 — not fair, but little in Irish insurance is) and the fact that the Tesla Model 3 has some pretty potent performance, I would suspect you could be looking at quite a chunky premium. My advice would — obviously — be to shop around as much as you can, but also to find a good local insurance broker who may be able to help you winkle out some better deals.

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Hi Ray,

In the initial launch countries for the Ami it will be permissible to be driven on a moped or quadricycle licence, which is from 14 years of age in France and 16 years in other European countries. A full car licence would also cover driving it. Currently there are no plans for this vehicle to be offered in Ireland, or in other right-hand-drive markets. 

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Hi Niall,

I’m afraid not. Revenue only applies BIK relief to electric cars and flatly states that ‘hybrids do not count as electric vehicles.’ BIK is calculated on the value of the car and the annual mileage, not on the CO₂ emissions of the car. That may change in the coming months, with the new FG-FF-Green coalition promising to review the motor taxation system, but for now, there’s no BIK benefit to driving a hybrid. 

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Hi Ken,

It depends on what exactly we’re talking about here. If it’s a two-seat Land Cruiser with a cargo bay in the back, then Revenue should treat it as a purely commercial vehicle for VRT purposes, even  if you later go on to tax it as a private vehicle. If, though, it’s a four-seat model that has been categorised as an N1 in the UK, Revenue won’t accept it as a van here anymore, and it’ll be charged at the full passenger car VRT rate.