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Hi Kira,

There are a couple of places you can hire a DeLorean from, but there are a LOT of terms and conditions to go with it. The first place to try is www.starcarhire.co.uk, which has a Back to the Future-style Deloran available for hire, but which will only chauffeur the car for you — you won’t be able to drive it.

It’s also worth getting in touch with the DeLorean Ireland Owners’ Club at www.delorean.ie as some of its members hire out their cars for special events, and they would certainly be able to point you in the right direction. As for prices, I’m afraid it’s very much a case of you’ll only find out when you ask...

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Hi Mat,

The Tarraco XCellence Lux isn’t actually officially offered in Ireland, but it is available in the UK. It’s basically an XCellence with 20-inch wheels, leather sports seats, electric seat adjustment, ’top view’ parking camera and a winter pack with heated front and rear seats and headlamp washers.

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Hi Michael,

It depends on the vehicle, and what Revenue reckons the Open Market Selling Price in Ireland is. There’s a €5,000 VRT rebate on any electric car when you import it so unless the car is so expensive that it incurs VRT of more than €5,000 you won’t pay a penny.

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Hi Sean,

The short answer is that we don’t know yet — the XCeed is only going to be first shown to the public at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month, and so that means we’re a long way from Irish prices and specs just yet. However, we can make an educated guess. Kia in Ireland tends to offer a single specification for its niche models, such as the Proceed sports estate and the e-Soul electric car, so it’s possible that the XCeed will follow suit. In fact, and I must emphasise that is is a guess, I’d expect that the XCeed and the Proceed will probably be closely aligned on price and spec, with the XCeed coming in just a little cheaper than the Proceed’s €28,946. The Proceed comes, as standard, with an eight-inch touchscreen with navigation, wireless smartphone charging, 17-inch alloy wheels, lane keeping assistance and auto-dip high-beam lights (among other items).

We do know that items such as connected services and a new 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster will be available as options, but we’ll just have to wait and see what Kia Ireland comes up with when the car is launched here.

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Hi Nick,

Theoretically yes, it is possible to convert an estate into a van. Obviously you’d have to remove the back seats and weld a plate in place over the floor. There are also some minimum dimensions that must be adhered to for the vehicle to qualify as an N1 commercial. Sadly (and oddly) the requisite page on the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) website is returning a 404 'not found' right now. The good news is that your local motor tax office (MTO) will have all the relevant details that you’ll need to be sure that the car you’re thinking of converting qualifies. The conversion work will have to be carried out by someone with the appropriate qualifications and standards (again, the MTO can help there) and you’ll have to bring it for a CVRT test every year, not the usual NCT.

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Hi David,

Well, basically you take that VRT cost of €819 and add it to the money you’ve actually paid for the Galaxy, converted into Euro. On top of that, there’s the NCTS fee for having the vehicle inspected (€55), the cost of a year’s motor tax (that will depend on the engine that’s in the car) and the cost of getting new number plates made up and fitted (shouldn’t be more than €30 or thereabouts). 

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Hi Kris,

The problem is that Irish insurers are a bit blunt-force when it comes to deciding their rates, and generally speaking (and completely erroneously) they simply tend to go by engine size. So even though there are plenty of older 1.9-2.0-litre diesel engines with similar power outputs to a more modern 1.6, they’ll probably quote you more just because it’s a bigger engine. Stupid, but then that pretty much sums up the insurance industry in Ireland. All I can suggest is either biting the bullet and getting a 1.6 that maybe you’re not as keen on, or finding a really good local broker who can help you track down quotes that us mere mortals can’t find. 

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Hi John,

I'm afraid that cars need to be over 30 years old to avail of classic tax. See our Motor Road Tax Prices in Ireland Explained feature for more details.

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Hi Ed,

That is an answer that will vary massively depending on which model of car you’re talking about. There are some Hyundai i30s and Kia Ceeds from around that era that came with a 1.4 diesel engine that would be hugely economical. You might be able to track down some Peugeot or Citroen models (a 2008 would be a good choice) with a 1.4 HDi diesel engine that’s good on juice, too. There’s also the Toyota Corolla or Auris D-4D, or if you don’t fancy diesel, the same cars with the 1.33-litre VVTi petrol engine, which was not too thirsty.

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Hi Raymond,

Sadly, it’ll be €994. For some arcane reason (which no-one has been able to explain to us in a way that actually makes any sense), if you register a commercial vehicle as a private car, you have to go back onto the old by-engine-capacity tax system.