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Hi Julia,

While there's no strict definition of the 'Recommended Retail Price' (RRP), it tends to include all taxes, but not the so-called "delivery fee".

This does not, incidentally, mean delivery to your own address, but delivery to the dealership...

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Hi Bill,

Yes, both Smart Cruise Control (SCC) and Highway Drive Assist (HDA) are included on the Earth version of the Kia EV6 sold in Ireland today.

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Hi Michael,

So long as you can prove that fact, using MOT dates perhaps, then you should not be liable for any customs duty or VAT on importation. Of course, you will still need to pay VRT and the NOx levy.

Read our Guide to importing cars from Northern Ireland for full details.

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Hi Jim,

I assume you mean the G6, the only car Xpeng sells in Ireland right now. 

It should make for a good taxi in terms of comfort, running costs and space, for sure. The rear seat is huge and it has a decent boot as well.

It hasn't been around long enough for us to make a call on its reliability, but EVs have less to go wrong than cars with engines so it's likely to be pretty dependable. 

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Hi Joseph,

We're not convinced. There are some advantages for sure, such as getting a car that is often in better condition than an Irish-market model of the same age, and sometimes with more equipment for the price as well.

But there are loads of downsides, including potential issues with sourcing parts if it's not identical to the car that was sold in Ireland and increased insurance. Many Japanese cars do not come with alarms or immobilisers, either.

For rare cars that have value then it's certainly worth looking at, but for a regular car such as the Toyota, we'd advocate for seeking out cars already in Ireland.

If you want to investigate it further, it's definitely worth working with a reputable importer that will do it all for you, up to registering the car on Irish plates, as that in itself can be tricky. We don't have first-hand experience of any one company though so can only suggest you do some Googling and looking for independent reviews of the companies you find.

And make sure you read our Guide to buying Japanese imports.

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Revenue does run a tax-relief scheme for vehicles adapted for drivers and passengers with disabilities, but the Government has confirmed that this does not apply to public service vehicles such as taxis or hackneys, wheelchair-accessible or not. In other words, a wheelchair-accessible taxi is not automatically free of VAT and VRT.

What you can benefit from is the National Transport Authority's Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) Grant Scheme, which offers a cash grant towards the cost of buying or converting a wheelchair-accessible taxi or hackney. That grant doesn't remove VAT or VRT, but it can significantly reduce the overall cost to you – by up to €17,500 depending on the age of the vehicle.

Read the information guide on the WAV Grant Scheme here

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Hi Ion,

If you can prove to Revenue that the van has been used in the North for a "reasonable period of time" then you should not be liable for VAT or customs duty, just VRT.

Then amount of VRT payable depends on whether the Vito in question is deemed to be category B or C. If it's B, the VRT is 13.3 per cent of the Open Market Selling Price (as determined by Revenue after the NCTS inspection), but if it's C, the VRT is a flat rate of €200.

You'll need to check the precise definition of the van.

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Hi James,

The regular hybrid version will be here in February, but the plug-in-hybrid model will be a few months later.

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Hi Vincent,

As we've not had to avail of the warranty it's not very easy for us to judge it. Thankfully, MG has published a detailed statement on its warranty so I suggest you take the time to read through it at your leisure to make sure you're happy with it.

And whatever car you end up buying, I suggest you print out a copy of the warranty statement at the time of buying the car so you have it as proof later on if needs be.

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Hi Liam.

I believe you'll be ok, as the car should be assessed as is, but you really should ring Revenue for yourself to double-check that rather than take our word for it.