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Hi Jimmy,

There’s a flat rate of 13.3 per cent VRT for commercial vehicles and,  with a 2015 Transit Custom being worth in and around €15,000 on the Irish market, you’re looking at about €1,900 in VRT, but that’s a ballpark figure.

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Hi Mike,

OK, this is a tricky one (not least because we don’t know the year of the car). However, assuming that it’s a 2001 BMW Z3, then it’s going to be worth roughly €3,000 to €4,000 (assuming that it’s in perfect condition with a full service history). The 2.0-litre Z3 has CO₂ emissions of 220g/km (depending on the specific model) so that’s going to be in the Band D, 34 per cent, VRT band. Taking an Irish  market value of €3,500 (splitting the difference) that’s going to be €1,190 in VRT. BUT, it’s worth remembering that when it comes to odd or unusual model, Revenue’s Irish market valuation can be tricky at best, and they tend to over-value cars, especially sports cars. I’d get in touch with the BMW Owners' Club in Ireland to get a more solid feel for the value of the specific car you’re buying, and to have some expert knowledge on hand if you need to appeal Revenue’s valuation. 

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Hi Jason,

Sadly, it matters not what you paid for it, but what the car would be worth here in Ireland. A 2009 Micra is going to be worth around €3,500 on the Irish market (assuming it's in excellent condition with a full service history) and that model has CO₂ emissions of 139g/km. That puts it in VRT Band B3, which means you have to pay 19 per cent of the Irish market value, which would work out at roughly €665.

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Hi James,

The problem is, if you’re using the car for anything other than strictly business use, then you have to tax it as a private car, and on a 2.0-litre engine that means it’ll cost €710 per year. As for insurance, it shouldn’t be too bad, but as ever Irish insurance is an utter minefield, and the advice is — as ever — to shop around and perhaps get in touch with a good local broker before deciding. 

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Hi Stephen,

If it’s a full LPG conversion — i.e. the entire petrol fuel system has been removed and replaced — then there may be some way of applying for a lower VRT rate. Revenue doesn’t currently allow for LPG in its NOx ratings, and the likelihood is that if the car is still capable of running on petrol, then it will still be charged at the normal rate.

The really tricky part is the acceptance of the figures. In theory, Revenue will only accept the NOx figure taken from the car’s original Certificate Of Conformity, which obviously won’t cover any later conversions. I think the first thing to do is to get every scrap of papwerwork relating to the LPG conversion, and then have a long chat with your local motor tax office. 

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Hi Aidan,

Insurance is a perennial bugbear and, unfortunately, we don’t have much of an answer for you. It could be that, when damaged, the C4 is more expensive to repair than the Almera, or simply that Irish insurers view anything that’s not a dull four-door saloon as ’sporty’ in some vague way. I’m afraid that the only thing to do is the old ’shop-around’ routine when it comes to renewal. I think it would also be worth having a word with your current insurer, find out exactly why your insurance went up (this might take a bit of drilling down through layers of ‘computer says no’) and make it very clear how dissatisfied you are, and that you’re planning to move your insurance at renewal time. 

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Hi Rory,

That’s a really tough one to answer, as there are so few E30 3 Series around at the moment, and values stretch from almost nothing to lots, depending on condition. The problem is that Revenue is notoriously awkward when it comes to valuing older, rarer cars and could slap a massive value on the car that’s simply not realistic. My best suggestion would be to get in touch with the BMW Owners Club in Ireland and get a good feeling for the value of your car. If Revenue mis-values it, you’ll be able to appeal and claim back the excess VRT paid. Or, perhaps, try and wait until October to get it done, which would be the best all-round. 

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Hi Roisin,

Unfortunately, we can’t tell you the precise amount of VRT payable on a Tesla Model 3 as Tesla doesn’t provide us with a wholesale price, net of VRT and VAT. However, it’s not going to be much, if anything at all, thanks to the €5,000 VRT rebate available on electric cars.

As for the vast difference between the price of a Model 3 in the US, most of that is down to tax — don’t forget that the American price Tesla quotes does not include local sales taxes, whereas the Irish price is inclusive of VAT (which is, at a rough guess, the guts of €5,000 to €8,000 depending on the model).

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Hi Orlagh,

Insurance has for eons been the bugbear of the Irish motorist and, sadly, it’s not getting any easier. Aside from the usual ‘ring-around’ advice, I think your best bet is to find a good local broker — they can often unlock deals not available to mere mortals. 

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Hi Ciaran,

Well, we’d obviously advise you to buy from a reputable source in the UK, as the Ranger is a hard-working pickup, usually provided rather than owned, and therefore will probably have had a tough life. Make sure you check any potential purchases over very, very carefully indeed, and don’t buy anything without a full service history. The VRT for commercial imports is 13 per cent of the Irish open market selling value, and so we’d expect you’d have to pay around €2,500 to €3,000 in VRT.