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Hi Patrick,

The new DS 4 will be in Irish showrooms in time for the price announcement on December 10. We will be driving it on January 14, 2016, so keep an eye on our Car Reviews page for the first Irish drive.

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Hi Kevin,

We asked the current Nissan importer and got a pretty stock answer:

"This is under continuous review - it is likely that Infiniti will be launched when the decision is taken that the demand, conditions and the model line-up are right for the Irish market."

From our point of view, the new Q30 and forthcoming Infiniti QX30 are steps towards that happening, but we believe that Irish new car sales would have to top 150,000 units a year consistently before it would be considered. Competition is already tough here and Infiniti hasn't done all that well over in the UK.

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Hi Gearoidin,

The NCT checks for condition and tread depth mostly and will fail on those items and if the tyre is not the right specification for the car. There is a note in the NCT manual, however, for the tester to advise the owner if the tyres are more than six years old. Most tyre makers recommend that, even with very light use, you should not use a tyre that's more than ten years old as the internal structure starts to break down.

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Hi John,

Yup, you'll have to pay the VAT I'm afraid. The rule says that if a car is less than six months old or has less than 6,000km on the clock, it's liable for Irish VAT upon entry into the state. You'll be charged it along with your Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) at the time of inspection.

Read our guide to importing a car from the UK here

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Hi Mark,

Yeah, Chevrolet wouldn't be a good one to be trying to sell at the moment. Now that the brand has pulled out of Europe, the impression (not entirely correct it should be said) will be that parts and servicing will be difficult to come by. Beyond that, the brands that are difficult to sell on are the ones that no-one's heard of. If you've got some oddball private import you'll struggle, but anything that's on sale in the Irish market will prove no more difficult than anything else - it's down to the specific model at that point.

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Hi Martin,

There's no imminent update for the Kuga - it was only launched in 2013, so you can probably expect to see a mild mid-life refresh by mid-2016 or thereabouts. The Edge is due to arrive in Europe by the end of the year, but will realistically be an early 2016 car for the Irish market.

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Hi Paul,

Sometimes it can, actually. It's all a matter of doing your sums carefully. Yes, the drop in the value of the Euro has made things much more marginal, but the fact is that UK cars are often still good value compared to Irish equivalents. Just do your homework, don't forget to include travel and accommodation costs in your calculations and keep your fingers crossed come VRT inspection time.

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Hi Shaun,

I double-checked with Volkswagen Ireland just now and it confirmed that it is not planning on offering it for sale here at all, as demand for petrol-fuelled Golfs is very low.

Shame.

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Hi John,

If you're buying an Irish car then you'll be very limited in terms of choice. The vast majority of 2010 Ford Focus on the roads in Ireland are powered by the 1.6-litre TDCi diesel engine, in either 90- or 110hp states of tune). It's not a bad engine with a great performance-to-economy ratio and low road tax. Be aware though, like many engines of this type, it's only really suited to average annual mileage of 20,000km and above - or the majority of its time on a fast-flowing road/motorway. The reason is that its diesel particulate filter (DPF) can clog up and it can be expensive to remedy. There are other components in the engine itself that also gum up if the car is used predominantly for low-speed driving.

Other engines in the 2010 Focus are the 1.8 TDCi diesel and, for low-mileage drivers, the 1.4- and 1.6-litre petrol units. All of these are much rarer. The 1.8 isn't quite as susceptible as the 1.6 diesel to issues, but it's less economical. If you're sure that diesel suits your needs then seek out a 1.6.

Hope that helps

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Hi Jim,

Nope, certainly not any more. The rules say you must book a Vehicle Registration Tax assessment (which is carried out at an NCT centre) within seven days of the car's arrival in Ireland, and the registration process, including the payment of any VRT and VAT owing, and the use of the new Irish number plates, must be completed within 30 days.

 Or, you know, fines, courts, thumb-screws, all that jazz.