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Hi Derek,

It depends on which model and what year for a start. Assuming that you're looking at a 2012 version, that has CO₂ emissions of 156g/km so the VRT is going to be 27 per cent of what the Revenue Commissioners estimate the car's Irish market value to be. That will depend on a lot of variables though - including condition, history, mileage and spec. Unfortunately, given that we have an entirely opaque and non-transparent tax system, you won't know exactly how much until you have the car here and it has been inspected. 

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Hi Ollie,

A total of 82,000 miles is a slightly high mileage but it depends on the miles and it depends on the car. If it's got a full service history and has been well cared for then it's not a problem.

As for the SD card, these are available from Ford dealers but have a proper look through the navigation system - UK & Ireland maps tend to come bundled as a pair so it may just be a matter of changing a country setting.

It should be worth, in Irish terms, about €14,000. 

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Hi Simon,

It has just been launched here and we will have an Irish road test very, very shortly. In the meantime, will our pre-production review tide you over? Read that here.

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Hi Dave,

If you mean the C4 Aircross then no, we haven't. It's not a model that's sold on the Irish market so it's not really on our radar. That said, from what we've heard, we're not missing out on much... We do get the C4 Cactus though, which is a lovely little thing. Read our review on that here.

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Hi Anthony,

Yes, I quite like the Mokka and our ed, Shane, says that the one with the new 1.6 CDTi diesel engine is a cracker. That said, the cee'd would be a good bit more practical from a space point of view so you need to work out exactly what you need.

Further reading:

Opel Mokka 1.6 CDTi review

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Hi Patrick,

Ah, you mean the old days of cars rolling home with 'For Reg' scrawled front and rear with marker pen? 1993 was the last year this was allowed and after that the Vehicle Registration Act was introduced and, as the wording of the act goes, "An authorised person shall not deliver, send out or otherwise make available for use a vehicle which, but for compliance with this subsection, would be unregistered, to a person who is not an authorised person without first - (a) declaring the prescribed details of the vehicle to the Commissioners in accordance with section 131, and (aa) ensuring that the identification mark assigned to it under section 131(5) is displayed on the vehicle in the prescribed manner, and (b) paying vehicle registration tax in respect of the registration of the vehicle."

Expert answer

Hi Shay,

Just as with motor tax, Vehicle Registration Tax is calculated based on the CO₂ emissions of the car in question. It starts at 14 per cent of the wholesale price of the car (inclusive of options) for cars in the lowest tax band, 0- to 80g/km of CO₂ rising to a maximum of 36 per cent for the highest band, for cars emitting more than 225g/km of CO₂.

The most common bands are Bands A2 to A4 and B1 and B2, which run from 15 per cent to 19 per cent.

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Hi Jane,

I have to admit I'm not a big fan of the current X3. Too hard-riding and not practical enough for my liking, although I'll grant you it's very good to drive. 

But, while the Outlander isn't the most exciting or dynamic vehicle around, it does have a few advantages. It can be had as a seven-seater, it comes with an eight-year warranty and Mitsubishis tend to be very reliable.

Best of all, for the price of an X3 you could get into the PHEV plugin hybrid Outlander, which is a properly ground breaking car. Get an E-Car charger on the driveway (you should still be able to get a free one if you're quick) and you'll be able to go 50km without using the petrol engine, but you still have a proper fuel tank on board for long journeys and can average 40mpg with the petrol engine going. 

Can't go wrong, really...

Further reading:

BMW X3 review (pre-facelift model)

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV review (first Irish drive)

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Hi Laurence,

It varies hugely depending on the model. The closer in mechanical terms to the original Irish and European model it is, the better its value will be simply because it will be simpler and easier to maintain with locally sourced parts. 

The more esoteric and unusual the car, and basically the more parcels of parts you need to order from Japan, the lower the value will be. 

That's not necessarily a hard and fast rule though - some cars, such as the Toyota/Lexus Soarer and the Nissan Figaro, are well catered for here and in the UK with strong parts backup. Like I say - it varies wildly from model to model.

Expert answer

Hi Peter,

That us a very tough choice to have to make. Both are excellent - the Qashqai won the Association of Professional Motoring Press (APMP) Car of the Year award last year and trust me, we're a tough bunch to please. It's very good to drive, frugal and very comfy. Practical too, of course.

The Passat would probably be the better choice if you are doing lots of long motorway miles though - that 1.6 TDI engine is astonishing economical (I once did Galway-Dublin-Belfast-Glasgow-Dublin-Galway on one tank in one) and they're very comfy for long journeys. Both are about equally reliable, which means they're both pretty solid but don't accept anything that hasn't a full service history.

On the safety front, the 2014 Qashqai (that's the current shape model) got five stars on the EuroNCAP crash test, with an 88 per cent score for adult occupant protection, 83 per cent for child occupant, 69 per cent for pedestrian protection and 79 per cent for safety assist (which is a measure of how many electronic driver aids are fitted as standard).

The Passat achieved similar scores - five stars overall, 91 per cent adult occupant, 77 per cent child occupant, 54 per cent pedestrian protection, and 71 per cent safety assist.

Further reading:

2014 Nissan Qashqai 1.5 dCi review (on Irish roads)

2010-2014 Volkswagen Passat EuroNCAP safety results

2014 Nissan Qashqai EuroNCAP safety results