Can I use an old Land Rover privately?
If I buy a 30-year-old Land Rover commercial for private use, what have I to do?
Thanks
Barry
Barry Doyle (Ireland, Republic)Jun 2019 Filed under: classic cars
Expert answer
Hi Barry,
Basically nothing. At 30 years old, your Land Rover will qualify for ‘vintage’ tax and insurance. The only wrinkle might be that your insurer might insist that you have a ‘modern’ car taxed and insured as well, as classics are supposedly only for weekends etc.
Help me out with some import answers...
Hi,
I'm currently living in London. I've bought a passenger vehicle to beat the VRT when I return to Ireland. It's registered to me, but the wife will be taking it when we get back to Ireland. I plan to buy a Land Rover Discovery Commercial. Will I get away with €200 VRT (as it's an N1 category vehicle) when I return and re-register it, as I plan to use it as a private van? I don't really need the space but could do with a 4x4 for helping out on the farm at home, hence why I'm thinking a commercial would be cheaper.
Thanks a million.
#ConfusedPaddy
Rob Hoban (London)May 2019 Filed under: VRT
Expert answer
Hi Rob,
Yes, if you have registered the car to your London address, and can show proof of continuous tax and insurance for six months prior to your move, then you’ll be able to avoid VRT when you import it here. On the Discovery Commercial, you’ll be looking at rather more than €200 VRT to import it, I’m afraid. N1 and Cat B commercial vehicles don’t pay a flat rate any more, they pay 13.3 per cent of the Open Market Selling Price, or the Irish market price as defined by Revenue. The same will go for a crew-cab, and 13.3 per cent is the lowest possible rate of VRT.
Motor tax for imported Defender Utility?
Hello,
I have a Land Rover Defender 110 Utility, which is classed as a commercial vehicle in the UK with road tax of £240 a year. I use it for personal use and want to bring it home to Ireland. I've owned it for more than six months. It's in Band G for CO2 emissions so I'm horrified to see the motor tax in Ireland for it is €2,350. But, your article says if it's commercial and personal use it's a different scale. It has a 2.2-litre diesel engine. Do you know how much the tax is?
Ta
Richie
Richie Cahill (London)Apr 2019 Filed under: taxation
Expert answer
Hi Richie,
Yes, thanks to an odd quirk in our tax system, if you’re taxing a commercial vehicle for personal use (and a 110 Utility counts as one), then you revert to the old tax system, based on engine capacity, so with a 2.2-litre engine you’re looking at €951 a year. Pretty steep all the same, but a bit better than €2,350…
Are pick-ups as comfortable as the Discovery?
Hi,
Read your article about commercial vehicles with interest. Just wondering how these crew cab pick-ups would compare to the Land Rover Discovery Commercial. As a daily driver that is. Are the refinement levels of the Discovery still far beyond these?
Thanks
David Mulvany (Navan)Mar 2019 Filed under: commercial vehicle
Expert answer
Hi David,
Short answer, yes — the Discovery would be far, far more refined and comfortable than most pick-ups. That said, pick-ups are improving all the time, and models such as the VW Amarok are starting to get into the same ballpark as cars like the Discovery when it comes to comfort and quietness. They’ve still a little way to go yet, though.
Tax and VRT on an imported Defender?
Hi.
Really useful site. I want to import a Land Rover Defender 90 from the North. It was made in June 2008; does this mean it falls under the old or new tax system? I am using it for personal purposes. As far as OMSP for VRT, do you know how the revenue calculates that?
Thanks and best regards
Ger
Gerard Mooney (Dublin)Aug 2018 Filed under: VRT
Expert answer
Hi Gerard,
It depends on whether you’re registering it as a commercial vehicle or a passenger car. If it’s a commercial vehicle, it’ll qualify for the standard €333 annual van-rate tax, but if it’s a private car then it’ll actually (and oddly) revert to the old engine capacity system, which could be a bit pricey. The Defender (annoyingly) doesn’t feature on Revenue’s VRT ready-reckoner, so an OMSP is tricky to predict, but given the way Defender values have gone of late, it will probably be between €10-18,000.
How much VRT on a 2015 VW Transporter?
How much VRT could I expect to pay for converting a 2015 Volkswagen Transporter to a crewcab?
Fergus Lordan (Kerry)Aug 2018 Filed under: VRT
Expert answer
Hi Fergus,
There should be no difference in VRT between a Transporter van and a a crew cab conversion. While the N1 commercial vehicle rules were tightened up this year to close off the loophole that allowed such big (often luxurious) 4x4s as a Land Rover Discovery or a VW Touareg to be registered as a commercial, ‘genuine’ vans with a crewcab setup should still qualify for the commercial 13.3 per cent VRT charge. Just make sure the vehicle has a ‘BE’ bodywork code and make sure to use a reputable specialist to do the conversion.
Original value of 2009 Discovery?
Hi,
I am trying to find the original market value of a 2009 Land Rover Discovery 3 Commercial. Can you assist please
Thanks
Gearoid Flannery (Cork)May 2018 Filed under: used car values
Expert answer
Hi Gearoid,
Unfortunately, we can’t track down archive pricing for the commercial model, as yet, but if it helps, the passenger Discovery range was priced between €56,945 and €79,010 in 2009.
Which of these 2010 SUVs to go for?
Hi,
What would you choose betweeen 2010 Volvo XC90, Audi Q7 and Land Rover Discovery? Reliability; safety; and family functionality are the main criteria. I know all would have high running and service costs in particular the Disco and Q7. Image isn't important to me! I have 16, 15 and 6-year-olds and new baby soon, and a nutcase of a labrador havs to be accomodated!
Many thanks
Justin McElwee (Galway)Feb 2018 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
Hi Justin,
If reliability is a key factor, then leave out the Land Rover. We love the Discovery to bits, but they just have a poor reputation for reliability. Of the other two, the Audi would likely be the most reliable overall, but we have a big soft spot for the XC90, which isn’t far behind on reliability and has the edge when it comes to safety, plus there’s a little more room in the third-row seats. Make sure it comes with a full service history, and if it’s a four-wheel-drive model, get it checked to make sure that the clutch that controls the system hasn’t burned out.
How much to tax 2008 Freelander 4x4?
How much to tax a 2008 Land Rover Freelander 2.2 4x4?
Caroline McPhillips (Ireland )Oct 2017 Filed under: taxation
Expert answer
Hi Caroline,
That model has CO2 emissions of 194g/km so it’ll cost you €1,250 to tax for a year.
How much to tax 2013 Freelander 2.2?
How much is it to tax a 2013 2.2-litre engined Land Rover Freelander?
Anthony Downes (Buncrana Co Donegal)Sep 2017 Filed under: taxation
Expert answer
Hi Anthony,
Assuming it’s the five-speed manual model with four-wheel drive then it has CO2 emissions of 165g/km, and that means Band D tax at €570 a year.