Expert answer

Hi Brendan,

It certainly sounds like electric power would suit you, though if you decide against, the Skoda Octavia is an excellent car.

I'm assuming the cars listed mean a budget of nearly €40,000. There are better options out there than the ID.4. You could get a nearly new Cupra Tavascan, for example, or the smaller Cupra Born if you want to keep the price down or stay away from SUVs altogether.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is an excellent car as well, as is the Ioniq 6, though the latter's styling is not to all tastes. The Kia EV6 is along the same lines and it's more a crossover than an SUV.

You could also afford brand-new examples of the Peugeot E-308 and MG4, both conventional five-door hatchbacks.

Come back to me with your thoughts on all these and we can discuss it further.

Expert answer

Hi Dee,

Hybrids such as the Juke have very small batteries and can therefore only drive on electric power for very short distances. If you're in stop-start traffic, it might use the battery for most of the time, but if the traffic is free-flowing and the speeds are higher, then it will not.

Unfortunately, the Juke Hybrid does not give a readout showing how much time is spent using the battery alone so you can't monitor it accurately.

If you drive slower, the car will use the battery more in town. Likewise, less use of the heating or air conditioning should mean less need for the engine to start up.

Bear in mind through all this that most of the energy used to charge up that battery comes from the engine itself, so it's not free energy.

Choose the Eco driving mode for maximum efficiency, but really, it will come down to your driving style as much as anything else.

Expert answer

Hi Igor,

Unless you need the long-distance economy of the diesel, we'd suggest you stick with the 2.0-litre petrol model. It should cost less to maintain in the long run and the 2.2-litre diesel has a known issue with its timing chain.

Expert answer

Hi Rose,

We don't see any reason for these batteries to be any more degraded than those in equivalent cars in Ireland from new. Hybrid batteries last quite well in general. Unfortunately, it won't be easy to detect if the battery in a given hybrid you're looking has degraded as the main symptom is more use of the petrol engine. Unless you can try several examples of the same type of car in the same driving conditions, then you won't know what is the norm.

Expert answer

Hi Shona,

Before we take a look for potential cars for you, I would say that you should avoid diesels, as they're not suited to mostly city driving and will end up costing more in maintenance. Stick with petrol, or hybrid if something comes up within budget.

A small estate such as the Skoda Fabia Combi could work well for you. There are plenty within budget, they're reliable and they have huge boots. The only reservation I have is that the rear seating isn't huge, which might be a problem if you have two rear-facing child seats in there. Worth going to take a look at one and making that decision for yourself. The SEAT Ibiza ST (Sports Tourer) is pretty much the same car underneath, incidentally, if you prefer the look of that.

There are VW Golf and Passat estates on the market within budget and with petrol engines as well, and they come with much more rear legroom than the Fabia, but you'd likely have to make do with an older model for under €10,000.

On a completely different tack are cars such as the Nissan Note and Kia Venga, which are more upright than most hatchbacks that take up the same amount of space on the road, to the benefit of interior space. They beat the Fabia for rear legroom, for example, but their boots aren't huge. I wouldn't want to be carrying a travel-system-style buggy as well as anything else. Nonetheless those ones I've mentioned are reliable and within budget.

The Honda Jazz is similar and it's an excellent choice.

Let me know if we're on the right track with this and if you need further help narrowing your search. 

Expert answer

Hi Dave,

We believe that vehicle should fall under category M for VRT calculations, and that is done solely on the engine size.

It's €2 per cc for the first 350cc than €1 per cc from then on, so it should be €1,050 for a vehicle with a 650cc engine.

Expert answer

Hi Audrey,

That engine has a timing chain.

Expert answer

Hi Neil,

Yes, in fact most versions of the new C3 Aircross are automatic. There are electric and hybrid models that are automatic. Only the regular petrol engine can be had with a manual gearbox.

Expert answer

Hi Laura,

No, this engine has a dry timing belt. 

Expert answer

Hi Neil,

It's on the digital instrument display on the bottom corner. Take a look at this image of the Citroen C4's dashboard and you'll see it.