Expert answer

Hi Tommy,

Sorry, but no. As far as Revenue and the motor tax system are concerned, a car will always be taxed on its original, homologated figure, whether that be the engine’s swept capacity or its CO₂ emissions.  An LPG conversion is considered an aftermarket modification and so isn’t taken into account for tax purposes. 

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Hi Martin,

Yup, the problem is that 2008 was the switchover year to CO₂-based taxation, and the old Toyota petrol engines were pretty high up the charts in that respect. Actually, are you sure it’s 1.4? Because we only have data for a Corolla Verso with a 1.6-litre engine from that year. That engine had emissions of 177g/km, which would account for the high motor tax cost, but in theory a vehicle bought in 2008 should be eligible to revert to the old engine capacity system, which would bring down the cost a little. It’s certainly worth raising the issue with your local motor tax office to see what’s possible.

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Hi Chee,

The Countryman SE plug-in hybrid can, potentially, be capable of tremendous fuel economy, but it all depends on how you use it. If you (a) have a driveway or a garage and (b) can install a home charger and (c) tend to do short hops around town most of the time, then conceivably you could get from one end of the week to the next without burning any petrol at all. The Countryman SE will do in and around 30-35km (realistically) on a full charge of the battery. If you’re regularly taking on longer journeys, though, it gets a bit thirstier and can dip as low as 25mpg if you’re really using all the power. That said it is, as with pretty much all MINI models, really good to drive.

The RAV4 is not. Well, not that it’s bad to drive or anything, but it’s not sharp and rewarding like the MINI. That said, it’s squishy and comfortable, so if you’re on lots of long journeys, it’s great, and it’s massively roomy inside, much more so than the MINI, so with one kid and another on the way, that’s worth taking into account. Being a closed-loop hybrid with no plug-in version (yet) it’s also better for you if you don’t have a driveway or can’t install a charging point. Figure on about 6.0-6.5 litres per 100km overall, although you can get better than that on longer, gentler runs. Oh, and it should be more or less faultlessly reliable, too. 

Read our MINI Countryman reviews here

Read our Toyota RAV reviews here

Expert answer

Hi Nicola,

Sadly, that is the correct rate. A 2009 Auris, which would have been on the CO₂ tax system from the get-go, with the 1.4-litre VVTi petrol engine, has CO₂ emissions of 163g/km, and is therefore liable for €570 a year in motor tax or, as you currently pay, €160 every quarter. 

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Hi William,

The 1.6-litre petrol engine's belt of that era requires a change every 160,000km or eight years, whichever comes first. 

For the 1.6-litre diesel, it depends on when the engine was manufactured. Pre July 2011, it's 140,000km and ten years, and after that it's 180,000km or ten years.

Expert answer

Hi Wilstan,

Assuming you mean the 1.6-litre EcoBoost petrol engine, our information is that the belt should be changed every 200,000km or 10 years, neither of which applies to your car.

Expert answer

Hi Derek,

It depends on which petrol-engined version of the Audi A1 that you mean. The basic 1.2 TFSI, with 86hp, has CO₂ emissions of 118g/km, so will cost €200 a year to tax. The 122hp 1.4-litre TFSI has CO₂ emissions of 126g/km, so will cost €270 a year. Oddly, the more powerful 140hp engine is rated at between 109g/km and 113g/km, so will cost between €190 and €200 a year. 

Expert answer

Hi Marietta,

I think a Skoda Karoq might be a good bet for you. It’s a roomy car, and a safe one too, for the grandkids. Get it with the 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine and it’ll be economical on those short runs to town and back, and good enough on those four regular long journeys. It's cheap to tax, and Skoda makes reliable cars, so it should cover all bases. 

Read our Skoda Karoq reviews here

Expert answer

Hi Ann,

We'd suspect the battery or alternator aren't performing at their best. Stop-start issues are very commonplace, across all cars. So much so that we've written a feature for drivers on the subject: Why won't my car's stop-start system work?

Expert answer

Hi Mark,

The first generation 330e has an electric-only range, on a fully-charged battery, of 40km (about 30km in real-world use) and the new, and current, version is claimed to be able to get 65km out of a full charge. Here are links to our reviews of both, which may give you more information:

2017 BMW 330e review

2020 BMW 330e review