Expert answer

Hi Mary,

You've not told us the year of your car so we can't realistically estimate the price. Take a look at what dealers are selling similar cars to yours for on the large classifieds websites.

If you sold your car privately yourself then you'd likely get a little less than those figures – as you can't offer the warranty that they will all come with. However, if you trade in the vehicle against a new car, then you will be offered considerably less, as the dealer needs to prepare the car for sale, offer a warranty and turn a profit.

How much you are offered will vary by dealer depending on how much they do/do not want your car, so shop around.

Expert answer

Hi Nestor,

We'd need a lot more information to be able to give you any estimates of the costs involved, but generally speaking, if the car is coming from England, Scotland or Wales, you will be liable for VAT and import duty on top of VRT and the NOx levy. Cars coming from Northern Ireland usually (though not always) only attract VRT and the NOx levy.

To estimate the VRT you will need the official CO₂ rating and a guess at the Open Market Selling Price (OMSP) according to Revenue. Give us the car's engine details and we should be able to make a good guess at all that. 

I highly recommend you read our guides on the subject first:

Guide to Importing Cars from the UK
Guide to Importing a Car from Northern Ireland

And it isn't really possible for us to estimate your insurance cost as there are so many factors involved. Best bet is to ring around with a registration number of a very similar existing car in Ireland to get a feel for the price.

One final thing to be aware of: your Indian licence is only valid in Ireland for 12 months after you arrive in the country, regardless of whether you have access to a car.

Expert answer

Hi Cathal,

We'd be fools to suggest that you can be 100 per cent sure you won't have a problem if you do x, y and z, I'm afraid as there's just no guarantees with DPFs.

Saying that, modern cars such as the Tucson and Octavia you mentioned have way better DPF regen logic than they used to, along with more sophisticated exhaust monitoring than before so that's a good start, as is knowing the type of driving that's needed for diesel cars with DPFs – as you've indicated you understand.

You could ask the dealer selling the car (assuming you're not buying privately) for a diagnostic readout with the DPF information, but they're under no obligation to do that and some may not even know how.

My advice would be to insist on a detailed service history, scrutinise that for anything related to the DPF, then ask the seller if any work on the DPF has ever been done. Finally, take it for a decent test drive and, if possible, get someone else to drive it while you follow to observe the exhaust for any excess and obvious regen activity. You may see nothing with such modern cars, however.

The key thing here is to only buy a DPF-equipped car if you spend a portion of your normal driving at higher speeds, allowing the whole exhaust to get hot and work effectively.

Expert answer

Hi Thomas,

The Tiguan eHybrid officially manages up to 121 kilometres on a charge of its 19.7kWh battery. That's up among the longest-range PHEVs on the market right now. Cupra's Terramar is built on the same underpinnings and has more or less the same electric range as well.

In comparison, the Tucson PHEV and Sportage PHEV manage 70km at most as they have a smaller battery. Same story for the Toyota C-HR. The Toyota RAV4 PHEV goes slightly further on a charge than those, but we suspect that situation will improve further in the new generation that is about to be unveiled.

Expert answer

Hi Angelo,

Without the full details it sounds like this is more a question for the institution you're hoping to get the loan from than us - and it depends on so many factors. A few thoughts:

- It would not be possible to obtain a UK car loan without a UK address.

- If you have a UK address, it may be possible to get a car loan from a bank or similar as they are unlikely to check where the car is actually registered. They're not likely to be bothered about that either as the car is rarely considered to be collateral in such circumstances.

- If, however, you mean car finance - PCP or hire purchase for example - then the car would have to be bought and registered in the same country as that in which the finance is taken out. If you are actually living in Ireland as well as working here, then the car would have to be reregistered here on importation, which is highly likely to be against the terms of the finance agreement.

- Finally, if you are a UK citizen that is working remotely for an Irish company, and you are looking to buy a UK car for use in the UK, then there should be no issues. Every finance institution will have its own rules on lending of course, but so long as you can show you have the means to repay the loan, it shouldn't matter which country the money is coming from.

Expert answer

Hi Dana,

It really sounds related to the charging circuit and, before going through the list below, perhaps check that the battery was replaced by a 'silver-calcium' one that is compatible with the so-called “Ford Smart Charge System”. A regular lead-acid battery is not compatible.

We'd have hoped that a good mechanic would have tried the below things already, but if not:

Bad ground or wiring issue

- A poor ground connection or corroded cables can cause intermittent charging problems.

- Check and clean all ground connections (especially the engine-to-chassis ground and battery-to-body ground).

- Look for damaged or frayed wiring between the alternator, battery and fuse box.

Alternator not charging properly

- Even new alternators can be faulty. A voltage drop test should confirm if it's truly charging.

- With the engine running, check the voltage at the battery terminals. It should read around 13.5-14.5 volts.

- If it's much lower, the alternator isn't charging properly, or something is disrupting the circuit.

Smart Charge System

- The Ford Smart Charge system can fail and cause charging problems.

- Check the three-pin connector going to the alternator - if it's loose, corroded, or damaged, the alternator may not work correctly.

- Try disconnecting the Smart Charge system (forcing the alternator to work as a standard one) and see if the problem improves.

Parasitic battery drain

- If something is drawing power while the car is off, the battery might not have enough charge when you restart.

- A mechanic can do a parasitic draw test by pulling fuses one by one to find a circuit draining power.

Faulty ECU or sensors

- If the ECU isn't regulating voltage properly, it could be sending the wrong signals to the alternator.

- Some Ford owners have reported a faulty crankshaft position sensor or bad engine ground causing similar symptoms.

Fuse box or relay issue

- Check the engine bay fuse box for water damage or corrosion - this is common on older Fords.

- A failing alternator fuse or relay could intermittently stop charging.

Expert answer

Hi Louise,

If you come back to us with your budget we can give a more precise answer, but all the premium marques sell good-quality executive saloons of similar size to the Lexus ES. For example the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class. And there are loads of different versions as well offering a range of performance options if your budget allows.

Expert answer

Hi Frank,

We wouldn’t have considered those to be natural rivals as the Toyota starts at about €43,000 and the most expensive Kona Electric is €38,495 and in truth, the cabin ambience of the bZ4X reflects that – it’s a more luxurious car inside. The Toyota is also more spacious in the back seats, though they have similarly sized boots. The bZ4X is nicer to drive and smoother, though the Hyundai is a little more efficient in real-world driving.

In short, if the price difference isn’t part of your decision, you just need to go and test drive both to see which you prefer, as we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend either.

Expert answer

Hi Mary,

There are loads of examples of the 2021-2022 Hyundai Santa Fe on the market using the plug-in hybrid powertrain, priced from about €40,000 to over €50,000 depending on the model year, mileage, etc. This is a really good car, and far more spacious than your Tucson, but we urge you to go along to a dealer with your baby seats to check out the space inside for them. There is no ISOFIX in the middle seat of the second row, nor in the third row, and it may still be a bit of a squeeze depending on how large your seats are. A dealer shouldn’t mind you trying out the space with your own seats.

Hybrid alternatives at the same price include the Kia Sorento, again as a plug-in hybrid. This shares its underpinnings with the Hyundai and the seven-seat layout, but it might be better suited to your needs as the middle row is better shaped to potentially take three baby seats. Though the middle position has no ISOFIX if that’s important to you. However, the two seats in the third row do have ISOFIX. Nonetheless, using the third row in any of these cars means a tiny boot.

Another option, though rarer on the used market, is the Toyota Highlander. It’s a seven-seater as well, comparable to the Santa Fe in terms of space. It’s similarly priced though, unlike the Hyundai and the Kia, it’s not a plug-in hybrid. That might be preferable depending on whether you are willing to install a home charger.

Another plug-in hybrid option is the Volvo XC90 T8. It has three individual seats in the middle row and, though the central one has no ISOFIX and is smaller than the outer ones, it still is likely to accommodate a baby seat. Worth checking out for sure.

Now, if you’re willing to consider a car or estate instead of an SUV, you’d do well to take a look at the Skoda Superb as it has a really wide rear seat and a massive boot. It’s also much more affordable than the cars above, available as a hybrid and should come with lower running costs.

Come back to us if you need further help narrowing your search down, but we do urge you to go try out a few of these cars for yourself.

Read our Hyundai Santa Fe PHEV review here

Read our Kia Sorento PHEV review here

Read our Toyota Highlander review here

Read our Volvo XC90 reviews

Read our Skoda Superb reviews

Expert answer

Hi Tomas,

As a commercial vehicle, VRT will be 13.3 per cent of the Open Market Selling Price (OMSP) of the Caddy. That’s the value Revenue puts on the vehicle as if it was being sold in Ireland. Best bet is look at the big classifieds websites such as Carzone.ie for similar vehicles to get a gauge for that value.