Expert answer

Hi Daragh,

OK, with on-street parking, I’d recommend you steer well and truly clear of a plug-in hybrid for now. I’m in the same position and with the dearth of public chargers, it’s a real nightmare to get a charge into them and use them at their most efficient. Unless you feel happy using local public chargers, of course, but if you’re going to do that I’d make sure to do the literal legwork, and see how far they are from your home as you may sometimes have to leave the car charging and walk home. Not the most convenient.

If you’re looking at a hybrid, of course, that turns us instantly in the direction of Toyota. The Camry is a truly excellent car, but it’s a bit of a mobile sofa. If you thought that the Superb’s ride was a bit too soft, then I don’t think you’d be a candidate for a Camry. Possibly a Lexus, then? An ES 300h is basically a Camry in a smarter suit, but again it’s not the sharpest car to drive. An NX 300h SUV might be a good balance — roomy enough to be toddler-friendly, reasonably sharp to drive and a hybrid without a plug. The Toyota RAV4 is another good (even excellent) option, but again would perhaps be a bit too soggy at the controls for your taste.

There is a hybrid (as opposed to plug-in hybrid) Hyundai Tucson on the way soon, and we mean the incoming new version, which gets much more dramatic styling than that of the current car, and which will have suspension and steering fettled, in part, by Hyundai’s N-Sport division. Could be worth hanging on for that if you like the look of it.

Expert answer

Hi Paul,

Short answer: yes. The good bit is that you can still pick up second hand crew-cabs, or large SUVs that (briefly, technically) qualified as commercial vehicles and they are generally cheaper to buy than their regular passenger car counterparts. However, if you tax such a vehicle as a commercial, you can only use it as such — no social, domestic, nor pleasure use and there are some hefty fines if you’re caught out. 

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Hi Fidelma,

A Skoda Kodiaq would be a very good bet — lots of space in the rear seat, plus the option of extra seats in the boot (although those ones are a bit tight for teens), but there’s no hybrid version as yet. Its close cousin, the SEAT Tarraco, will soon be offered as a hybrid, while the new Volkswagen Tiguan arrives next summer.

The Toyota RAV4 is pretty roomy, but there’s no seven-seat option and you might find the rear bench a little narrow for three teens side-by-side. The best thing to do is bring them on the test drive and see if they all fit comfortably.

Peugeot’s 3008 plug-in hybrid could also be worth a look, although you might be better off waiting for the larger 5008 version using the same powertrain. Toyota will be launching its new Highlander seven-seat hybrid SUV in early 2021, but that might be too far away for you. 

It all depends on how much you want to spend, as there are hybrid versions of the BMW X3 and X5, plus the Volvo XC60 and XC90. Come back to us with your budget if you want more specific advice.

Expert answer

Hi Mark,

There was indeed a clampdown on crew-cabs and five-seat SUVs qualifying for commercial rate VRT and tax, but being as (a) this Defender pre-dates the clampdown and (b) it has a separate and un-glazed cargo compartment, it should just squeak through. 

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Hi Ruth,

There are lots of good choices for commercial SUVs. If you wanted something really swish, you could go for a Land Rover Discovery Commercial, but it’s a bit pricey. Smaller and more affordable is the Nissan Qashqai van, which is also pretty decent to drive. There’s also the Hyundai Kona Commercial, or if you’re feeling really futuristic, the Kona Commercial Electric. But actually, to be honest, your best bet might be to just buy a compact crossover, most of which are already pretty affordable, spacious (if you fold the back seats down) and which mostly have lower annual motor tax than the flat-rate €333 commercial van tax anyway. We’d suggest starting your shopping list with either the new Ford Puma or, if you’re really looking for bargains, the Dacia Duster. Some of our reviews to help you choose:

Land Rover Discovery reviews

Nissan Qashqai reviews

Hyundai Kona reviews

Ford Puma reviews

Dacia Duster reviews

Expert answer

Hi Catherine,

Now is a good time to buy a hybrid, that’s for certain, but given that the Toyota C-HR and Hyundai Kona are among the very few hybrid crossovers currently on sale, you may struggle a little to find choice beyond those two models. It could be well worth looking at a Toyota Corolla or Auris hatchback or estate instead — they’re more practical, in any case, and there’s very little actual difference in height. Alternatively, there’s the Kia Niro hybrid, which was on sale from 2017. Prices for early Niros are now down to around €20,000, and they’ll still be under warranty until 2024.

Read our Toyota C-HR reviews

Read our Hyundai Kona reviews

Read our Toyota Corolla reviews

Read our Toyota Auris reviews

Read our Kia Niro reviews

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Hi Richard,

The phrase ‘can of worms’ springs to mind. In general, a car can be registered to a company, and taxed and insured by the company, and still used by an individual for social, domestic and pleasure use. That’s how company cars work, obviously, but equally obviously there’s a Benefit-in-Kind tax liability to be paid. So it’s possible that your friend with the Land Cruiser is trying to avoid paying BIK.

In the case of the SUV, in theory a car that’s taxed as a commercial cannot be used for personal, social, domestic, or pleasure driving and there’s a fine to be paid if you’re caught displaying incorrect tax. Now, we should state at this point that we’re neither legal nor tax experts, and that the people you’re talking about could be operating entirely above board, and we’re not going to cast any aspersions on anyone.

Of course, this is Ireland and as we know, we don’t like sticking to the rules...

Expert answer

Hi Emir,

You’re quite right — with kids of those ages, most seven-seat SUVs simply aren’t roomy enough, unless you go for something genuinely massive and expensive, such as a Land Rover Discovery. So, I’d say the Ford Galaxy is indeed your best choice — lots of space, seven proper seats for seven proper people and it's good to drive too. Other options well worth looking at are the VW Sharan and SEAT Alhambra, and — if you can afford the running costs — the old Mercedes R-Class. 

Ford Galaxy reviews

Volkswagen Sharan review

SEAT Alhambra reviews

Hyundai Santa Fe reviews

Expert answer

Hi Colm,

Well, in terms of ’seeing what happens’, how long have you got? The first thing I’d say is that you shouldn’t rule out cars like the Galaxy, the SEAT Alhambra, the VW Sharan and especially the Ford S-Max. I know MPVs are not as fashionable as SUVs, but when you’ve got kids to haul around, they really do make a huge amount of sense. Plus, if you were to go for the S-Max, you’d be getting a car that’s brilliant to drive, too. Get it in a smart metallic colour with nice alloys and it looks good, as well.

If you’re determined to get an SUV, then yes — the XC90 is probably the best of them, and reliable too. The Hyundai Santa Fe is well worth a look as well (although its third row isn’t as roomy as that of the Volvo’s) as is the Kia Sportage (one of our favourite SUVs, actually).

But seriously, go for the S-Max.

Expert answer

Hi Robert,

Just go to the system settings menu (have a look at your owner's manual) and change the selection from Metric to Imperial.