Expert answer

Hi Pat,

VRT first as that's an easy one - no matter where it's coming from, as it's over 30 years old, VRT will be just €200.

No NOx levy applies.

I'm assuming the car is not coming from Northern Ireland, but if it is, and it has been in Northern Ireland a long time, then there will be no further charges other than the VRT outlined above.

Coming from England, Scotland or Wales, there will be VAT at 23 per cent due, unfortunately. This is calculated on the customs duty (bear with me) plus the 'customs value', which is generally accepted to be the purchase price, plus the transport costs, plus the insurance costs.

There may actually be no customs duty if the car was manufactured in the UK, though you'll have to prove that. If not, it'll be 10 per cent of the customs value above.

Hopefully that all makes sense

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Hi Gill,

You're right about the bike being exempt from VRT as a classic. 

Customs/import duty of six per cent will be payable if the bike was not manufactured in Great Britain (England, Scotland or Wales).

If you're importing it from GB then VAT will be 23 per cent. That's of the price paid plus any duty owed.

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Hi Patrick,

We'll do our best to answer your questions, though you may be as well off to pop into your local Toyota dealer to talk it over and take the car for a test drive yourself.

1 – The 18-inch wheels are only available on the GR Sport model and yes, they will be more susceptible to damage than the 17-inch rims fitted to most versions, but not drastically so.

2 – Yes, the tall wheels help give the Aygo X higher ground clearance than most small hatchbacks, that's for sure. It's not an off-road vehicle, though.

3 – There is no official figure for how far the hybrid Aygo X will travel on battery power as it only has a small battery, and it is not a plug-in hybrid. The system shuts the engine off regularly when driving in slow traffic. Though there is an “EV mode” button to force the car to use the battery charge, there's no reliable way to observe how far it travels on purely battery power for a single charge of the battery.

4 – The entry-level touchscreen measures nine inches across the diagonal, while a 10.5-inch screen is available on the higher specification models.

5 – No, Toyota does not use a Google-based operating system in the Aygo X. If you want Google Maps then you'll have to use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in conjunction with a smartphone.

6 – We managed to beat the official fuel consumption figure – of 3.7 litres/100km (76.3mpg) – recording 3.2 litres/100km (88.3mpg) on a day of mostly slow enough driving, but including one section of motorway.

7 - The coefficient of drag is 0.31.

Expert answer

Hi Kieran,

That's frustrating on the resale value of your car, but we're in no better position than the dealers you've spoken to and they hold the 'power' in that regard so the cost-to-change will all come down to the deal any one showroom is willing to make. Anecdotally, you'll get a better deal if you go back to a BMW outlet, but it doesn't sound like any BMW is on your radar this time around. 

The three cars you've listed are decent enough, but I'd strongly urge you to test drive them before you make any decisions as they'll all feel a big chunky and heavy next to your BMW i4. 

Have you considered Polestar at all? Both the Polestar 2 and Polestar 4 are within the same price ballpark as you're looking and are both great to drive with a bit of an SUV vibe. The Polestar 2 has been around for a while (I own one as it happens) but it was significantly upgraded last year for more performance, spec and efficiency. It's now either rear-drive or all-wheel drive.

Again, take the time to go and test drive all of these cars before you bother trying to make deals, as the driving experience of the BMW i4 is a hard act to follow.

Expert answer

Hi Bill,

Obviously a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) makes most sense here as those come with ultra-low CO₂ emissions to help keep the BIK down. Though we would only recommend you buy one if you have a way of charging it up at home or at work on a very regular basis.

If you like your Audi, then the new Audi A5 e-hybrid makes for a good option. It can be had as a Sportback or Avant estate within your budget and it's a really lovely car. The e-hybrid system allows for a long electric range and low emissions, too. Read our review of the A5 e-hybrid for more.

The BMW 330e is another excellent premium PHEV within budget, both as a saloon or Touring estate. It's not as fresh-faced as the Audi A5, but it's still a good car. Read our review of the updated BMW 330e if you're interested.

Our next port of call would have been the Skoda Superb, but for some bizarre reason it's only offered as a PHEV in Combi estate format, so if you don't want an estate, then it's not for you. If you're open to the idea, however, it's a considerably larger car than the BMW and Audi mentioned above, if not as interesting to drive. Within budget, however, is the range-topping L&K variant, which puts the Audi and BMW to shame in terms of what you get for your money. Again, read our review of the Skoda Superb Combi PHEV for more.

Other than that trio, you'll be looking at SUVs in reality, unless you fancy moving to a fully electric car.

Come back to us if you want help narrowing things down further.

Expert answer

Hi Elaine,

The BMW X3 diesel is what's called a "mild hybrid", so it can't be plugged in. The plug-in hybrid only makes sense if you can plug it in at home to charge up the battery at every available opportunity. If you don't do that then it's essentially the same as fuelling a heavy petrol-only model.

In general, a diesel car is more efficient than a plug-in hybrid when it comes to long journeys and it sounds like that's what may suit your needs better.

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Hi Keith,

Neither I'm afraid. It will go by the engine size, as things for cars used to be before 2008. That's the case for privately taxing a commercial vehicle of any age, incidentally, aside from actual vintage commercials that is.

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Hi Francois,

No, it does not. You can add the 'Sky Lounge Panoramic Glass Sunroof' as an option, costing €3,939.

Expert answer

Hi Martin,

The information is supposed to be on this page but it's difficult to find your way around. First up, make sure you use whatever browser you have to translate to English.

Scroll down to the section marked '5. 1. Gasoline passenger car fuel economy'. We found the VW Up in the Volkswagen tab of the Excel file that downloads when you click on 'Imported vehicle (JC08 mode)'. However, that only gives the CO₂ emissions (106g/km) for a single version of the Up, so hopefully that's the correct one.

To find the NOx, we searched the page that link is on for "Volkswagen Up" and found a series of documents, including this one showing a NOx value of 0.013g/km.

Hopefully Revenue will accept both of those documents as proof.

Expert answer

Hi Martin,

As I'm sure you know, the 330e was updated late in 2024, so if you can find one of those within budget, you'll appreciate the upgrades. Read our review of the revised BMW 330e here.

We're big fans of the 330e as well. It's difficult to beat its blend of performance, driving dynamics, style and efficiency. Here are a few alternatives to consider, nonetheless:

Mercedes-Benz C 300 e: I love the look of these, and it feels like a proper luxury car inside, more so than the BMW. Its chassis is more comfort-focused though, so you need to choose which you prefer. There's not much to choose between this and the updated 330e when it comes to performance, electric range and space, but the Mercedes is very expensive.

Volkswagen Passat GTE: I suspect this is not what you're looking for in terms of badge appeal, but the GTE is a very decent car. It's much bigger inside than your BMW and exceedingly comfortable, with perky performance when you need it (ok, not as perky as the 330e's). Its electric range isn't great, but fine for short commutes. And this car is more affordable than most on this list.

Skoda Superb iV: Much the same can be said about the Superb as for the Passat above, though the Superb is larger again and it doesn't always come with a sporting badge, which some will like. It's not massively common in the classifieds though.

Volvo V60: Now this is a hidden gem and would be my choice of the lot here, even as a serious fan of rear-drive cars such as the 330e. And yes, it is an estate body style, which you might not have been looking for, but it is such a fantastic, polished car that is great to drive, looks sensational and packs a bigger punch than many will expect.

Give our review of the V60 T6 Recharge a read and go test drive one for yourself to make up your own mind. Same advice really for all of the above cars, but this one stands out.