Expert answer

Hi Martin,

The issue is availability from the factory, I'm afraid. So as not to raise expectations, Skoda Ireland took the decision to remove the cars from the website. We got this response when asking about the situation:

"Semiconductors are still a challenge.  As the iV models are semiconductor heavy we are finding it challenging securing production at present in particular for these versions. As a result, orders may get delayed and lead times uncertain. "

Expert answer

Hi Teresa,

We used to get so many queries on this subject that we published a feature called Why won't my car's stop-start system work?

If you read that you'll discover that the systems are highly sensitive to battery charge and load, even when working perfectly. Could it be that you often have high-load items switched on? Things like heated seats, air conditioning, rear window demister, that sort of thing.

Now, in a DSG-equipped automatic car, you shouldn't need to put the car into neutral to get the stop-start system to work - that's only on manual cars. You can leave it in D (drive). What does affect it, however, is how firmly you are holding your foot on the brake pedal when at a standstill. Sometimes it's necessary to give the brake pedal a firm push before the engine will cut out.

Other things to watch out for: if you move the steering wheel, it is likely to cause the engine to restart. And if you're in the Sport driving mode or you've selected the Sport gearbox setting, then stop-start might not work either.

If none of the above changes your experience, I suggest getting a mechanic to come out in the car with you to check it over and observe how you drive, and then let them do the same.

Best of luck with it - come back to us and let us know how you get on.

Expert answer

Hi there,

OK, so there’s going to be a lot of costs here. I’m going to assume that it’s a 2014 car, based on that price, so that will be about €3,700 in VRT (assuming an OMSP of around €22,000). Your NOx levy will be about €195 on top of that (assuming a NOx emissions value of 39mg/km). Then there’s customs duty, which will be 10 per cent of the purchase price plus the shipping costs, and then finally VAT, which will be 23 per cent of the total purchase price, inclusive of customs duty.

A sum of £12,000 is about €14,000 on today’s rate, so allowing for around €200 in shipping costs, that’s going to be about €1,420 in customs duty. And then VAT on top of that is going to work out at around €3,550. Your total cost of import (not including air fares to go and collect the car etc) is going to be about €19,000. Again, please remember, these are VERY rough calculations and won’t hold any water with Revenue…

It's worth a read or our Guide to Importing Cars from the UK

Expert answer

Hi John Paul,

You’re dead right in that four-wheel-drive EVs are currently rather expensive — the best value ones around at the moment are the Volkswagen ID.4 GTX, the Skoda Enyaq Sportline iV 80x and the Tesla Model 3 Long Range, all of which are in the region of €57,000 to €59.000.  Which is quite a lot of money, even if all three are excellent cars.

If you want to go front-wheel drive, but keep the SUV body shape, then there are still some very good options all the same. The Kia e-Niro, the Kia e-Soul and the Hyundai Kona Electric all share the same battery, electric motor and front-wheel-drive platform, and all are excellent cars. The Niro is fractionally the more practical, the Soul arguably the best to drive and the Kona a pretty good compromise between the two.

Or you could try the MG ZS if you want something a bit cheaper, but bear in mind that a new, longer-range model is coming in the new year that will bump up its price from €28,995 to €31,000. 

Mind you, you’ve said you’re happy to put winter tyres on, and this should really bring the various rear-wheel-drive models back into play. With the right tyres, and given the hefty two-tonne weight of larger models such as the ID.4 and Enyaq, you’re unlikely to experience any major traction issues, so don’t count those models out. 

Expert answer

Hi Brian,

You've not told us your budget at all, but a 2018 E-Class sounds like it would certainly fit the bill for your needs. There are several good diesel options, which I think would be best for your commute. That age of E-Class is really lovely.

A close competitor is, obviously, the BMW 5 Series. A 520d does it all, mixing great efficiency with comfort and a bit of sportiness when you want it. The 530d has more impressive performance, of course, but it isn't as economical.

I'd recommend you go test examples of those to see which you prefer.

Let us know how you get on.

Expert answer

Hi Jim,

When you’re importing a car into Ireland, according to Revenue, the VAT calculation is made on the ‘customs value’ of the car. This is defined as “The purchase price, plus the cost of transport and insurance, plus any customs duties payable.” It’s charged at 23 per cent, incidentally. 

However, you say you want to import “our” Mercedes? Does that mean you’re moving to Ireland and bringing your car with you? If so, you may be exempt from paying both VRT and VAT. If you have owned the car for longer than six months, and can show proof of motor tax at your previous address for at least that period, plus can document your move to Ireland, you should be able to skip both payments.

Expert answer

Hi Joe,

There aren’t any specific battery issues to look for, and the good thing about a plug-in hybrid is that you can’t fast-charge them, so there’s less likelihood of wear and tear on the battery cells from repeated rapid charges. Obviously, batteries do degrade a little over time, but you shouldn’t see more than a few percentage points wiped off the performance. Make sure you go for a fully-charged test drive first though, and if the range seems abruptly short (allowing for weather, traffic etc) then the battery might have been physically damaged at some point.

Other plug-in hybrids worth considering would be a BMW 530e, although that probably won’t squeeze into your budget, or a Volkswagen Passat GTE, which provides performance almost as good as that of the 330e, but for a much lower cost overall and it's more spacious. Don’t forget that the battery eats considerably into the 330e’s boot space, and it was never a big car inside to begin with. The updated Passat GTE (2020) was available as an estate, too...

BMW 330e review

Volkswagen Passat GTE review

Volkswagen Passat GTE Estate review

BMW 530e review

Expert answer

Hi Seamus,

This is obviously a tricky decision, and we wish your wife all the best in coping with this. When it comes to ride quality, the most important factors are the stiffness, overall, of the suspension, the size of the wheels, and the sidewall depth of the tyres. Basically, smaller wheels and normal suspension is the rule of thumb if you’re trying to get a car with a soft ride quality.

SUVs are actually generally quite bad for ride quality. That sounds counter-intuitive, because of course they’re taller and have longer-travel suspension, but the problem is that the springs and dampers have to be stiffened up to prevent the higher centre of gravity from inducing too much body roll. I would therefore suggest that keeping away from SUVs would be a good bet.

That said, the Subaru Forester you’ve mentioned below does indeed have a soft ride quality, again as long as you avoid the larger alloy wheel options. Ditto the smaller Subaru XV, which is helpfully lower to the ground and can get away with slightly softer suspension rates. Citroen, of course, is famed for having pillowy-soft ride quality, and the current C5 Aircross is pretty soft and springy, and has great seats into the bargain. You should definitely look at a Toyota Camry as well (very soft, and again with great seats) and the Skoda Superb.

Avoid anything that has a sporty designation (S line, R-Line, M Sport etc) as that will almost automatically have stiffer springs and bigger wheels.

Hope that helps. Below are links to our reviews of the cars mentioned above:

Subaru Forester reviews

Citroen C5 Aircross reviews

Subaru XV reviews

Toyota Camry reviews

Skoda Superb reviews

Expert answer

Hi Dan,

OK, so I’m assuming that you mean bringing in a Range Rover Sport from the UK? It’s going to be pretty expensive. A rough VRT calculation suggests you’re looking at around €5,500 minimum for VRT, and then you’ll have to pay import duty (ten per cent) and 21 per cent VAT on top of that. Most likely you’re looking at a total cost of around €9-10,000 to get it registered here.

If you converted it to a commercial, that might help, but it would mean an expensive, full conversion, removing the back seats and bolting in a load floor. You’d also have to get the work done in the UK before the car comes to Ireland, as otherwise you’d have to pay the full passenger car VRT when it gets here. That would lower your VRT rate to 13.3 per cent, and take out the NOx levy, which would help, but you’d still get stung for the VAT and import duty.

Expert answer

Hi Frank,

The process of taxing it is relatively straightforward — just ring up your local motor tax office (list here: https://www.gov.ie/en/service/1fc151-find-your-local-motor-tax-office/) and ask them to switch you over. The problem is twofold — with a 3.0-litre Range Rover Sport, you’re going to be paying the second-highest rate of motor tax (€1,494 per year) because a commercial re-registered for private use is taxed on the old engine capacity-based tax system. Insurance can also be a major issue — it shouldn’t be, but it is, so get hold of a good local broker to help you navigate those waters before you take the leap. 

Read Buying a commercial vehicle for private use for more information.