Expert answer

Hi Dean,

I'll address your questions in reverse order.

It may be possible to make savings if a dealer brings a car in for you, but we've never been through the process so couldn't say for sure. They obviously will still want to make a profit out of the sale, so I suspect most will be reticent to get involved in sourcing a specific car in the way you’re describing. If you know one personally, it’s worth having a conversation about it of course.

If you go it alone, sourcing a car from Northern Ireland should work out cheaper than from England, Scotland or Wales if the car has actually been registered there and then used by a private individual for “a reasonable period of time”. Those are Revenue’s words and it’s widely accepted that three months minimum is acceptable. The car in question should therefore be free of any VAT or customs duty on import to the south.

No matter where you import the car from, you will be liable for VRT and the NOx levy, depending on how much NOx and CO₂ the car emits according to its official numbers. I suggest you read our How Much VRT Is Paid In Ireland? feature to gain a full understanding of that.

According to our records, the BMW described should have a CO₂ rating of 119g/km, putting it into Band 10 for VRT, at a rate of 16 per cent. Just to confuse things, Revenue calculates VRT based on what it calls the Open Market Selling Price (OMSP). This is not what you actually paid for the car, but the value Revenue reckons it is worth on the Irish market. It’s difficult to predict as it’s not confirmed until you bring the car for inspection on arrival in Ireland, and extra equipment etc. can raise the price. Our guess for that BMW would be €28,000, meaning a VRT bill of €4,480.

According to our records, the BMW described should have a NOx output of 38mg/km, meaning a NOx levy of €190.

The equivalent data for the Audi shows a CO₂ rating of 135g/km, meaning Band 13 for VRT at 19.25 per cent of the OMSP. If that’s €28,000 again (and always bear in mind Revenue may say it’s higher), then the VRT bill would be €5,390.

The Audi’s NOx rating is 45mg/km, meaning a NOx levy of €275.

Finally, if you import a car from outside the “customs union” - e.g. England, Scotland or Wales - it will be subject to VAT at 23 per cent and import duty of 10 per cent. Those are calculated using the price you actually paid for the car, plus transport costs.

Hopefully that has helped you understand a little more.

I’d also recommend you read our Guide to importing a car from Northern Ireland feature for more on that.

Expert answer

Hi Des,

The late payment penalty is 0.1 per cent per day after the allowed 30 days. If the van is as described, with a VRT fee of €200, then the daily penalty added on is just 20 cents... 

Expert answer

Hi Kevin,

In our time with that car back in 2022 (assuming you mean the regular hybrid, not the plug-in model), we averaged about 6.2 litres/100km so the car is clearly capable of better. 

Obviously fuel consumption depends on many factors, including driving style, where and how fast you are driving and even how well-maintained the engine is. Make sure you're not carrying around any unnecessary weight in the car, remember that roof/bike racks affect the consumption and check your tyre pressures. 

Other than all that, check how clean the air filter is. 

Expert answer

Hi Tommy,

There is no recommended replacement schedule for the timing chain on that car - or on most cars really. If it's not noisy and the car is running well, plus you regularly service it, then there shouldn't be anything to worry about. 

Expert answer

Hi John,

It entirely depends on how you drive it and where. First up, in terms of actual range you'd get from a tank of fuel, it's worth noting that the Corolla's fuel tank is about a quarter smaller than the Octavia's.

The Corolla hybrid can certainly match the economy of a diesel in certain circumstances, but it really does depend on how it's driven. If you're someone always in a hurry and you like to use all the available performance regularly, then the diesel car is most likely more economical. If you're a gentle driver the Corolla is more efficient.

For lots of motorway driving, the diesel is most likely more economical, but if you only use the motorway a little, I'd suggest the hybrid is better.

Longer term, the diesel model will have bigger maintenance bills as well, so that's something else to consider. 

Expert answer

Hi John,

The VAT is charged on the "customs value of the car" according to Revenue, which includes "the purchase price, plus the cost of transport and insurance, plus any customs duties payable" - quite hefty in all cases.

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.