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Hi Simon,

Both are excellent choices. In fact the RAV4 probably doesn't quite get the attention it deserves - it's good to drive, spacious and well made. Good value too. 

That said I think I'd go for the CR-V. The 1.6 i-DTEC front-drive model would probably be sufficient. It's very spacious, really comfy and good on economy too. There is a new four-wheel drive 1.6 160hp version on the way though, so it may be worth waiting until that arrives in the summer before you make a final decision.

Further reading:

Irish road test of the Toyota RAV4

Irish road test of the Honda CR-V 1.6 i-DTEC

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Hi Siobhan,

I presume you mean the Verso rather than the Verso S? Don't buy a Verso S - it's horrid...

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Hi Brendan,

It depends entirely on the condition and history. Is it immaculate and has a full, continuous service history? Then maybe €1,500 or thereabouts. Is it a bit shagged out and missing its service book? Probably €750 then.

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Hi Sean,

100k? Nope, it's a Yaris - that's barely run-in, especially if it has a full service history. Prices seem to run from as low as €6,500 to as much as €9,000 for an 09 Yaris, so with that kind of mileage I reckon you should be spending about €7,500-ish.

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Hi Shane,

Go for the Verso. It's a lovely car anyway, really practical and well built, and your regular motorway hops will keep the DPF clear. The Prius+ is one of the most frustrating cars I've ever driven - tight on space in the third row and horrendously thirsty when you take it out of town. Motorway journeys in it are hell...

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Hi Kieran,

Not massive. There's a tiny 1mpg gap between them in terms of fuel economy (the Toyota gets 59mpg, the Ford 60mpg), but in everyday driving , they'll probably work out pretty much the same.

Overall, the Toyota will probably be slightly more reliable, and the Ford slightly cheaper to service and repair if anything does go wrong. The Toyota will probably be a little cheaper to insure too, and its road tax will be slightly lower.

On balance then, the Toyota is likely to be fractionally cheaper to run, but there's precious little in it.

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Hi Martina,

There are many possible reasons for this drop off in your fuel economy. Start with the easy things - you'd be surprised how important they are.

1 - Are you carrying extra weight in the car now than you were before? Golf clubs (or bricks!) in the boot? It can have a large effect.

2 - Have you fitted a roof rack/box? Again, can have a massive effect.

3 - Check the air pressure of your tyres. This is very very important. Underinflated tyres cause extra drag, requiring more fuel. Don't over-inflate either though, as that could lead to a blow-out. Follow guidelines for the car/tyre.

4 - It's winter so you're most likely using the lights, heater and demister a lot more. Those all use fuel. In particular, make sure you turn off the rear window demister when it's not needed - it uses a lot of energy.

All the above you can do for yourself, so do and then see if things have improved. After that we would suggest that you have your car serviced if it has been a while. The air filter and/or fuel filter could be clogged and it's a good time to hook the car up to a diagnostics machine to see if there are any error codes indicating other issues.

Let us know how you get on

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Hi Barry,

Depends on the specific model, but by and large, by 2006, Renault had sorted most of the reliability problems that had dogged the brand through the first half of that decade. Still not up to Toyota or Honda standards, mind, but better than before and within sight of the average.

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Hi Kieran,

We're assuming that you'll be bringing a car of that age to an independent garage. Prices vary a lot obviously, but one garage we know in Cork quoted us €400 all in, including the parts. Hopefully that gives you something to work to.

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Hi Denis,

Prices for 2012 Corollas seem to run from around €13k up to as much as €16k so I'd say a €14,500 ballpark would be about right, although obviously you're going to get offered less than that as a trade-in.