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Hi Colm,

It depends — for the most part, all vans are charged VRT at a rate of 13.3 per cent of the Irish market selling price, but some N1 vans qualify for a basic charge of €200 if, according to Revenue, they have always had fewer than four seats, and at any time a laden mass greater than 130 per cent of the mass in service. Better check with the local motor tax office to find out which category your Transporter fits into...

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Hi Pat,

Effectively, they’ll have to kick in either on the day after the Budget in October, or on the 1st of January. After that date, the old NEDC figures will no longer be included on a car’s Certificate of Conformity, so can’t be used anymore. The problem now is trying to find out ahead of time how the various government departments fiddle with the tax bands to make sure that people aren’t put to an unfair financial burden by the move to WLTP (as mandated by the EU).

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Hi Kevin,

It depends on what you mean. Are you bringing a new car into the country and then sending it straight on out again? Theoretically, if the vehicle were in the state for less than seven days, then you would not have to inform Revenue of it being here, and would therefore — yes — be exempt from paying any VRT or VAT on it.

However, to cover yourself, it would be prudent to communicate your plans with Revenue first, and possibly ask for a letter from them, stating that they know of the fact that the car is coming into the country but leaving again before VRT is due.

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Hi Dave,

As long as it’s more than 30 years old, no. The NOx tax is a component of VRT, not a separate tax in itself, so it falls under the VRT exemption for classic cars. 

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Hi Theresa,

I would write, immediately, to Revenue and explain the situation. Generally speaking, it’s simply a rule that you have to ensure that you have all the paperwork ready and prepared before you go in for the VRT inspection, but if you give them the details of what has happened, they may well grant you enough of an extension to get hold of the missing paperwork. 

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Hi Kieran,

Luckily, the 2016 Octavia 110hp 1.6 TDI has an exceptionally efficient engine in terms of NOx, and will only cost you an additional €480 or thereabouts. The rest of the VRT bill should be in the region of €2,000 or so, depending on what options are fitted to the car.

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Hi Dale,

Shouldn’t be too expensive. Around €600 or so in VRT and another €100 or thereabouts in the NOx charge, depending on equipment and condition of course. 

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Hi Peter,

It depends on how the interior layout of the van is arranged. If there is no bulkhead or physical separation between the seating area and the cargo area, then it’ll be registered as a Category A vehicle and it’ll be taxed on the full CO₂ emissions. If, though, there is a fixed bulkhead or separation between the seats and the cargo, then it goes into Category B, as it’s allowed to have more than three seats but have the passenger and cargo/functional compartments in completely separate units. That should VRT is charged at a flat rate of 13.3 per cent of the OMSP. 

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Hi Deirdre,

No, you should be able to do all that online (although, god knows, a visit to the local motor tax office is still sometimes needed). If you’re taxing it for private use then there’s no need to make any specific declaration that you will be using it for work — that’s taken as read. 

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Hi Michael,

The NOx emissions of that model are 70mg/km, so you’ll have to pay an additional €450 on top of the normal VRT charge if you’re importing one.