Expert answer

Hi Fergal,

Sadly, for all us Mondeo fans, it will die in its current form soon (most likely in the next 18 months or so). Now, it will be replaced, but most likely not by another saloon, but a crossover of some description instead, sitting above the Kuga in the current Ford range, and likely with a seven-seat option. 

Happily, there are still a few proper, full-sized four-door saloons around for you to choose from, and they’re good ‘uns. Our list starts with the Skoda Superb (massive inside, smooth to drive, handsome to look at and really good quality) and the VW Passat (all of the above but not quite so big inside). The Mazda6 is a big favourite of ours, too, not least because it’s so engaging to drive, and has such high quality and reliability levels, but Mazda is dropping the diesel engine option, so you might want to snap one up soon, before they’re all gone.

If you fancied going down the hybrid route, then Toyota’s excellent Camry is well worth a look, and there’s the Opel Insignia (probably one of the most underrated cars on the market) to consider too. If you fancy something a little moore stylish, check out the very slinky Peugeot 508. 

You could go up a grade, as you suggest, to the likes of a BMW 3 Series or Audi A4, but the problem is you need to spend a LOT extra to get one with decent spec, so our recommendation would  be to stick with one of the mainstream brands.

Here are our relevant reviews to help you decide:

Skoda Superb reviews

Volkswagen Passat reviews

Mazda6 reviews

Toyota Camry reviews

Peugeot 508 reviews

Opel Insignia reviews

BMW 3 Series reviews

Audi A4 reviews

Expert answer

Hi Dermot,

Volkswagen Ireland has not released the updated pricing as yet, but we understand it won't change very much for that model. The cost of the car is about €30,000 and the WLTP emissions rating is 124g/km. That means 15.75 per cent VRT, which would be €4,725 on that price. 

Expert answer

Hi Gerry,

Used privately, commercial vehicles are taxed according to their engine size. That's not too bad if you're talking about the older 2.0-litre version of the Amarok, which would cost €710 to tax privately. But if you're referring to the newer model with the 3.0 V6 TDI engine, then I'm afraid it's going to cost €1,494 a year instead. Full details can be found on Motor Road Tax Prices in Ireland Explained and Buying a commercial vehicle for private use.

Expert answer

Hi Dorothy,

It really depends on the specific version you are looking at. Some cars will go up in price, but conversely, some will drop in price. Come back to us with as much detail as possible on the specific model you are looking at so we can find its CO₂ and NOx emissions ratings and do the calculations.

Expert answer

Hi Evan,

When you go to tax a commercial vehicle privately then it goes on engine size, regardless of its age. That puts the 1.6-litre Caddy at €514 per annum.

Expert answer

Hi Aidan,

Well, generally speaking, vans fall into one of two categories for VRT. Most will be charged 13.3 per cent of the Irish open market selling price (OMSP), which in the case of a 2014 Transporter is likely to be in the region of €13,000. So 13.3 per cent of that is €1,279 and that should be your VRT cost, more or less.

Of course, there’s a chance that your Transporter of choice will fall into the second category, which gets charged a flat-rate of €200 if, says Revenue, “it always had less than four seats and at any time a laden mass greater than 130 per cent of the mass in service.” 

Expert answer

Hi Caroline,

For a a 1.9 engine, switching back to the old by-engine-capacity tax system, that’s going to be €673 per year.

Expert answer

Hi David,

A trade-in value of €10,500 doesn’t look too bad to us to be honest. Values for a 2013 Scirocco are going to be at about the €12-14,000 level, and they’re not the easiest cars to sell so the dealer is probably leaving themselves some headroom to allow for that. I wouldn’t price it at more than €14,500 privately.

Expert answer

Hi Nicola,

Yes there are, though we don't yet know about Irish availability of them. The three new colours are called Oryx White, Lapiz Blue and Kings Red Metallic.

Read the full 2021 VW Arteon news story here

Expert answer

Hi Aiden,

You will pay the princely sum of €710 for a year’s private car tax for a 2.0-litre Amarok. One of the benefits of VW’s decision to go with a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine instead of a larger unit.