Expert answer

Hi Barry, 

Yes it can. You can toggle through various modes with the eDrive button on the centre console to the Save Battery setting and then the engine combines with regenerative braking to charge up the battery.

Expert answer

Hi Patrick,

You certainly can do, but just be aware that you’ll have to pay some import duty on it, which may reduce any potential saving compared to an Irish market car. Do your research carefully and get in touch with your local Nissan dealer to make sure that they’ll honour any outstanding vehicle or battery warranty.

Expert answer

Hi Chee,

The Countryman SE plug-in hybrid can, potentially, be capable of tremendous fuel economy, but it all depends on how you use it. If you (a) have a driveway or a garage and (b) can install a home charger and (c) tend to do short hops around town most of the time, then conceivably you could get from one end of the week to the next without burning any petrol at all. The Countryman SE will do in and around 30-35km (realistically) on a full charge of the battery. If you’re regularly taking on longer journeys, though, it gets a bit thirstier and can dip as low as 25mpg if you’re really using all the power. That said it is, as with pretty much all MINI models, really good to drive.

The RAV4 is not. Well, not that it’s bad to drive or anything, but it’s not sharp and rewarding like the MINI. That said, it’s squishy and comfortable, so if you’re on lots of long journeys, it’s great, and it’s massively roomy inside, much more so than the MINI, so with one kid and another on the way, that’s worth taking into account. Being a closed-loop hybrid with no plug-in version (yet) it’s also better for you if you don’t have a driveway or can’t install a charging point. Figure on about 6.0-6.5 litres per 100km overall, although you can get better than that on longer, gentler runs. Oh, and it should be more or less faultlessly reliable, too. 

Read our MINI Countryman reviews here

Read our Toyota RAV reviews here

Expert answer

Hi Stephen,

Currently, there isn’t one. Volvo Cars Ireland has confirmed to us that it hasn’t yet made many plans to introduce the Polestar brand or models here as yet, although given the huge success that Tesla has had in Ireland, we’d be surprised if it doesn’t happen at some stage. Most likely, it’ll be a combination of waiting to launch a couple of core Volvo electric models (the battery-powered XC40 especially) and then, once initial European and US roll-outs have taken place for Polsetar, then they’ll start to think about us.

If we had to hazard a guess, we’d say 2022 at the earliest. 

Expert answer

Hi Ann,

We'd suspect the battery or alternator aren't performing at their best. Stop-start issues are very commonplace, across all cars. So much so that we've written a feature for drivers on the subject: Why won't my car's stop-start system work?

Expert answer

Hi Mark,

The first generation 330e has an electric-only range, on a fully-charged battery, of 40km (about 30km in real-world use) and the new, and current, version is claimed to be able to get 65km out of a full charge. Here are links to our reviews of both, which may give you more information:

2017 BMW 330e review

2020 BMW 330e review

Expert answer

Hi Tanya,

It sounds to us like the alternator may have been struggling to produce enough electrical power and that perhaps your battery could do with replacement. If the problem has not reoccurred then it's nothing to worry about, but no harm getting your battery checked before winter sets in.

Expert answer

Hi Brian,

We get so many queries about stop-start systems (in all makes and models) that we wrote a feature about it: Why won't my car's stop-start system work?

However, in your case, perhaps there's something up with the alternator that prevents it from charging up the battery fully. 

It may be worth getting an auto-electrician to check it out.

Expert answer

Hi Wendy,

We get a lot of queries from people with cars that have stop-start issues. We've published this article to help: Why won't my car's stop-start system work?

Saying all that, we also know that the Fiat 500's engine can develop a couple of issues that may be relevant to you, including a problem with the alternator belt tension (and hence battery recharging when on the move) and another with the engine control unit.

Sadly, unless you're comfortable with checking the alternator belt for yourself, these items will have to be checked by a mechanic. 

Expert answer

Hi Gerald,

Most stop-start issues can be traced to a problem with the battery. Perhaps with such low mileage it isn't being kept topped up. Regardless, we suggest you read the feature we wrote about this, called Why won't my car's stop-start system work?