Expert answer

Hi Brian,

A diesel car is quite well-suited to that journey still, as it's over 100 kilometres each way, but we can understand why you might be looking to 'electrify'.

First up, I think we can disregard plug-in hybrids for your needs. None of them have an all-electric range to do a full journey from Limerick to Killarney - or vice versa - even if you could plug it in before heading back the other way again. That would make it potentially quite inefficient overall for you.

A regular hybrid might work depending on your driving style. The N21, which I assume you use, is quite a busy road, so average speeds aren't very high, but some drivers do make the effort to overtake slower traffic and keep their average speed up. If you're the type to amble along with the flow of traffic, then a hybrid might get close to your diesel's economy. If you tend to rush and do lots of overtaking, it won't.

Depending on your budget and situation, I think an electric car would be a good option. There are loads of models with official ranges in excess of 400km now and even allowing for a deterioration of that due to higher speeds and cold temperatures, they'll all likely cover the return journey from Limerick to Killarney and back with little trouble. You could top up the battery if you need to in Killarney, but the vast majority of your charging could be done each night at home. That is of course assuming that you have off-street parking and somewhere to install an electric charger. That's key to EV ownership.

If you don't quite need the space of the 5 Series, but like the BMW brand, I'd highly recommend the BMW i4. 

Other than that, check out our list of every electric car currently on sale in Ireland for ideas - and feel free to come back to us to discuss this further. 

Either way, drop us a message to let us know what you decided to do

Expert answer

Hi Brian,

You've not told us your budget at all, but a 2018 E-Class sounds like it would certainly fit the bill for your needs. There are several good diesel options, which I think would be best for your commute. That age of E-Class is really lovely.

A close competitor is, obviously, the BMW 5 Series. A 520d does it all, mixing great efficiency with comfort and a bit of sportiness when you want it. The 530d has more impressive performance, of course, but it isn't as economical.

I'd recommend you go test examples of those to see which you prefer.

Let us know how you get on.

Expert answer

Hi Joe,

There aren’t any specific battery issues to look for, and the good thing about a plug-in hybrid is that you can’t fast-charge them, so there’s less likelihood of wear and tear on the battery cells from repeated rapid charges. Obviously, batteries do degrade a little over time, but you shouldn’t see more than a few percentage points wiped off the performance. Make sure you go for a fully-charged test drive first though, and if the range seems abruptly short (allowing for weather, traffic etc) then the battery might have been physically damaged at some point.

Other plug-in hybrids worth considering would be a BMW 530e, although that probably won’t squeeze into your budget, or a Volkswagen Passat GTE, which provides performance almost as good as that of the 330e, but for a much lower cost overall and it's more spacious. Don’t forget that the battery eats considerably into the 330e’s boot space, and it was never a big car inside to begin with. The updated Passat GTE (2020) was available as an estate, too...

BMW 330e review

Volkswagen Passat GTE review

Volkswagen Passat GTE Estate review

BMW 530e review

Expert answer

Hi John,

Without knowing your budget, your seating needs and your range requirements, we can't give you a definitive answer on that. Some reading for you to consider:

Every electric car currently on sale in Ireland

Five of the best electric cars in Ireland (this needs updating as more cars have arrived on the scene since)

Come back to us with your detailed needs and we will try to help you decide on the best option.

Expert answer

Hi Bevan,

Sadly, insurance is the critical thing here, and it’s the bit we can help you with least as Irish insurers — as ever — ladle on the risk when it comes to young drivers. Any ballpark figure we give you could be €1,000 — or more — out.

Expert answer

Hi Mark,

OK, we’ve found a few cars that meet both your budget and your small engine requirement, and can pretty easily handle the hack to Ennis and back.

All small car searches should start with a Fiat 500 — looks cool, is fun to drive, costs buttons to run and no they’re not unreliable.

Want something a bit more conventional? You should be able to track down a 2009-ish Ford Fiesta with the 1.25 engine. Terrific all-rounder.

If you want something cheaper to run, there’s the Kia Picanto (circa 2010),  which has a peppy enough 1.0 to be able to cope with the Ennis run.

Or finally a Toyota Yaris, with that brilliant 1.0 VVTi engine, would make a hugely sensible choice, but you’ll have to go for an older one to stay on budget — 2008 or thereabouts. 

Expert answer

Hi Catherine,

In general, yes, the 2006 Polo is quite reliable. However, you have to adjust your expectations given that it would be over 14 years old now. Go for as simple a model as you can find and best to go for petrol rather than diesel to keep the maintenance costs low.

Expert answer

Hi Adam,

If you register that car before the end of 2020 then there is no uplift and your annual tax will be based on the 94g/km rating.

If you cannot register it until after 1 January 2021, then the CO₂ rating will be uplifted, and that new CO₂ rating will be used to determine the VRT paid on registration and the annual tax bill from then on. 

There is no uplifting of the NOx levy, incidentally, but the amount charged will change a little come 2021.

It may be worth your while reading our three relevant guides, which have been updated since the Budget 2021 announcements:

Motor Road Tax Prices in Ireland Explained

How Much VRT is Paid in Ireland?

Guide to Importing Cars from the UK

Expert answer

Hi Bill,

Short answer? We don’t know. In theory, because the VRT rebate is being chopped in half for cars priced between €40,000 and €50,000, it will become more expensive, but then again it will also be in a seven per cent VRT band, instead of the current 14 per cent band. And even if that didn’t make our heads hurt and our calculators explode, Tesla Ireland brings its cars in from the UK and who knows what effect Brexit may have on the price?

We’ve spoken to Tesla about this and, while it was a firm ’no comment’ when it comes to confirmed pricing for January, the spokesperson did say that for the Model 3, assuming everything stays as it is now, the price change will be so minimal you will hardly notice it.

Expert answer

Hi Noel,

You're right that cars have been WLTP-tested for a while now, but the WLTP CO₂ figure was not in use. Instead, an-NEDC-equivalent value was used and quoted in all official documentation. That was a legal requirement, incidentally, not an attempt by the car makers to mislead. 

Cars already registered will not benefit from the tax changes coming in 2021. We've covered this in detail in our Motor Road Tax Prices in Ireland Explained feature.