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Hi Neil,

It's on the digital instrument display on the bottom corner. Take a look at this image of the Citroen C4's dashboard and you'll see it.

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Hi John,

It certainly does, as standard.

Read our detailed Irish review of the Renault 5 E-Tech electric here.

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Hi Michael,

So long as you can prove that fact, using MOT dates perhaps, then you should not be liable for any customs duty or VAT on importation. Of course, you will still need to pay VRT and the NOx levy.

Read our Guide to importing cars from Northern Ireland for full details.

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Hi Joseph,

We're not convinced. There are some advantages for sure, such as getting a car that is often in better condition than an Irish-market model of the same age, and sometimes with more equipment for the price as well.

But there are loads of downsides, including potential issues with sourcing parts if it's not identical to the car that was sold in Ireland and increased insurance. Many Japanese cars do not come with alarms or immobilisers, either.

For rare cars that have value then it's certainly worth looking at, but for a regular car such as the Toyota, we'd advocate for seeking out cars already in Ireland.

If you want to investigate it further, it's definitely worth working with a reputable importer that will do it all for you, up to registering the car on Irish plates, as that in itself can be tricky. We don't have first-hand experience of any one company though so can only suggest you do some Googling and looking for independent reviews of the companies you find.

And make sure you read our Guide to buying Japanese imports.

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Hi Frank,

In general we like it, so long as you're on board with the premium pricing - as you are getting a premium car. It's spacious, has an excellent interior, is good to drive and decent to look at.

Read our reviews of the Renault Austral here, but come back to us if you have another specific question about the car.

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Hi Glenn,

If you've not already, I suggest you go and test drive examples of each, as they're very different cars to drive. Then, read our reviews on them to help look at the nitty gritty:

BYD Sealion 7 reviews

Kia EV4 reviews

Xpeng G6 reviews

We'd probably only consider the Xpeng and BYD comparable here as they're SUV-shaped crossovers while the EV4 is a hatchback (or 'Fastback') and, for the entry-level price of the Sealion 7 you can nearly have the top-of-the-range EV4 hatch. 

The Sealion 7 and Xpeng are larger inside and in the boot than the Kia, but the EV4 in its highest spec has the best interior of the three. 

So yeah, we'd not be able to easily pick one without knowing other factors, but if we didn't need the space of the SUVs, we'd certainly prefer to drive a hatchback such as the Kia.

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Hi Gabriel,

I'm afraid we don't have any update since we published our news story on the 2026 RAV4, but we believe it will arrive in Ireland as a regular hybrid in March and the PHEV will be introduced into Ireland a little later.

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Hi Liz,

All your questions should be answered by our 2022 review of the MG HS here.

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Hi Bill,

Obviously a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) makes most sense here as those come with ultra-low CO₂ emissions to help keep the BIK down. Though we would only recommend you buy one if you have a way of charging it up at home or at work on a very regular basis.

If you like your Audi, then the new Audi A5 e-hybrid makes for a good option. It can be had as a Sportback or Avant estate within your budget and it's a really lovely car. The e-hybrid system allows for a long electric range and low emissions, too. Read our review of the A5 e-hybrid for more.

The BMW 330e is another excellent premium PHEV within budget, both as a saloon or Touring estate. It's not as fresh-faced as the Audi A5, but it's still a good car. Read our review of the updated BMW 330e if you're interested.

Our next port of call would have been the Skoda Superb, but for some bizarre reason it's only offered as a PHEV in Combi estate format, so if you don't want an estate, then it's not for you. If you're open to the idea, however, it's a considerably larger car than the BMW and Audi mentioned above, if not as interesting to drive. Within budget, however, is the range-topping L&K variant, which puts the Audi and BMW to shame in terms of what you get for your money. Again, read our review of the Skoda Superb Combi PHEV for more.

Other than that trio, you'll be looking at SUVs in reality, unless you fancy moving to a fully electric car.

Come back to us if you want help narrowing things down further.

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Hi William,

There are plenty of good new EVs on the market within budget to consider, though most are crossover or SUV-style vehicles. That's a good thing in terms of ease of access, as their door openings are usually large and the roofs are not too low. It also usually means a relatively high-set seating position, to the benefit of comfort and visibility.

We prefer to drive regular car-shaped vehicles, but there just aren't enough all-electric options, unfortunately. While there's some negativity towards SUVs in general, we reckon a compact electric SUV ticks a lot of boxes for a lot of buyers, while not being completely inefficient.

Before giving you a few potential EVs to book test drives for, I'd urge you not to focus on the range too much. Assuming you can get a home charger installed, then going by your usage as described, you'll do the vast majority of your charging at home.

Prioritising a longer-range car means getting one with a bigger - i.e. heavier - battery, which will cost more up front and result in worse efficiency day to day. Relying on the public network a few times a year is no reason to compromise your car for the rest of the time.

The first car to come to mind is the excellent Renault Scenic E-Tech electric. It's probably bigger than you need, but the long wheelbase helps with comfort, and it sits somewhere between a hatchback and an SUV in terms of design and shape. With your budget, you could probably get the larger (87kWh) battery pack or choose the smaller one and a higher specification.

Sticking with Renault for a moment, another cool option is the new Renault 4 E-Tech, launching in Ireland imminently, though it doesn't have as long a range as the Scenic.

If you can wait a little, then it's also worth considering the new Nissan Leaf. This is a really excellent car that will certainly be in budget. It's quiet and comfortable to drive and efficient, too. The Nissan Ariya is already available, but I suspect it's larger than what you were looking for. It is comfortable, though, so no harm test-driving it for yourself.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is another great option, with a fantastically comfortable interior, good efficiency and a decent range for the money.

I could go on and on, so let us know what you think of these by submitting another question and we'll try to narrow things down for you.