Expert answer

Hi Philip,

Well, the first thing to note is that with four-wheel drive, both models will be quite a bit thirstier on fuel than if you went for the more basic front-wheel-drive models. In terms of making a direct comparison of the Kodiaq and Santa Fe, that’s actually kind of tricky as they sit at very different price points. You can pick up a basic Kodiaq for €32,495 while a new Santa Fe starts at €42,745. The Skoda is a really nice car — handsome, roomy and good to drive, but its cabin can feel a little bit plain at times, unless you spend a lot of money on optional extras. The Hyundai looks and feels rather more luxurious, as befits its price, and it feels more of a premium product. Both, in seven-seat form, suffer from the usual SUV problem of the third row seats not really being big enough, either for adults or for small kids in bulky safety seats. If it’s value you’re after, then the Skoda is the obvious choice, but if you fancy something that can take on the German premium brands, at a slightly lower price, then it’s worth looking at the Hyundai. Both should be very reliable in the long term, incidentally.

Skoda Kodiaq reviews

Hyundai Santa Fe reviews

Expert answer

Hi Gerry,

At 20,000km a year, you’re just on the cusp of choosing between diesel and petrol, so I’d tread carefully, and make sure you do your sums before you decide. Of the four cars you’ve mentioned, the ix35 is the oldest in tech terms and, although it’s a decent car, it’s feeling pretty out of date by now. The Qashqai is the nicest to drive, but both the Tucson and the Sportage are more roomy, so with kids to cart around, I’d go for one of those. It sort of doesn’t matter which — mechanically, they’re identical, so it comes down to which one you prefer on a personal level, and which one you can get the better deal on. Also, do consider a SEAT Ateca. They start from 2016, and the 1.4-litre turbo petrol is a terrific combo of performance and economy. Here are links to the relevant reviews to help you decide further:

Hyundai ix35 reviews

Nissan Qashqai reviews

Kia Sportage reviews

Hyundai Tucson reviews

SEAT Ateca reviews

Expert answer

Hi Katarzyna,

You can, but there are two things standing in your way — first you will have to tax the van as a private vehicle, and that means you may end up paying more every year than the flat-rate €333 commercial vehicle road tax rate. Secondly, you will need to make sure you tell your insurer that the van is being used for private, social, domestic and pleasure use, as that may have an impact on your quote and coverage. 

Read our Buying a commercial vehicle for private use feature for more

Expert answer

Hi Tony,

Currently you can buy the following hybrids on the Irish market: Toyota Corolla, CH-R, RAV4, Prius, Yaris, and there are probably a few run-out  examples of the Auris Hybrid out there still in dealerships. There’s also the Kia Niro and the Hyundai Ioniq. There’s the full Lexus range — CT, IS, RC, GS, ES, LS, NX, RX and LC. There’s the Ford Mondeo Hybrid, too. There’s the new Honda CR-V Hybrid, some Mercedes diesel-hybrids and petrol plug-in hybrids, oh and the new AMG 53 six-cylinder mild hybrids.

Suzuki does mild hybrids too — for the Baleno, Swift and Ignis. Then there are the plug-in hybrids — Kia Niro and Hyundai Ioniq again, plus the Volvo XC90 and XC60 T8 models, along with the S90 and V90; the BMW i8, 330e, 530e, X5 40e, 225xe, and the MINI Countryman S E; there’s also the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport plug-ins, the Mitsubishi Outlander, the Volkswagen Golf and Passat GTE, the Audi Q7 e-tron and the Porsche Panamera and Cayenne.

I bet I've forgotten some...

Expert answer

Hi John,

Lots of people find that their car's stop-start system stops working for no obvious reason, though it's disappointing that the garage fobbed you off rather than come up with a fix. 

We've had so many queries that we've put together a guide called Why won't my car's stop-start system work?

Have a read through that and see if it helps shine a light on the situation. Faulty temperature sensors and batteries in poor condition are very common causes.

Expert answer

Hi Shubham,

Hey, thank you for reading it!

OK, in terms of the way you’ve weighted your needs, the XC40 comes out as an obvious top choice as you’ve said safety is the most important thing for you. Nothing’s safer than a Volvo, so that’s job done then.

Right? Well, maybe not… We do love the XC40 — it’s a cracking car — but it’s a touch small on the inside. Fine for small kids, but not so great if you’ve got a fast-growing family. Which brings the Kodiaq into play, as it has a massive boot and the option of extra seats. Plus Skodas are very safe too, and have excellent resale value.

The only issue then is that you’re more or less locked into buying a diesel, which really doesn’t suit your annual mileage. You can see where this is going, can’t you? The new RAV4 Hybrid is probably the best balance of what you need. Roomy and comfortable inside, very safe, nice to drive and Toyotas always have excellent resale.

Here are our reviews of each to help you decide:

Volvo XC40 reviews

Skoda Kodiaq reviews

Toyota RAV4 reviews

Expert answer

Hi Christine,

Well, the new Duster is a pretty good piece of kit and, if you like your current car, then it could be the best bet all round. A Dacia dealer is likely to give you a better trade-in for your current car than would a rival brand, which will help with the finances. The updated Vitara is a very decent car, but it’s noticeably more expensive than the Duster, and that goes ditto for the C3 Aircross. 

Dacia Duster reviews

Suzuki Vitara reviews

Citroen C3 Aircross reviews

Expert answer

Hi Marlene,

In terms of reliability, I wouldn’t have any worries — Hyundai’s reliability reputation is iron-clad, and besides; if you did have any trouble with it, there’s that five-year, unlimited mileage warranty backing it up. One word of caution though. The Kona’s best engine is the 1.0-litre T-GDi petrol version, which is a sweet engine with good economy and might be a better ownership bet unless you’re doing big miles every year. Alternatively, it’s well worth checking out the new all-electric Kona, which has a really long one-charge range. 

Read all our Hyundai Kona reviews here

Expert answer

Hi Roy, 

That's not something we've come across, I'm afraid. There can be many simple reasons for a stop-start system to not work (see our popular feature on that subject here), but usually they are temporary. I guess if your battery was replaced, there may be some additional reprogramming required, but that wouldn't be standard on all cars.

If someone has told you that this is necessary, make sure you get a second opinion from another garage, preferably an official Suzuki service outlet. And if Suzuki told you that, then ask for a little explanation.

We'd be interested in the answer if you want to pop a comment in below this at a later stage.

Expert answer

Hi Dara,

The best plug-in hybrids around at the moment are the Kia Niro PHEV, the Toyota Prius PHEV and the Volkswagen Golf GTE (assuming you can find a GTE in stock...). Now, these are smaller than your Qashqai inside, so you may need to make that compromise in order to get the plug-in hybrid efficiency. The revised Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is massive inside, and rather nice, but thirsty if you’re not plugging it in all the time and making maximum use of the electric part of the powertrain.

A conventional hybrid might also be worth a look, especially given that you’re driving mostly in town. Honda is just about to launch a hybrid version of the hugely impressive new CR-V, and the new Toyota RAV4 is arriving in dealerships around now. Both are well worth considering if you can stretch the budget out to something brand-new.

Here are some relevant reviews:

Kia Niro PHEV review

Toyota Prius PHEV review

Volkswagen Golf GTE review

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV review

Honda CR-V Hybrid review