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Hi Mark,

If you’re prepared to wait a bit, there is an all-new Octavia RS coming, which will be available as a plug-in hybrid with 245hp. Now, it will depend on how you rack up those 30,000km as to whether a plug-in hybrid would suit you — if it’s all motorway miles then probably not, but if you do a lot of short-hauls around town, and can charge at home, then it could be ideal.

There’s also the diesel version of the new Ford Focus ST to consider, the new Golf GTI and SEAT Leon Cupra (all sharing their bits and pieces with the Octavia, of course), or what about a Hyundai i30 N — one of our favourite hot hatches? A few reviews to help you decide:

Skoda Octavia reviews

Volkswagen Golf reviews

SEAT Leon reviews

Hyundai i30 reviews

Expert answer

Hi Laurie,

Well, keeping an old car going is often the cheaper solution, but obviously we can understand the desire for something a little newer. The Rio is a decent choice — reliable and economical — but to be honest it’s a bit of a bland machine. I think you’d be better by far simply upgrading to a newer Kia Ceed. The second-generation model, launched in 2012, feels really sophisticated and is actually very good to drive. With your 60km daily mileage, it would probably be worth looking for another petrol version, rather than going for a diesel. 

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Hi Mark,

The government knows the emissions of each vehicle simply because each vehicle is put through a series of official laboratory tests as part of the process of homologation — the legal process whereby a car is pronounced as passed for sale to the public - and that data is made available by the car manufacturers. As for which is cheaper to tax, it’s down to the CO₂ emissions and we’d have to know which make and models you’re looking at before we could give you a precise answer, but in most cases, for a given car, the diesel would have lower CO₂ emissions and hence motor tax.

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Hi Satveer,

Every 250,000 kilometres or 10 years, whichever comes first.

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Hi Robert,

The 2.2-litre diesel engine's belt (the only Evoque engine with a timing belt sold in 2012) must be changed every 182,000 kilometres or seven years, whichever comes first.

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Hi Brendan,

It's a tough situation for you. We hope you have family and friends to keep in touch with and make sure all your needs are met.

Don't worry about your car. If it's not doing any mileage, then there's no worry about the DPF (diesel particulate filter) or other major diesel components clogging up from low-mileage, low-temperature use. Even if you want to start up your car every few days and let it run for 15- to 20 minutes to keep the battery charged up, that won't have a major effect, not so long as, when we are free to drive where we want again, you take it for a good long run at some decent motorway speeds.

Other than that, keep an eye on the tyre pressures and fluid levels, watching out for leaks under the car. Also, don't park under a tree if you can help it, as it could lead to paint corrosion. 

Expert answer

Hi Shane,

I’m afraid this is a bit like asking us how long a piece of string might be… Especially given the current coronavirus crisis. It’s simply impossible for us to tell quite where the car market is going to go in the next while. Broadly speaking, we are moving steadily towards an electric future, and so — yes — diesel values will be under pressure in the coming years. That said, the current crisis might push the market back a little, and it’s possible that for the next little while, people might be more keen to go with something familiar, rather than taking risks on new tech.

Given all of that, and given that you’re looking at a three-year timeline, I think you’d be OK buying a diesel, especially in a premium model like an Audi. While it’s certainly possible that values may not hold up quite as strongly as they have done, it should still be solid enough, and of course you can insulate yourself — to an extent — by buying on a PCP plan with a guaranteed minimum future value.

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Hi Denise,

If you’re not doing big miles every week, then the diesel Avensis just makes no sense (other than the fact that it’s a bit bigger and comfier than the Corolla). With relatively low mileage you’re much better off with a petrol engine, and besides — even if your husband is using it occasionally for longer runs — that Toyota 1.4 engine is very economical so I think the Corolla is the best choice here.

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Hi Lynn,

There are actually a huge number of tax breaks for disabled drivers in Ireland, including exemption from paying Vehicle Registration Tax and VAT on new cars or imports, plus a repayment of any VAT spent on converting or adapting a vehicle to your needs. You’ll need to be able to provide a Primary Medical Certificate, which you may need to wait until you’ve moved here to get, as it’ll have to come from your local Health Service Executive (HSE) office - although it’s possible that a UK cert would also be acceptable.

You can claim back the VRT and VAT on a new vehicle of up to 6,000cc engine capacity, and there’s also a fuel grant of 60c per litre for petrol, and 49c per litre for diesel, which can be reclaimed at the end of each year (up to a maximum of 2,370 litres). You’ll also be exempt from annual road tax, and you can find out more on all of this by getting in touch with your local Motor Tax office.

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Hi Donie,

Yes, you can and, by taxing it as a private vehicle, you will move back to the old by-engine-capacity tax system. Assuming that your Berlingo of choice has a 1.6-litre diesel engine, then it’s going to cost you €514 per year.