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Hi Lucy,

I'm afraid that the VRT calculator supplied by Revenue is only for an estimate, as every car is different. The final figure takes into consideration the condition, mileage and any extras fitted to the car.

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Hi Sinead,

Bit of an odd one for that model, but for cars built up to July 2012 and registered up to that date, the interval is every 240,000km or 10 years, whichever comes first. For cars registered after that date, but with the same build period, the interval is 180,000km or 10 years. Either way you still have some time to go before your car needs a change.

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Hi Carole,

Assuming it has the 1.6 TDI diesel engine, then it’s going to cost €514 a year to tax it as a private car — that’s because when you tax a van as a car, you revert to the old by-engine-capacity taxation system. No, we don’t know why either.

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Hi Anne,

Is that a 100km round trip every day? Or 100km each way? Either way, you could potentially get away with a fully-electric car, assuming that you can charge at home and charge again at work. Either way, though, you’ll have to spend big and go for one of the latest electric cars with a  50kWh or 62kWh  battery, such as the Hyundai Kona Electric or the new Renault Zoe. What could well be an easier (and much cheaper) option would be to go for a hybrid. There’s only one hybrid-engined car in the Polo-size class at the moment, and that’s the Toyota Yaris. The current version is pretty good, but there is an  all-new one coming next year, so you might be best off waiting for that to appear. By then, the new Honda Jazz, also a hybrid, should be available. Or, you could keep it a lot simpler and go for a new Polo with the excellent 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine. It'll be tough to beat your diesel Polo for outright economy, though.

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Hi Nathan,

Generally the Ford 1.6-litre diesel (also used by Mazda, Peugeot, Citroen, Volvo and MINI down the years) is a rugged and reliable unit, but there are a few things to bear in mind. First off, this is an engine that needs a regular diet of high-grade synthetic engine oil, otherwise a nasty sludge can build up in various parts of the engine, choking performance. Make sure you check the service history to ensure that a good quality oil has always been used. The stop-start system can occasionally cause starter motor issues, especially if the car has mostly been driven in town. If it has been mostly driven in town, or has very low mileage, be wary of potential issues with the diesel particulate filter, too.

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Hi Colin,

When you tax a commercial vehicle as a private car you revert to the old engine capacity tax system, so with a 1.6-litre engine that’ll be €514 per year.

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Hi Naomi,

Quick question — are you sure it’s a 2.0-litre? Only most Santa Fes since 2006 have had a 2.2-litre diesel engine. If it is indeed a 2.0-litre, then taxing it as a private vehicle will set you back €710. If it does turn out to have a 2.2 then that’s going to be €951.

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Hi Margot,

Well, you could go for the alternative option to both — the Toyota Auris Hybrid estate. Lots of space and excellent economy. I’ve put my reputation on the line recommending these to a couple of friends recently and so far, I’ve not been told off for sticking them with a bad car...

Other good alternatives are the Peugeot 308 SW, the Kia Ceed SportWagon, the VW Golf Estate and the Skoda Octavia Combi. The only issue, really, is finding any of these — estate sales in Ireland are so small that you may have to consider an import.

Here are our relevant reviews to help you decide:

Toyota Auris Touring Sports review

Peugeot 308 SW review

Volkswagen Golf Estate review

Skoda Octavia reviews

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Hi Richard,

The 162 Opel Astra 1.6 CDTi diesel uses a timing chain, designed for the life of the engine, instead of a timing belt.

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Hi Kevin,

It goes by engine size if you privately tax a commercial vehicle, so the motor tax on that would be €514 per year.