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Hi Jim,

If you're talking about a regular combustion-engined petrol or diesel car and their 12-volt battery, then yes, assuming the alternator is working properly, it will be driven by the engine and will charge up the battery so long as the electrical load from the battery is less than it can supply.

If you're referring to plug-in hybrids, and their high-voltage lithium-ion batteries, then it's not as simple as that and it differs per model and even depends on the driving mode. Most will, by default, use the battery to the fullest before starting up the engine and then may not charge the battery much except for kinetic energy recovered during braking. The idea is that you plug them in to charge up the battery regularly for maximum efficiency. However, most of them have a setting to override that and actively charge up the battery using the engine. It's usually activated by a button or option in the infotainment menu.

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Hi John,

For a petrol car, the new CO₂ rating = (old NEDC rating x 0.9227) + 34.554g/km
For a diesel car, the new CO₂ rating = (old NEDC rating x 1.1405) + 12.858g/km

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Hi Terence,

It's not entirely clear as yet, as Audi has not published its new pricing, and doesn't appear to have changed its online pricing since the VAT reduction last month. 

Taking the Audi A6 40 TDI S line S tronic as an example: it's listed as €56,065 as of Jan 2020.

The NOx figure for that car is 41.9mg/km, so the NOx levy right now, within that price, is €5 x 41.9 = €209.

So, the price of the car including VAT and VRT, but without the NOx levy is €55,855.

Looking at our review of the Audi A6 40 TDI from 2018, the NEDC CO₂ rating appears to be 117g/km, which would mean 17 per cent VRT on the old system.

So, the VRT was €55,855 x 0.17 = €9,495, which makes the price of the car including VAT at €46,360.

Assuming that's at the 23 per cent VAT rate, it's €37,691 before VAT, or €45,606 at the current 21 per cent VAT rate.

So now we have the core cost of the car and can work on a 2021 price estimate.

We need the WLTP CO₂ rating. It varies according to equipment, so let's take the worst case of 158g/km. That places it in the new Band 18 for VRT (see our How Much VRT is Paid in Ireland? feature), at a rate of 26 per cent.

So the estimated cost of the car including VAT and VRT is €45,606 ÷ 0.74 = €61,630

The NOx levy calculation has changed a little as well. It works out as €238 for this car.

Hence, the estimated total retail cost of the car is €61,868 as of 2021.

With a CO₂ rating of 158g/km as used in these calculations, the annual motor tax (see our Motor Road Tax Prices in Ireland Explained feature) will be €280.

If I used the minimum CO₂ rating for this model of 145g/km, incidentally, the retail cost comes out as €56,891 so the final price is highly sensitive to that, while the motor tax would drop just €10 per year to €270.

Disclaimer: All of these figures should be taken as estimates only. We have rounded off to Euros throughout and who knows how Audi will adjust its pricing to suit the market rather than just calculate the new tax?

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Hi Thomas, 

It certainly will.

The NOx levy calculation has been tweaked slightly, as detailed in our How Much VRT is Paid in Ireland? feature, with the €15 per mg rate starting earlier on.

The changes to the VRT bands will also likely have an effect, but the largest change is the 'uplifting' of the CO₂ rating to WLTP-equivalent values.

For a petrol car, the new CO₂ rating = (old NEDC rating x 0.9227) + 34.554g/km

For a diesel car, the new CO₂ rating = (old NEDC rating x 1.1405) + 12.858g/km

This will significantly raise the CO₂ rating, putting the imported cars into a higher VRT band, with likely much higher costs.

We did such a calculation for another reader here if you're interested: Should I register my imported Mercedes now?

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Hi Grainne,

As previously noted, you’ll need to have a current and valid primary medical cert as new certs are not being issued right now thanks to a Supreme Court decision that  has thrown the rebate scheme for disabled drivers into limbo. However, if you already have the cert, you should still be able to avail of the VRT and VAT rebates, so that should be fine (although it’s worth checking ahead of time — it’s a bit of a moving target at the moment).

I think that a Skoda Kamiq might be the right sort of car for you. Not much bigger on the outside than the Merc, but more roomy within, and with the necessary automatic gearbox and reversing camera on the options list. Get it with the sweet little 1.0-litre petrol  engine and you’re onto a winner. It’ll be well within your budget, too. 

Read our Skoda Kamiq reviews here

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Hi Gary,

If our data is correct, that should be in Band B2 for tax because of its 139g/km emissions. That means €280 per annum.

Things might change in tomorrow's Budget of course...

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Hi David,

It should be changed every 200,000km or 10 years, whichever comes first.

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Hi Tim,

The 120i is due to come at the end this year, with 184hp and with the M Sport suspension should be a bit of fun to drive. However, I don’t think it will be as engaging as the 128ti. Not only will the 128ti still have a power advantage, I suspect there will be a noticeable difference in ride quality to what the 120i might offer. The 128ti has compliance in the suspension and involving steering that makes to a real joy to drive. More details for the car are due in the coming days, so take a closer look then and see if it helps make up your mind. 

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Hi Michelle,

At that kind of mileage, at motorway speeds, most people will find a diesel car more economical. Just make sure you go for as new a model as possible within budget so you know you're driving the cleanest and most future-proof car you can that still fits your needs.

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Hi Evan,

When you go to tax a commercial vehicle privately then it goes on engine size, regardless of its age. That puts the 1.6-litre Caddy at €514 per annum.