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Hi Garoid,

Well, it depends on the car and how you're taxing it. If you're taxing any vehicle as a commercial then it's €333 a year, but there are strict limits on usage, which include no personal driving, doing the school run, stopping at the shops etc. If you've taxed a car as a commercial but are using it for personal use then you're liable for a massive fine. 

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Hi Colin,

Very shortly. We'd expect to see a full price list and standard specifications within the next few weeks. We are driving it next week so keep an eye out for the full test drive on the Car Reviews page.

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Hi Tim,

The Fiesta should be mostly as reliable as the Polo. In extremis, I'd say the Polo will still have a slight edge overall in terms of quality,  but as long as you buy a Fiesta with a full service history and look after it properly it should be fine. The base 60hp engine is very slow though, so unless all of your driving is in town, we'd suggest upgrading to the 82hp version. 

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Hi Paul,

I’m assuming you’re looking at about a 2005 model year? If so, the official combined fuel economy figure was 42.2mpg, or 6.7 litres per 100km, but the actual fuel consumption will depend significantly on both the condition of the vehicle and your own driving style.

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Hi Shiu,

It’s an excellent car, but you’ll need to modify your own driving style a little to get the best economy out of the little 1.0-litre turbo engine. It is a terrific engine, though. You’re most likely looking at paying around €2,900 in Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) to import it.

There are a huge number of imports from the UK and we don't believe it will adversely affect the trade-in price in a few years time.

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Hi Max,

Well, the official combined fuel economy figure is 51.4mpg, but that sounds a bit optimistic to us. Doing short journeys shouldn’t be a major issue as it’s a petrol engine, but a bit of gentle driving should get you at least past the 40mpg mark, unless you’re stuck in stop-start traffic all the time. I wouldn’t bother using premium petrol, as you’re just wasting your money. The engine is designed to work on standard 95RON pump fuel, so just use that, but make sure you buy from a reputable supplier.

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Hi John,

No, it’s not just another cost to the consumer. Stop-start systems are designed to prevent the car from running the engine unnecessarily at standstill when doing so would be at its most wasteful of fuel. After all, if you’re not moving then what is the point in having the engine on? Stop-start systems are specially designed with either a beefed-up alternator or an integrated starter/generator so that it can handle multiple stops and restarts in rapid succession, and it’s estimated that on an average car, stop-start can save as much as ten per cent of overall fuel consumption – not to be sniffed at, never mind the benefits to city-centre air quality.

Admittedly, the car makers have brought in stop-start to bring their cars' official CO₂ and fuel consumption figures down, and the benefits are only really felt if you are stopping and starting regularly. If you spend all your driving time on the motorway then you won't use the system at all.

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Hi Eoin,

There are a number of UK-based insurers who offer one-day car insurance, usually up to a maximum of 28 days, so a quick run through Google should see you sorted. If you’re concerned about not knowing which company is which, the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) offers a short-term policy, and that should be very trustworthy. Just make sure that you check and ensure that the coverage will extend to Ireland for the time you need to get a local policy sorted out.

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Hi Philip,

Petrol is better for shorter trips, period. Apart from the extra cost of buying a diesel car (which as you correctly point out, narrows a bit with some models), there's the question of maintenance - doing short hops is just bad for a diesel engine as it won't warm through properly and you could develop problems with the particulate filter and other engine components.

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Hi Rob,

No, it sounds like you're covering all the legal bases there. Highly conscientious in fact.