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Hi Sean,

The short answer is that we don’t know yet — the XCeed is only going to be first shown to the public at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month, and so that means we’re a long way from Irish prices and specs just yet. However, we can make an educated guess. Kia in Ireland tends to offer a single specification for its niche models, such as the Proceed sports estate and the e-Soul electric car, so it’s possible that the XCeed will follow suit. In fact, and I must emphasise that is is a guess, I’d expect that the XCeed and the Proceed will probably be closely aligned on price and spec, with the XCeed coming in just a little cheaper than the Proceed’s €28,946. The Proceed comes, as standard, with an eight-inch touchscreen with navigation, wireless smartphone charging, 17-inch alloy wheels, lane keeping assistance and auto-dip high-beam lights (among other items).

We do know that items such as connected services and a new 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster will be available as options, but we’ll just have to wait and see what Kia Ireland comes up with when the car is launched here.

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Hi Barry,

Actually, the X-Type diesel was beset with a long list of issues. Most of them are relatively inexpensive to fix, but there are loads of known electrical problems and generally poor build quality as well. A 2009 car would at least, but late in the model's life cycle, so it may be better than early examples, but it's not a car that we'd highly recommend in terms of reliability and cost of maintenance.

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Hi Patricia,

That sounds like a specialised job for someone familiar with the workings of the satnav system. A Honda dealer or good auto electrician are your best bets.

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Hi Brendan,

We do love a bit of car-related man-maths around the CompleteCar.ie office. Yes, in theory, you could save that €425 per week travelling cost with a Tesla Model 3, once we make a couple of assumptions, and bearing in mind that a Model 3 is not free — a basic Standard Range Plus model is quoted at €625 per month in repayments on Tesla’s Irish website. With a claimed one-charge range of 409km, your theoretical Model 3 should be able to get from Dublin to Monaghan and back in one charge, with a little left over for safety (assuming it’s around 135km door-to-door). If you can charge at home and charge in Monaghan, then each full charge will cost you around €8-10, depending on your electricity tariff and how low the battery gets before you plug it in. That should put a significant dent in your travelling costs. It would also be helpful if you could charge up at work, but that’s more for ensuring you have a full charge in case you need it — the shorter intra-Dublin commute wouldn’t put much strain on your battery.

So, that’s all good. Buying in the UK, though? Not worth it. We ran the maths on this a while back and working off the base model prices — £38,500 in the UK and €48,900 here, a quick conversion at today’s rates shows that the equivalent Euro price of a new Tesla Model 3 would be €45,069. A saving? No — although the VRT would cost you nothing at the point of import (thanks to the €5,000 rebate), you would have to pay VAT on entry, as it’s a new car, and so the price would go up by €10,350. You’re better off buying local in this instance.

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Hi James,

Tesla should take your car as a trade-in as normal, but I would obviously check with the Dublin-based Tesla Store first to make sure of this. 

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Hi Joe,

With that annual mileage, I honestly don't think you, nor the charging network, are ready for a pure EV, at any price. The longest range version of the Tesla Model 3 gets closest to your needs, but is a good deal smaller than your Jaguar.

For now, I'd suggest that, if you're adamant that you don't want a pure diesel, then a hybrid is indeed your best option. Another to consider alongside the two you've mentioned is the Lexus ES. Nonetheless, with your mileage, I'd expect the diesel-electric hybrid Mercedes to be the best all-rounder - and the E-Class is a lovely car anyway.

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Hi Joe,

I think a good bet here, if you want to buy new, is the new Mazda3 2.0 M-Hybrid. It’s only a mild-hybrid, but it’ll be good on fuel, yet it has decently punchy performance and is really enjoyable and engaging to drive. Looks great too, but not as tempting to the criminal fraternity as a Golf R. If you fancy something with a bit more grunt, but still understated styling, how about a Skoda Octavia RS? Quick and agile, and not too shabby when it comes to economy. 

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Hi Paddy,

I'm afraid there's no easy answer to that as it's very rare that someone would consider converting such a modern car to electric power. It would have to be a bespoke project and it would be fiendishly challenging. I would estimate months of work and nearly €100,000 in costs.

In short, this is not an effective way to get into electric car ownership.

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Hi Jackie,

There is no simple answer to that one I'm afraid. I assume this query comes off the back of this news story. That Ferrari cost close to €200,000 to convert, but every car is different - and the owner has a lot of input into the conversion, which can alter the price. 

Needless to say it is an expensive project to undertake by any measure.

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Hi Brian,

OK, we’ve had a look around on this one and we think we’ve found a possible solution. It’s true that the Irish insurance industry isn’t as up to speed as some others when it comes to conversions such as this, but the nice people at insuremycars.ie said that they’d be willing to take a look. They told us that: "The main concern would be who is doing the work – is it a professional firm or a bit of a DIY? An engineer's report would be required too, and it may have to be an engineer on the insurer's panel and this could be at the client's cost.” So there are a few hoops to jump through but it’s not a no.