Expert answer

Hi Tom,

It’s lovely — plenty powerful enough, decent economy and good refinement. Arguably, the hybrid is the better Auris model, but if part-electric power’s not your thing then the 1.2 is a very good substitute. 

Read our Toyota Auris reviews here

Expert answer

Hi Robert.

Stop-start systems have a mind of their own — literally. They’re designed to only stop the engine when demand for electrical supply within the car falls low enough that it’s safe to do so. So if you’re running the air conditioning, for instance, or have the heat turned up, or if the engine is still in its warm-up phase, then it will either not shut the engine off at all, or will only shut it off briefly. Driving style also plays into it, as does where and when you’re driving. It also depends on the battery condition, so if you’re concerned about the short stop-start times, it’s worth having the health and charge level of the battery checked.

Finally, as we get so many questions on this subject, we put together a quick feature on it for your interest: Why won't my car's stop-start system work?

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Hi Neil,

Bikes are taxed according to their engine capaciity. The current rates go like this: €49 for 0-75cc; €67 for 76-200cc; and €88 for 201-9,999cc. I really want to find the person who’s taxing a 9,999cc bike… Electric bikes are taxed on a flat rate of €35 a year. 

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Hi Mat,

The Tarraco XCellence Lux isn’t actually officially offered in Ireland, but it is available in the UK. It’s basically an XCellence with 20-inch wheels, leather sports seats, electric seat adjustment, ’top view’ parking camera and a winter pack with heated front and rear seats and headlamp washers.

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Hi Michael,

It depends on the vehicle, and what Revenue reckons the Open Market Selling Price in Ireland is. There’s a €5,000 VRT rebate on any electric car when you import it so unless the car is so expensive that it incurs VRT of more than €5,000 you won’t pay a penny.

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Hi Mike,

Anything is possible, though you might find the effort outweighs the gain. Best bet is to employ the services of a good auto-electrician to assist you with this.

Expert answer

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.

Expert answer

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.

Expert answer

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.

Expert answer

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.