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Hi Tanya,

It sounds to us like the alternator may have been struggling to produce enough electrical power and that perhaps your battery could do with replacement. If the problem has not reoccurred then it's nothing to worry about, but no harm getting your battery checked before winter sets in.

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Hi Alina,

It’s actually a pretty easy distinction. Motor tax is the Irish equivalent of the UK’s Road Fund Licence. It’s paid annually, and is based on the CO₂ emissions of the vehicle. The cheapest rate is for  cars that emit no CO₂ (i.e. electric cars), which cost €120 a year to tax, while the most expensive rate is for cars emitting more than 225g/km of CO₂, which is €2,350 a year.

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Hi Dan,

The annual motor tax cost for any electric vehicle is €120.

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Hi Ruth,

There are lots of good choices for commercial SUVs. If you wanted something really swish, you could go for a Land Rover Discovery Commercial, but it’s a bit pricey. Smaller and more affordable is the Nissan Qashqai van, which is also pretty decent to drive. There’s also the Hyundai Kona Commercial, or if you’re feeling really futuristic, the Kona Commercial Electric. But actually, to be honest, your best bet might be to just buy a compact crossover, most of which are already pretty affordable, spacious (if you fold the back seats down) and which mostly have lower annual motor tax than the flat-rate €333 commercial van tax anyway. We’d suggest starting your shopping list with either the new Ford Puma or, if you’re really looking for bargains, the Dacia Duster. Some of our reviews to help you choose:

Land Rover Discovery reviews

Nissan Qashqai reviews

Hyundai Kona reviews

Ford Puma reviews

Dacia Duster reviews

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Hi Brian,

We get so many queries about stop-start systems (in all makes and models) that we wrote a feature about it: Why won't my car's stop-start system work?

However, in your case, perhaps there's something up with the alternator that prevents it from charging up the battery fully. 

It may be worth getting an auto-electrician to check it out.

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Hi Niall,

I’m afraid not. Revenue only applies BIK relief to electric cars and flatly states that ‘hybrids do not count as electric vehicles.’ BIK is calculated on the value of the car and the annual mileage, not on the CO₂ emissions of the car. That may change in the coming months, with the new FG-FF-Green coalition promising to review the motor taxation system, but for now, there’s no BIK benefit to driving a hybrid. 

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Hi Catherine,

Now is a good time to buy a hybrid, that’s for certain, but given that the Toyota C-HR and Hyundai Kona are among the very few hybrid crossovers currently on sale, you may struggle a little to find choice beyond those two models. It could be well worth looking at a Toyota Corolla or Auris hatchback or estate instead — they’re more practical, in any case, and there’s very little actual difference in height. Alternatively, there’s the Kia Niro hybrid, which was on sale from 2017. Prices for early Niros are now down to around €20,000, and they’ll still be under warranty until 2024.

Read our Toyota C-HR reviews

Read our Hyundai Kona reviews

Read our Toyota Corolla reviews

Read our Toyota Auris reviews

Read our Kia Niro reviews

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Hi Roisin,

Unfortunately, we can’t tell you the precise amount of VRT payable on a Tesla Model 3 as Tesla doesn’t provide us with a wholesale price, net of VRT and VAT. However, it’s not going to be much, if anything at all, thanks to the €5,000 VRT rebate available on electric cars.

As for the vast difference between the price of a Model 3 in the US, most of that is down to tax — don’t forget that the American price Tesla quotes does not include local sales taxes, whereas the Irish price is inclusive of VAT (which is, at a rough guess, the guts of €5,000 to €8,000 depending on the model).

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Hi Lee,

We are not aware of any specific issue on the Yaris that relates to, but it sounds to us like an electrical problem that needs a good mechanic or auto electrician to sort out.

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Hi Abel,

Well, the tracks are actually always turning, driven by a chain, but when approaching steps, the wheelchair user presses a button to lower the tracked wheels, which then take over until up or down the steps.