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Hi Betty,

It's theoretically possible, but it will depend more on the US state laws than Ireland's. The instruments will be in the wrong units, though those could be changed of course, and the European Certificate of Conformity may or may not be acceptable to the US authorities. It is likely to have to go through some form of single vehicle approval test and its safety and emissions must conform with the US laws. On top of all that, the import duty could be high.

One final thing to consider: you can't buy an unregistered car from Volkswagen Ireland - it would have to be registered before you take delivery.

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Hi Brian,

Different versions of the same car can have different equipment levels, which can affect the weight of the vehicle and therefore its emissions. Equally, different model years can have different engine specifications (even if the basic bones of the engine are the same), which can affect the CO₂ rating. Or, of course, one could have a manual gearbox and one an automatic, which can have a major effect on the CO₂ levels.

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Hi Andrew,

That’s a tricky one as you’ve not told us the precise cars in question. The thing is, an electric car with a price of €30,000 has probably already had the VRT rebated on it, so you won’t make as big a saving — you’ll only save the VAT, which will represent a discount of around €5,000, bringing the price down to around €25,000. 

With the hybrid, assuming it has CO₂ emissions of under 100g/km, and therefore is in the 15 per cent VRT band, you could make a huge saving. It’s a rough guess, but we reckon you’d save €4,000 worth of VAT and €3,000 worth of VRT, bringing the price down to €17,000. 

Now, these are just rough calculations, and the final, proper figures may differ, but on the face of it the hybrid model offers a better up-front saving, but then you have to work in the potential for much cheaper running costs with an electric car when it comes to fuel and servicing. 

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Hi Tara,

If you mean the last-generation Volvo XC70, introduced in 2013, with the D5 diesel engine, then that has CO₂ emissions of 153g/km, so that means Band C tax, and €390 per year.

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Hi Aaron,

Not necessarily. Officially the emissions-based taxation system came into force from the 1st of July 2008. Everything registered after that date is automatically on the CO₂-based system. For cars registered between January 1st and June 30th 2008, it’s a little different. Initially, they would have been taxed on the old engine capacity system, but if the tax cost would have been lower under the CO₂ system, then the car should have been switched over at first renewal. If it hasn’t been switched by now, it probably means that it’s more affordable to tax on the old capacity system, so has been left on that one.

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Hi Kevin,

You’re charged the higher rate because your car is a 2007 registration — so it was registered before the switchover to the CO₂-based tax system, which kicked in in January of 2008. 

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Hi John,

Yes, you should be able to apply for a repayment of VRT and VAT on a new car, or the residual VRT on a used car, if you are the named driver of someone who qualifies under the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme. I’d start by looking at the Citizens’ Information page on this, and then contacting your local motor tax office when you’re ready to. You may also qualify for free annual motor tax. As for the allowance on a €40,000 car, that will depend on the particular model as the VRT is calculated on emissions, not price. 

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Hi Kevin,

That is a good question. And by good, I mean we haven’t a chance of being able to answer it. There are literally no Alpine A110s for sale in Ireland right now (and more’s the pity) so it’s a total guess as to what Revenue will say it’s worth. I would imagine that, for a year-old version, they’ll take the UK price, add VRT, and then knock off around 15-20 per cent for depreciation (although the Alpine’s desirability may mean that they try and claim that there is no depreciation…). That would suggest a total value of around  the €55,000 mark, but again, as I say, that’s a total guess.

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Hi Noreen,

If it’s taxed on the old engine capacity system, then it’ll cost you €636 a year. Theoretically, though, you could apply to have it taxed under the CO₂-based system, and with emissions of 162g/km, it’ll actually be a little cheaper, at €570 a year.

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Hi Janos,

It doesn’t. At least not normally. A conventional, passenger X5 has motor tax of €570 a year (assuming it's the xDrive30d model with CO₂ emissions of 158g/km). If it has tax of €333 according to a seller, then that means it’s been converted to a commercial vehicle, and can only be used as such. X5s can be converted to five-seat commercials (under the older, pre-July 2019 tax regulations), but in many cases a €333 tax figure may mean that it’s only a two-seater. And, legally, it cannot be used for personal or family use if it’s taxed as a commercial.