Expert answer

Hi Stewart,

A lot of cars develop this 'fault' and it's usually to do with battery condition or load. We get so many queries about it that we put together a feature explaining it all that you may find of interest:

Why won't my car's stop-start system work?

Expert answer

Hi Jacinta,

Yes, you can. Anyone can buy a commercial vehicle and take advantage of the lower rates of VRT — that’s fine. The only tricky part comes, as you rightly point out, when it comes to taxing them. Then you have to tax the vehicle as a private car, and that means (for some bizarre reason) reverting to the old  by-engine-capacity tax, which obviously is going to be a bit pricey for a 3.0 Hilux. Maybe consider a 2.0-litre turbo VW Amarok, as that will bring down your annual motor tax bill considerably. 

Read this for more: Buying a commercial vehicle for private use

Expert answer

Hi Cathy,

Many cars develop similar problems, usually because of battery condition or load. Our feature on the subject, Why won't my car's stop-start system work? may help you further.

Expert answer

Hi Joe,

It’s actually €710, the rate for cars with engines sized between 1,901cc and 2,000cc (the Amarok 2.0 is actually 1,968cc). As we’ve said before, for some bizarre reason, if you’re taxing a commercial vehicle as a private car, you go back onto the old by-engine-capacity system.

Read this for more: Buying a commercial vehicle for private use

Expert answer

Hi James,

You can, and it’ll be taxed according to the old engine capacity system, to it’ll be €514 per year.

Read our feature on this subject: Buying a commercial vehicle for private use

Expert answer

Hi Alvin,

You absolutely can buy a Hilux and use it as a personal car, as well as for work, but if you’re not VAT-registered you won’t be able to claim back the VAT on the purchase, which will make it more expensive. On top of that, you will also have to register it as a private car, which means taxing it on the old engine capacity system. With a 2.8-litre engine, that means annual motor tax of €1,391 per year I’m afraid.

Read our feature on this subject for more: Buying a commercial vehicle for private use

Expert answer

Hi Kieran,

We would expect most stop-start issues to be sorted by a new battery, but the installer is correct: auto stop won't always work. In fact, we get so many queries about the subject that we wrote this feature you may find of interest: Why won't my car's stop-start system work?

Expert answer

Hi Kate,

There are loads of reasons for an engine's stop-start system to stop working (see our Why won't my car's stop-start system work? feature), but it rarely is linked with a dangerous issue. 

Saying that, there's no harm at all in bringing your car to a good mechanic to have it diagnosed to confirm that nothing major is amiss.

Best of luck with it

Expert answer

Hi Avril,

Being as the Steed is a commercial crew cab pickup truck, it’s on commercial tax so that’s €333 per year. You could tax it as a private vehicle if you need to, but that means reverting to the old engine capacity tax system so that would be €710 a year.

Read our Buying a commercial vehicle for private use feature for more details.

Expert answer

Hi Clare,

Stop-start systems are a source of annoyance for a lot of people. We get so many queries about them that we wrote this feature you may want to read: Why won't my car's stop-start system work?

Saying all that, the point of a stop-start system is to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, so it's seriously pointless to go on a drive specifically to charge up the battery to make it work. It could be that your battery needs to be replaced completely.