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Hi Colm,

It depends — for the most part, all vans are charged VRT at a rate of 13.3 per cent of the Irish market selling price, but some N1 vans qualify for a basic charge of €200 if, according to Revenue, they have always had fewer than four seats, and at any time a laden mass greater than 130 per cent of the mass in service. Better check with the local motor tax office to find out which category your Transporter fits into...

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Hi Wafaa,

Well, obviously vehicle weight will vary according to engine and equipment, but let’s take the best-case scenario in all cases: petrol engine and a manual gearbox (except in the case of the Toyota, which is only available as a hybrid). The officially quoted kerb weights are: Opel Astra 1.2 Turbo - 1,205kg. Renault Megane 1.3 TCe - 1,231kg. Toyota Corolla 1.8 Hybrid CVT - 1,345kg

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Hi Conor,

There is no specific mention of such a thing in the NCT testers' manual, but it does reference the bodywork and if anything is deemed to be dangerous to others, or even just potentially dangerous, it could get classed as a minor defect. I suspect a simple crack won't cause you a problem, but testers wouldn't be happy passing a car with bits hanging off it either, so you need to make a call on that.

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Hi Tamas,

Well, it depends on which version of Zafira each one is. From the detail you’ve given there on the tax costs, I’d suspect that the 141 car has the 2.0 CDTi diesel engine, the 129g/km of CO₂ emissions of which would put it in Band B2 for a €280 tax cost. Is the 161 car a 1.4 turbo petrol? Because that version’s 156g/km emissions put it just into the €570 Band D. Or the discrepancy could be down to one having an automatic gearbox, instead of a manual. Without more details, I’m afraid, we can’t be sure. 

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Hi Paul,

Basically, rocking up to an inspection with a Lamborghini is a licence for Revenue to charge you whatever it fancies… I wouldn’t be surprised to see a VRT bill of more than €30-40,000 for this one. 

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Hi Jacob,

There is nothing specifically mentioning the glow plugs or the warning light for them in the NCT testing manual, but it's worth getting them done in any case.

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Hi Ben,

Ambition is the Skoda Fabia’s mid-level trim, one up from a basic Active. Prices for the cheapest Fabia Ambition start at €17,000 and standard equipment includes 15-inch alloy wheels, front fog lights, leather multi-function steering wheel, front and rear electric windows, a 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth connection, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, front and rear reading lights and an umbrella stashed under the front passenger seat.

A €19,900 Style upgrades all that with extra toys such as 16-inch alloy wheels, manual air conditioning, rear parking sensors, keyless ignition and entry, automatic headlights, a front centre armrest and height adjustable seats. 

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Hi Pat,

We certainly have noticed this trait in all Volkswagen Group DSG-based gearboxes (that's what the S tronic transmission is) and their attendant engines of late. The only explanation seems to be that VW’s various brands have trimmed back both engine power and responsiveness at low speeds, and especially at idle or when waking up from a stop-start cycle, in order to optimise their figures in the new WLTP emissions and economy tests. VW is certainly not the only one to do this, but it does seem to be more obvious with VW Group models than with some other manufacturers. Shifting the gearbox into Sport helps a bit, but it’s not a total fix.

One cure might be a total vehicle upgrade — we’ve noticed that the new ‘Evo’ versions of the 1.5 TSI petrol and 2.0 TDI diesel engines are noticeably less sleepy. Or, alternatively, trade in for a version with a manual gearbox — that is the simplest cure of all.

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Hi Anne,

Is that a 100km round trip every day? Or 100km each way? Either way, you could potentially get away with a fully-electric car, assuming that you can charge at home and charge again at work. Either way, though, you’ll have to spend big and go for one of the latest electric cars with a  50kWh or 62kWh  battery, such as the Hyundai Kona Electric or the new Renault Zoe. What could well be an easier (and much cheaper) option would be to go for a hybrid. There’s only one hybrid-engined car in the Polo-size class at the moment, and that’s the Toyota Yaris. The current version is pretty good, but there is an  all-new one coming next year, so you might be best off waiting for that to appear. By then, the new Honda Jazz, also a hybrid, should be available. Or, you could keep it a lot simpler and go for a new Polo with the excellent 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine. It'll be tough to beat your diesel Polo for outright economy, though.

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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.