Expert answer

Hi Ronnie,

On the face of it, that's not difficult. You just buy a van you like the look of and inform your motor tax office that it will be used privately. The motor tax then changes to a rate defined by the van's engine size (regardless of how new it is).

Your bigger challenge could be finding insurance, and I urge you to check that out before committing to buying any vehicle.

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Hi George, 

The rate in this situation is defined by the engine size. For the 1.5-litre Dacia, it will cost €413 per year.

Expert answer

Hi Daniel,

As it goes by engine size in that scenario, then the annual motor tax bill would be €1,034.

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Hi Kevin,

If the vehicle is used exclusively for work purposes as part of a business, then potentially yes. As an employee of a business, which is what it sounds like you are, you must submit a declaration to Revenue to confirm that the vehicle is 100 per cent used for work. Even commuting is not allowed though so that's probably not practical.

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Hi Donal,

For the benefit of our other readers, ERAD stands for Electric Rear Axle Drive, which is effectively the electric motor used on the rear axle of the plug-in-hybrid XC90 T8 (and other Volvo PHEVs) to give it all-wheel drive and fully electric operation. And yes, they are a known weak point of the car.

There is some evidence that Volvo will help with repair or replacement for cars with a full service history, but it seems to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis as there has been no official recall or statement on it from Volvo. Do not rely on this.

We'd strongly recommend you avoid early cars unless the ERAD unit has been replaced relatively recently, but Volvo did make improvements as early as 2018, and the facelifted cars from 2020 on (badged “Recharge”) are a relatively safe bet.

Look not only for a regular service history, but also for maintenance details relating specifically to the rear axle.

The D5/B5 cars are certainly a better bet in terms of dependability, but obviously come with higher running costs and motor tax.

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Hi Mary,

Rather bizarrely, there is no published rule on this situation as yet so electric vans are subject to the same annual motor tax as electric cars - i.e. €120 per annum.

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Hi Danny,

First up, as a 2.0-litre van taxed for private use the annual motor tax would be €710. 

If you convert it to a camper and get it certified as that then the annual tax could drop to just €102.

Expert answer

Hi Dan,

The rules from Revenue are clear: if a commercial vehicle is used for any private reason whatsoever, no matter how infrequently, it must be taxed for private use. If the X5 you are referring to is already registered as a commercial vehicle, then, bizarre as it sounds, the private motor tax will be determined based on the engine size - yes, even if it's a post-2008 model.

In the case of the X5, if it's powered by the popular 3.0-litre diesel engine, that would mean an annual motor tax bill of €1,494.

If you're thinking about buying a regular X5 and re-classifying it as a commercial, that would only be possible if the rear seats are removed permanently, and a bulkhead is put in place behind the front seats. Even so, it would have to be taxed privately if you intend to use it for any private reason.

Expert answer

Hi John,

Yes, you just need to inform the motor tax office of the change of use of the commercial. The rate varies as it goes by the engine size of the vehicle in this case, odd as that seems. That's even for commercials that are newer than 2008. To see those rates, go to our Motor Road Tax Prices in Ireland Explained feature.

Expert answer

Hi Leona,

From what you've told us, the easiest thing to do here would be to change ownership of your relative's cars to you. This is simply a case of filling in section C on the back of the Vehicle Registration Certificate (VRC) for each of the vehicles and sending the VRCs off to the Vehicle Registration Unit (the address is on the VRC). This can be done online as well via www.motortax.ie.

When a vehicle changes hands, its tax arrears are wiped out, so you won't need to worry about that. And if you don't intend to use the vehicles for a time, you can declare them off the road using the Statutory Off Road Declaration (SORD). This can be done online at www.motortax.ie or at your local motor tax office.

Note: this must be done ahead of time, not after the fact, and can only be submitted for periods of up to 12 months (though it can be renewed).

That would avoid the need for motor tax if you're not using the vehicles or if you're in the midst of converting the Transporter, for example.

If that's not an option, then motor tax for the van in particular could be expensive as it will be taxed according to its engine size (read our Motor Road Tax Prices In Ireland Explained feature for full details).

In terms of insurance, multi-car policies are not common in Ireland, unfortunately, so you'll need to do some ringing around or employ the services of a good insurance broker. And be aware that it can be tricky to get private insurance on a commercial vehicle.

Come back to us if you want us to go into more depth on any of this.