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Hi Stephen,

If it’s a full LPG conversion — i.e. the entire petrol fuel system has been removed and replaced — then there may be some way of applying for a lower VRT rate. Revenue doesn’t currently allow for LPG in its NOx ratings, and the likelihood is that if the car is still capable of running on petrol, then it will still be charged at the normal rate.

The really tricky part is the acceptance of the figures. In theory, Revenue will only accept the NOx figure taken from the car’s original Certificate Of Conformity, which obviously won’t cover any later conversions. I think the first thing to do is to get every scrap of papwerwork relating to the LPG conversion, and then have a long chat with your local motor tax office. 

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Hi Mark,

The government knows the emissions of each vehicle simply because each vehicle is put through a series of official laboratory tests as part of the process of homologation — the legal process whereby a car is pronounced as passed for sale to the public - and that data is made available by the car manufacturers. As for which is cheaper to tax, it’s down to the CO₂ emissions and we’d have to know which make and models you’re looking at before we could give you a precise answer, but in most cases, for a given car, the diesel would have lower CO₂ emissions and hence motor tax.

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Hi Gerry,

If you paid €270 last year, that means your car is in Band B1 (121-130g/km). You can pay for half a year, at €149 or a quarter of a year, at €76, if you so wish.

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Hi Patrick,

Sadly, with a big engine like that, it’ll be €1,080 a year. 

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Hi Robert,

Absolutely you can, but the only drawback is that you won’t be able to tax it as a commercial vehicle, as being a teacher means that you wouldn’t be able to justify using it in your work. With that in mind, I’d recommend going for the cheapest VW Amarok you can buy (we found one here for €13k on Carzone.ie) as they have a 2.0-litre engine that won’t kill you on motor tax rates. Plus, as a bonus, it’s comfy and practical enough to use as your everyday car.

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Hi Lynn,

There are actually a huge number of tax breaks for disabled drivers in Ireland, including exemption from paying Vehicle Registration Tax and VAT on new cars or imports, plus a repayment of any VAT spent on converting or adapting a vehicle to your needs. You’ll need to be able to provide a Primary Medical Certificate, which you may need to wait until you’ve moved here to get, as it’ll have to come from your local Health Service Executive (HSE) office - although it’s possible that a UK cert would also be acceptable.

You can claim back the VRT and VAT on a new vehicle of up to 6,000cc engine capacity, and there’s also a fuel grant of 60c per litre for petrol, and 49c per litre for diesel, which can be reclaimed at the end of each year (up to a maximum of 2,370 litres). You’ll also be exempt from annual road tax, and you can find out more on all of this by getting in touch with your local Motor Tax office.

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Hi Martin,

That’ll be €358 for a year’s worth of motor tax, for a 1993 1.3 Starlet. Probably more than the value of the car itself...

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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 Alan,

If you buy the car yourself, then there’s no BIK issue to worry about, even if you are using it for work. As for taxing it, if you’re strictly and only using it for work purposes, then it can be taxed as a commercial vehicle and will set you back a mere €333 in motor tax every year. If you are using it for personal use as well, then strictly speaking you’re supposed to tax it as a private car, which means taxing it on the engine capacity, which means an annual motor tax bill of €994. Also, you need to openly declare to your insurer what the vehicle is being used for.

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Hi TJ,

It’s pretty easy, actually. You simply contact your local motor tax office and let them know that you wish to tax the vehicle for private use. They’ll then switch it over to the old by-engine-capacity tax system (€1,080 for a year’s tax for a 2.5-litre) and that’s the job done. You should probably inform your insurers too, although there shouldn’t be any major issues with that.