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Hi Raymond,

Sadly, it’ll be €994. For some arcane reason (which no-one has been able to explain to us in a way that actually makes any sense), if you register a commercial vehicle as a private car, you have to go back onto the old by-engine-capacity tax system.

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Hi Kay,

It will depend if you’re importing it. If not, then no VRT applies in any case, but there will be a fee payable for re-registering. At that point, there may also be motor tax implications, but theoretically, if Revenue accepts the conversion, then motorhomes only have to pay €102 a year.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that, to be classified as a motorhome, you’ll have to pass type approval, for which there are minimum standards. The Road Safety Authority has all the details you’ll need, but it might get expensive meeting all the requirements. 

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Hi Joe,

No, it doesn't. It is taxed according to its CO₂ emissions, which, at zero g/km, means it's in Band A0, currently costing €170 per annum.

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Hi Evan,

That does seem like an anomaly. According to our data, a 1.6 petrol Jetta with a manual gearbox from 2009 should have emissions of 165g/km, so should be taxed in Band D, on €570 a year, not €750 a year. I’d raise a query with your local motor tax office. 

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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

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Hi Alan,

Because, for some bizarre reason, when you tax a commercial vehicle as a private one (which your nephew will have to do if he wants to use his van for both work and private use) you go back to the old engine capacity taxation system. With an 1,800cc engine, that means you’ll pay €636 in motor tax every year.

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Hi Richie,

Yes, thanks to an odd quirk in our tax system, if you’re taxing a commercial vehicle for personal use (and a 110 Utility counts as one), then you revert to the old tax system, based on engine capacity, so with a 2.2-litre engine you’re looking at €951 a year. Pretty steep all the same, but a bit better than €2,350…

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Hi Tom,

There doesn’t, slightly bizarrely, seem to be an online way of doing this I’m afraid. Your best bet is to actually go to your local motor tax office, and bring both your vehicle registration document and your primary medical certificate with you. The actual human in the MT office should be able to sort you out, but it’s odd that there seems no way to do this via the web, which would obviously be much easier for those with restricted mobility.

Incidentally, you’re also allowed to claim back both VRT and VAT on the car you’ve bought (download form DD1 from the Revenue website) and there’s also a fuel grant, depending on your circumstances. Have a look at the Citizens’ Information website. It’s really helpful.

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Hi there,

I’m afraid you’re going to get hit for the highest rate of motor tax on that model, of €2,350 a year. Unfortunately, although the car was originally registered before the introduction of the CO₂-based tax system here, the regulations say that "Cars registered outside of the State on or after 1 January 2008 and subsequently registered in the State on or after 1 July 2008 will have their motor tax based on the new CO₂ system.”

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Hi James,

It depends on exactly what Kombi version it is. You see, under the recently changed rules for N1 commercial vehicle VRT and tax, if the van has fewer than ten seats, and the seats and cargo area are all in the one section, then it technically counts as a passenger car and you’ll be paying VRT at either 28 per cent or 31 per cent of the OMSP, and then passenger car motor tax too in Bands D or E.

If it has three or fewer seats, or if the cargo area is physically separated from the seating area, then it counts as a crew-van and you’ll pay 13.3 per cent of the OMSP, but to tax it as a private vehicle you’ll have to put it on the old engine capacity rating (why this is still in use we’re not sure, but it is) and that’ll be €710 a year assuming it has the 2.0-litre TDI engine.