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What's up with my Mondeo's tax?

I have a 2.0 diesel Ford Mondeo, registered in June 2008 and I have to pay on the old tax system. Yet I know someone with exactly the same car registered in July with cheaper tax. How can you explain this? It's not fair to those people who can't afford newer cars!

Stephen Boucher (LETTERKENNY)

Nov 2018 Filed under: taxation

Expert answer

Hi Stephen,

OK, the theory goes that a car registered between January and July 2008 will automatically switch to the CO₂-based system at its first renewal if, and only if, it’s beneficial to do so. In other words, and this is according to the Motor Tax office, it’ll stay on the old system if it’s cheaper to do so.

According to what you’ve told us, your car should have switched to the new system no later than June of 2009, but needless to say it’s possible for it to have, for some reason, slipped through the net. I’d think a quick chat with your local motor tax office should sort it out either way.

Do LPG cars cost less to tax?

Are there any motor tax reductions if my car is converted to use LPG?

Thanks

Dave Walsh (Limerick)

Nov 2018 Filed under: taxation

Expert answer

Hi Dave,

Sadly not. You will save around 50 per cent on the price per litre of LPG compared to petrol or diesel (which in and of itself might be a sufficiently compelling reason to switch), but there’s no tax advantage. A car’s motor tax rate is based on the CO₂ figure shown on its certificate of conformity document, and a post-purchase conversion doesn’t change that (even though LPG does have a slightly lower CO₂ rating than petrol or diesel). Basically, tax is calculated on the car’s official homologated figure, whereas an LPG conversion is something you do yourself afterwards.

Motor tax on a 2007 Skoda Octavia?

Car tax on 2007 Skoda Octavia 1.4?

Sam Strahan (Dunleer)

Nov 2018 Filed under: taxation

Expert answer

Hi Sam,

If you take a look at our Motor Road Tax Prices in Ireland Explained article, you'll see that your car falls into the older motor tax system, categorised by engine size. A 2007 Skoda Octavia 1.4's engine measures 1,390cc, so its annual rate of tax is €385.

Can I get low tax on a converted camper?

If I covert a commercial vehicle, say a 2017 Volkswagen Transporter, to a camper van and get it certified etc, will I qualify for the lower rate of road tax?

VINCENT CROWLEY (Cork)

Oct 2018 Filed under: commercial vehicle

Expert answer

Hi Vincent,

Yes, you will. Camper vans qualify for a flat-rate of €102 motor tax and, if the conversion is done properly and the car is re-registered, then that should be fine. Check with your local motor tax office for any paperwork that you’ll need to fill out.

What tax do farmers pay on their tractors?

Pat McMahon (Carrickmacross)

Sep 2018 Filed under: taxation

Expert answer

Hi Pat,

The annual motor tax rate for a tractor or excavator is €102.

How much to tax a 2.2 Toyota Verso?

How much to tax a 2.2 Toyota Verso for one year?

John Hamilton (Donegal )

Aug 2018 Filed under: taxation

Expert answer

Hi John,

It will depend on the year and the model, but as an example, a 2010 2.2 diesel Verso, with the 140hp engine and a manual gearbox, has emissions of 164g/km and so motor tax of €570 per year.

VRT and motor tax on a Mercedes camper?

Hi,

I was just wondering if I bought a 1991 Mercedes-Benz 308 diesel camper from the UK, what would the VRT estimate be and how much to tax it? The engine capacity is 3.0-litre. It has 74,456 miles on the clock.

Raymond Flynn (Athlone, Co. Westmeath)

Jul 2018 Filed under: VRT

Expert answer

Hi Raymond,

Pretty good news all-round, here. Camper vans qualify for the lowest rate of VRT, the same as vans, so it’s 13.3 per cent of the estimated Irish market value. It might be a bit hard to find a solid Irish market value for your Mercedes, but at 13.3 per cent, the VRT is never going to be too bad. Motor tax is even better — camper vans qualify for a flat-rate of €102 a year.

Cost of motor tax on a motor home?

Please can you confirm the cost of road tax in Ireland (2018) for a motor home?

Thanks

Gary Miller (Dublin)

Jul 2018 Filed under: taxation

Expert answer

Hi Gary,

It's a fixed price for motor tax for motor homes and campervans, at €102 per annum.

What to do with my converted UK campervan?

Hello,

I have a 2005 Citroen Relay 2.2-litre van I converted to a campervan in the UK. I am looking into registering it here, as I have moved back permanently. I went through the UK DVLA and converted it officially, but they did not change the vehicle category. It is N1. I checked this with them when I got the log book back and they said it remains as is, a commerical vehicle.

Here I understand I need to go through the whole palaver again and get an engineer to sign off the conversion, so it is MI, passenger vehicle. If I am looking at this thing correctly, I would be paying €900+ tax? Onto insurance, any idea what I would be paying on this size vehicle? I have two years' no claims driving it in the UK. Do they accept UK no claims here? It's hard to find the information online as you need to enter your reg and as it doesn't have an Irish reg yet, I have met some dead ends. The van is not worth much and it looks like it will cost me a whole lot more to run it here than in the UK. I am trying to get an idea before I start spending money, if it's a good idea to keep it, leave it on the drive or see if I can take it back or sell it to a UK driver. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

E O'Mahony O'Mahony (Cork City)

Jul 2018 Filed under: commercial vehicle

Expert answer

Hi there,

OK, as a camper van or a van, you’re going to be paying the same Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) when you bring it into the country, which will be 13.3 per cent of the Irish market selling price, as decided upon by the Revenue Commissioners. Now, whether they will accept the vehicle as being a camper van or a plain van is a bit of a finger-in-the-air exercise, but the most likely outcome is that they’ll take whatever the DVLA tells them, and it’ll remain as an N1 vehicle. That’s bad news from a motor tax point of view, but it’s equally not the worst news ever — it means you’ll pay €333 a year to tax it, rather than the camper van rate of €102. As for insurance, sadly no-claims bonuses are very rarely, if ever, transferable between jurisdictions so you’ll most likely be starting from scratch. I’d try and find a good broker to see if they can track you down a deal.

Is my Mondeo's tax bill correct?

I have a 2009 Ford Mondeo 2.0 140hp, but I think my car tax might be wrong. I have been paying €750 a year on this car. I'm only looking into it now after someone telling me it could be the wrong price; how can I look into this or who could I talk to about this?

Thanks

Thomas Madden (Kilcolgan )

Jun 2018 Filed under: taxation

Expert answer

Hi Thomas,

It’s possible. If your car is the 2.0-litre 140hp TDCi saloon with a manual gearbox, then its CO₂ emissions should be rated at 156g/km, which would give you a motor tax bill of €570 a year. However, if it’s the automatic version, then the CO₂ rating jumps to 189g/km, and that’s a €750 bill.