Expert answer

Hi Shay,

Just as with motor tax, Vehicle Registration Tax is calculated based on the CO₂ emissions of the car in question. It starts at 14 per cent of the wholesale price of the car (inclusive of options) for cars in the lowest tax band, 0- to 80g/km of CO₂ rising to a maximum of 36 per cent for the highest band, for cars emitting more than 225g/km of CO₂.

The most common bands are Bands A2 to A4 and B1 and B2, which run from 15 per cent to 19 per cent.

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Hi Helen,

It depends. If the car is being delivered here on the back of a truck, then no. If you're flying over to drive it back, then technically yes. If you mean you're importing the car with a change of address and hoping to avoid paying Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT), then yes - you have to show proof of motor tax for the preceding six months, minimum.

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Hi Liliana,

Right, you need to be quite careful here. There's a lot of fly-by-night "we buy cars for cash" types out there who will give you a pittance, not destroy the car properly and then leave you with a massive headache when the motor tax office asks you to provide a certificate of destruction. 

So, the best thing to do is first of all to declare the car as off the road. You can do this by filling in a form that you can download from the Department Of Environment website.

Next, find yourself a reputable vehicle recycler. I'd try starting with a major firm such as Thornton's, but the basic rule of thumb if they don't have a landline number and only provide you with a mobile, then walk away. 

Now, the law says that you're not allowed to be charged for disposing of your vehicle as long as it's complete when you hand it over. Making money on it is another matter entirely. A recycler may well offer you something if there are useable parts on the car, but it will vary from firm to firm. 

If you're determined to make money on it, then your best bet could be a cheap classified ad to try and sell the car for spares and parts.

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Hi Mary,

Here's the official bumpf from the Department of Transport:

"If your motor tax expires around this time, and you have not received your motor tax renewal notice in the post, it is likely that you enrolled for the electronic service when your vehicle was last taxed online and have now received your PIN by email. Issue of your renewal notice electronically ensures instant notification of your PIN and easy access to the PIN when required. Please check the email address supplied with that online transaction to retrieve your online PIN.

"If you have lost or misplaced your PIN, have yet to receive it, or have recently purchased a vehicle and wish to retrieve your PIN, you can access the 'PIN Retrieval' link on our homepage, submit the requested details and your pin will be emailed to you if your vehicle is eligible for online taxing.

"In the case of the first taxing of a brand new or imported vehicle, the PIN is the last six characters of your vehicle's chassis number as printed on your RF100 form. You should have received your RF100 form either from your Motor Dealer or the Revenue Commissioners."

Hope that covers it?

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Hi Barry,

To be blunt, you're going to struggle to get a decent diesel engined car at that price level. There do seem to be one or two diesel Peugeot 307s or Renault Méganes around at that sort of money but we'd advise serious caution before purchase - neither have a great reputation for reliability. 

Unless you're covering mega-miles every week, you would probably be much, much better off getting a tidy 1.4 petrol hatchback, perhaps a circa 2002 Toyota Corolla? Really solid on the reliability front, excellent fuel economy and affordable motor tax. It would be a much better idea than going all out for diesel but ending up with a less reliable car.

What do you think?

Expert answer

Hi Sean,

The CO₂ emissions of that model are 139g/km so the annual motor tax is going to cost you €280. VRT is much, much harder to calculate as it's down to the spec more than the year and mileage, and the mandarins of Revenue are famously arcane in their calculations. Prices for that model seem to hover around the €15,000 mark so, assuming Revenue accepts that as being the Open Market Selling Price (OMSP), then the VRT would be 19 per cent of that, which is €2,850.

Please don't take that as gospel though!

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Hi Joe,

Both excellent choices although it's worth pointing out that the petrol-powered Honda will struggle more to hold on to any value as the market is so diesel-obsessed at the moment. Still, that means prices are cheaper for you at buying time...

As with all Hondas, the CR-V is remarkably reliable, although this model has suffered from some issues. There have been some problems with trim scratching and scuffing too easily, as well as problems with the alternators. Some have had issues with the gearbox too and high front tyre wear. You should also check carefully underneath to make sure that any previous owner hasn't been taking the 4x4 bit too seriously.

That goes equally for the Hyundai and the good news here too is that reliability is excellent. The only regularly reported problems with the Santa Fe are that the air conditioning system can need regular re-gassing and that the stereo is pretty rubbish.

Both will be expensive to run though. The CR-V has CO₂ emissions of 194g/km so motor tax is going to be pricey. Despite being diesel, the Hyundai is no better, with CO₂ emissions of 191g/km. Both will average around 35mpg in regular driving.

I have to admit to a small bias - my father-in-law has owned his 2.0-litre petrol CR-V from new in 2007 and loves it. It's been massively reliable (only ever needing a replacement alternator) and he regularly gets better than 40mpg from it. That said, the Hyundai is also an excellent vehicle and I would say both are safe bets - try some test drives and see which one you prefer and let us know which way you go.

Expert answer

Hi John,

Clearly no car is utterly immune to breakdowns or component failures, but the Lexus LS 430 comes closer than probably any other. It is staggeringly reliable. We have heard tales of people buying the (older) LS 400 model from the '90s for under a grand and still finding every single electrical item working perfectly. Try that with a 7 Series or S-Class...

The Lexus is also hugely comfortable and deeply luxurious and actually better to drive than you might think. No hot hatch, obviously, but still more capable than the roly-poly reputation would have you believe.

Downsides? Colossal motor tax costs and it helps if someone else is paying for your fuel...

Expert answer

Hi Jim,

It depends on the year, as the Lexus RX 400h was sold before and after the motor taxation system change in 2008. For later models the emissions fall into tax Band F, costing €1,200 per annum. For earlier cars, because the engine size puts it into the highest category, the annual cost is €1,809.

Hope that helps

Expert answer

Hi Noel,

You can indeed get a lower rate of VAT and VRT when importing a commercial vehicle from the UK. For VRT you'll pay 13.3 per cent of the Open Market Selling Price (OMSP) - the price that Revenue reckons the car is worth in Ireland, not what you paid for it. Buying second hand in the UK and having the car converted is also a fine idea, but best to have the conversion done in the UK so that the car is already in commercial form when it lands here.

By the way, all this only applies if you're bringing in a commercial vehicle to use for work purposes. If you're using such a vehicle for social, domestic or pleasure use and paying VRT, VAT and motor tax at the commercial rate, you're technically breaking the law.

Here's our full guide to importing a car from the UK