Expert answer

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. 

Expert answer

Hi Philip,

In very simple terms, the jack must be able to take at least half the car's weight. Actually, to be safe, you'd have to say a little more than half, just in case there is any variance between passenger and driver side. Every car has its own weight distribution and centre of gravity, but for the purposes of this, imagine a car with its weight perfectly distributed. Position the jack in the middle of the side of the car and jack it up. When viewed from the front or back, the centre of gravity moves to the side of the car not being jacked up, so as the car goes up, the jack is actually under less strain than when it started.

With all of these things, we would recommend building in a safety factor, of course, and use a fixed stand to hold the car up before you go underneath it.

Expert answer

Hi Dermot,

It’s a tricky one to estimate, as the Defender doesn’t appear on Revenue’s ready-reckoner, and there aren’t many on the ground here in Ireland to get a solid idea of the current values. I’d take a guess that a 2007 or 2008 Defender will be worth at least €20,000 in the Irish market (values have been steadily rising since the Defender went out of production) and 36 per cent of that (the Defender’s CO₂ emissions are above the 225g/km limit) will be at least €7,200. That’s just a guesstimate though, and the final figure will depend hugely on the condition, history and spec of the specific vehicle.

Expert answer

Hi Gerard,

It depends on whether you’re registering it as a commercial vehicle or a passenger car. If it’s a commercial vehicle, it’ll qualify for the standard €333 annual van-rate tax, but if it’s a private car then it’ll actually (and oddly) revert to the old engine capacity system, which could be a bit pricey. The Defender (annoyingly) doesn’t feature on Revenue’s VRT ready-reckoner, so an OMSP is tricky to predict, but given the way Defender values have gone of late, it will probably be between €10-18,000.

Expert answer

Hi there,

Expert answer

Hi Gearoid,

Unfortunately, we can’t track down archive pricing for the commercial model, as yet, but if it helps, the passenger Discovery range was priced between €56,945 and €79,010 in 2009.

Expert answer

Hi Paul,

A very tricky one, and as ever with Irish insurers, you’re quickly going to run up against a brick wall of intransigence. My best advice would be to get in touch with a good local insurance broker, as they can often find ways around issues such as this, and can sometimes track down policies that mere mortals cannot find.

Expert answer

Hi George,

Technically speaking, it should not, as, before a tester does the exhaust smoke test, they should, according to the NCT manual, check 'visually that the emission control system is complete and properly connected.' Saying that, it's unlikely that many testers will notice that the DPF is missing and, so long as the DPF warning light is not illuminated, there's no reason for them to be suspicious.

In short, it shouldn't pass and contravenes the law on emission of pollutants, but it is unlikely to be picked up by an NCT test centre.

Expert answer

Hi Josephine,

I assume you mean either the Jeep Renegade or brand new Compass model. Neither come with seven seats, I'm afraid. In fact, Jeep doesn't have any seven-seat vehicle on sale in Ireland right now.

Expert answer

Hi Lee,

Bearing in mind that I’m not an accountant (not even close and, if you have an accountant, I would direct this question to them too...), it seems to me that, as a car is a depreciating asset, it’s daft to be paying interest to fund that depreciation so let’s park the idea of paying a big deposit and going for finance.