Expert answer

Hi Mark,

As I’m sure you realise, we can only guess at the OMSP (Open Market Selling Price) that Revenue will place on such a rare car. And the VRT calculation hinges on that. Let’s say it’s €25,000, and that its CO₂ emissions put it into the top VRT band at 41 per cent. That would mean a VRT bill of €10,250.

Don’t forget about the NOx levy on top of that, which is likely to be the top €600 limit for petrol cars, and of course import duty and VAT if the car is coming from England, Scotland or Wales.

Expert answer

Hi Michael,

Assuming it has been registered and used in the North “for a reasonable period of time” (Revenue’s words, generally accepted to mean more than three months), then no VAT or import duty should be payable, and as the car is over 30 years old the VRT is a flat €200.

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Hi Brendan,

The savings are not what they were, and effectively non-existent if you're talking about England, Scotland or Wales. The only realistic option is to look to Northern Ireland as most cars won't be subject to VAT and import duty, just VRT and the NOx levy. Read more below:

Guide to importing a car from Northern Ireland

Guide to importing cars from the UK

Expert answer

Hi Mike,

That engine has one of Volkswagen Group's so-called 'long life' timing belts that don't actually come with any set replacement schedule. That's very low mileage but even so there's no harm asking your mechanic to take the 'top cover' off each time the car is serviced to check the condition of the belt itself.

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Hi John,

There really won't be much to choose between them. Both manufacturers have good reputations for the reliability of their petrol engines. In your position I'd go with the car I prefer and not worry about the reliability. 

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Hi Robert,

The 1.5 and 1.6 EcoBoost engines in the 2015 Kuga use "dry" belts, not "wet" ones.

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Hi Syam,

Unless you need the long-distance efficiency of diesel then I'd suggest sticking with the petrol model if you can find one. They won't be very common though.

The diesel model feels faster and is more economical, but is likely to have higher maintenance costs as it gets older, even if nothing major goes wrong. And unfortunately the timing chain on that diesel engine can be a weak point.

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Hi Simon,

VRT might be a little higher, but it shouldn't be much more. It's nothing to do with the body style directly, though; it comes down to the VRT band, which is determined by the official CO₂ rating (which can be a little higher in open-topped cars as they're generally a little heavier and less aerodynamic than their coupe equivalents) and what Revenue calls the Open Market Selling Price (OMSP). The latter may be a little higher for the TT Roadster, but there really shouldn’t be a lot in it.

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Hi Richard,

It certainly sounds like you're the ideal candidate for a hybrid. Indeed, with less than 12,000km a year, you could easily live with a plug-in hybrid or a fully electric car if you wanted to install a home charger. 

A hybrid such as the Camry or Lexus would be nearly as efficient as your diesel Mercedes in most situations, and likely to mean much lower running costs in the long term. I'd certainly recommend a hybrid over a purely petrol alternative. 

In terms of new vs. nearly new, there are pros and cons to both. Nearly new cars have usually suffered a big chunk of their depreciation already, though you can't finance them the same way as you can a new car and of course, you're limited in choice to what's on the market at that moment in time rather than choosing your ideal specification. 

On that front, it's worth noting that the Toyota Camry is no longer on sale as a new car, though the Lexus ES is and it's an exceptionally well-made car. Almost all other hybrids in this sector are plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), however, so you'd ideally need to have a way to charge them up at home for them to be of use.

Expert answer

Hi Mike,

There's nothing stopping you from using any car for business purposes, but there are no official commercial versions of the BYD cars on sale at this time. Though you've not said what you will use the vehicle for, I'd suggest that the Seal saloon is not suited for carrying bulky goods at all, as lovely as it is as a car. 

The Seal U SUV is much better suited as it has a large boot and rear seats that can be folded down. You could in theory have those rear seats removed completely and turn it into a commercial, but as it's so new we don't know of anyone that has done that. 

The Seal U runs on petrol, obviously, which you couldn't claim VAT back on, so that may rule it out for many.

Come back to us with more details if you need more assistance.