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Hi John,

As far as we know, there is no fuel station in Ireland selling 98 octane fuel. Circle K has a 97 octane fuel. If you really want to up the octane rating then you'll have to add aftermarket octane boosters each and every time you fill the tank, I'm afraid.

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Hi Ian,

If the specific model isn’t shown, then you can make a rough back-of-a-napkin calculation based on the CO₂ emissions and the prices that such a car would sell for In Ireland. The 508 1.6 turbo GT-Line’s emissions of 125g/km put it into Band B1 for VRT, which means 18 per cent of the Irish market price. That price is a little difficult to calculate as most 508s sold here in 2019 were diesel, but values seem to run between €25,000 to €30,000 — so, splitting the difference, 18 per cent of €27,500 is €4,950. The NOx levy on top of that will only be €135. 

Obviously all of this is an approximation only.

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Hi Nittin,

With such low mileage, it's sensible to stay away from diesel power for sure. The 1.6-litre petrol engine works pretty well, though be aware that the front-wheel-drive X-Trail can struggle for traction in wet conditions. 

Read our review of the 1.6-litre petrol Nissan X-Trail here

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Hi Dean,

Not specifically. Pre-2008 motor tax is calculated on engine capacity, so there’s no direct distinction between petrol or diesel engines. 

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Hi Pat,

Yup, such are the vagaries of the CO₂-based tax system that we switched to in 2008. The idea was to reward those choosing vehicles with lower emissions, and that is often most starkly shown up when you start looking at older cars with larger engines versus newer models, which probably have much more power, but have smaller, more efficient engines. Of course there’s an argument that says that keeping an old car going, rather than buying a new one, is actually overall better for the environment, but that’s not going to wash with the tax authorities I’m afraid.

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Hi Tommy,

Sorry, but no. As far as Revenue and the motor tax system are concerned, a car will always be taxed on its original, homologated figure, whether that be the engine’s swept capacity or its CO₂ emissions.  An LPG conversion is considered an aftermarket modification and so isn’t taken into account for tax purposes. 

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Hi Martin,

Yup, the problem is that 2008 was the switchover year to CO₂-based taxation, and the old Toyota petrol engines were pretty high up the charts in that respect. Actually, are you sure it’s 1.4? Because we only have data for a Corolla Verso with a 1.6-litre engine from that year. That engine had emissions of 177g/km, which would account for the high motor tax cost, but in theory a vehicle bought in 2008 should be eligible to revert to the old engine capacity system, which would bring down the cost a little. It’s certainly worth raising the issue with your local motor tax office to see what’s possible.

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Hi Chee,

The Countryman SE plug-in hybrid can, potentially, be capable of tremendous fuel economy, but it all depends on how you use it. If you (a) have a driveway or a garage and (b) can install a home charger and (c) tend to do short hops around town most of the time, then conceivably you could get from one end of the week to the next without burning any petrol at all. The Countryman SE will do in and around 30-35km (realistically) on a full charge of the battery. If you’re regularly taking on longer journeys, though, it gets a bit thirstier and can dip as low as 25mpg if you’re really using all the power. That said it is, as with pretty much all MINI models, really good to drive.

The RAV4 is not. Well, not that it’s bad to drive or anything, but it’s not sharp and rewarding like the MINI. That said, it’s squishy and comfortable, so if you’re on lots of long journeys, it’s great, and it’s massively roomy inside, much more so than the MINI, so with one kid and another on the way, that’s worth taking into account. Being a closed-loop hybrid with no plug-in version (yet) it’s also better for you if you don’t have a driveway or can’t install a charging point. Figure on about 6.0-6.5 litres per 100km overall, although you can get better than that on longer, gentler runs. Oh, and it should be more or less faultlessly reliable, too. 

Read our MINI Countryman reviews here

Read our Toyota RAV reviews here

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Hi Nicola,

Sadly, that is the correct rate. A 2009 Auris, which would have been on the CO₂ tax system from the get-go, with the 1.4-litre VVTi petrol engine, has CO₂ emissions of 163g/km, and is therefore liable for €570 a year in motor tax or, as you currently pay, €160 every quarter. 

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Hi William,

The 1.6-litre petrol engine's belt of that era requires a change every 160,000km or eight years, whichever comes first. 

For the 1.6-litre diesel, it depends on when the engine was manufactured. Pre July 2011, it's 140,000km and ten years, and after that it's 180,000km or ten years.