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Hi Julian.

The Kuga's belt should be changed every 200,000km or every 10 years, whichever comes sooner, so, as your car is now 10 years old, it'd be wise to get the belt done when you can.

It wouldn't be helpful for us to give you a price for the work, as labour rates vary considerably from garage to garage. And the price of the parts will vary too, depending on where they are bought. It might help to know that the work should take no more than three hours, but don't forget that, as well as the timing belt itself, the auxiliary belts will need to be replaced, as will the water pump.

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Hi Robert,

Absolutely you can, but the only drawback is that you won’t be able to tax it as a commercial vehicle, as being a teacher means that you wouldn’t be able to justify using it in your work. With that in mind, I’d recommend going for the cheapest VW Amarok you can buy (we found one here for €13k on Carzone.ie) as they have a 2.0-litre engine that won’t kill you on motor tax rates. Plus, as a bonus, it’s comfy and practical enough to use as your everyday car.

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Hi Catherine,

You’ll probably get a very broad mix of quotes. Some companies will like the fact that you’re an older driver, with a relatively low-powered car, and assess you accordingly. Many others will simply look at your lack of an Irish driving history (and won’t take your Canadian history into account) and will simply try to charge you an absolute fortune.

Our advice would be to track down a good local insurance broker, who may well be able to help you find a better deal than you’d find yourself. Criteria? That would be expecting the Irish insurance industry to be open and transparent, and that’s simply not going to happen...

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Hi CJ,

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Hi Pete,

Yup, if it’s been registered as a commercial vehicle in the first place, and you’re using it only for work purposes, then you’re entitled to continue to tax it as a commercial. 

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Hi John,

Nope, it wouldn’t. Working off the base model prices — £38,500 in the UK and €48,900 here, a quick conversion at today’s rates shows that the equivalent Euro price of a new Tesla Model 3 would be €45,069. A saving? No — although the VRT would cost you nothing at the point of import (thanks to the €5,000 rebate) you would have to pay VAT on entry, as it’s a new car, and so the price would go up by €10,350.

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Hi Brian,

Different versions of the same car can have different equipment levels, which can affect the weight of the vehicle and therefore its emissions. Equally, different model years can have different engine specifications (even if the basic bones of the engine are the same), which can affect the CO₂ rating. Or, of course, one could have a manual gearbox and one an automatic, which can have a major effect on the CO₂ levels.

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Hi Neil,

Bikes are taxed according to their engine capaciity. The current rates go like this: €49 for 0-75cc; €67 for 76-200cc; and €88 for 201-9,999cc. I really want to find the person who’s taxing a 9,999cc bike… Electric bikes are taxed on a flat rate of €35 a year. 

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Hi Jacinta,

Yes, you can. Anyone can buy a commercial vehicle and take advantage of the lower rates of VRT — that’s fine. The only tricky part comes, as you rightly point out, when it comes to taxing them. Then you have to tax the vehicle as a private car, and that means (for some bizarre reason) reverting to the old  by-engine-capacity tax, which obviously is going to be a bit pricey for a 3.0 Hilux. Maybe consider a 2.0-litre turbo VW Amarok, as that will bring down your annual motor tax bill considerably. 

Read this for more: Buying a commercial vehicle for private use

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Hi Kris,

The problem is that Irish insurers are a bit blunt-force when it comes to deciding their rates, and generally speaking (and completely erroneously) they simply tend to go by engine size. So even though there are plenty of older 1.9-2.0-litre diesel engines with similar power outputs to a more modern 1.6, they’ll probably quote you more just because it’s a bigger engine. Stupid, but then that pretty much sums up the insurance industry in Ireland. All I can suggest is either biting the bullet and getting a 1.6 that maybe you’re not as keen on, or finding a really good local broker who can help you track down quotes that us mere mortals can’t find.