VRT rate to import a Land Rover Defender?
Hello,
We are planning to buy a 2012 Land Rover Defender N1 from the UK. It's a five-seat utility model. Will the VRT charge be 13.5 per cent?
Alan Walsh (Oranmore )Jun 2020 Filed under: VRT
Expert answer
Hi Alan,
It should be, as the vehicle would have conformed to the N1 regulations when it was first registered, but to be safe I’d check with your local motor tax office before making any firm decisions.
Tax and insurance on a 2009 Toyota RAV4?
What's the annual road tax on a 2009 Toyota RAV4 D4D? Will the insurance be high on it as well?
Jacqui Turvey (Carrick )Jun 2020 Filed under: taxation
Expert answer
Hi Jacqui,
With CO2 emissions of 173g/km, a 2009 RAV4 diesel is going to be in Band E for motor tax, which means €750 a year. As for insurance, it shouldn’t be too bad, but as ever, Irish insurance is a minefield and often depends more on you and your record than the car, so make sure you take the time to shop around.
Looking for a three-seat LR Defender...
I am looking to buy a three-seat Land Rover Defender. I work abroad for a foreign company so I'm wondering if I would be able to apply for Commercial Road Tax?
John Keogh (Cork)Jun 2020 Filed under: commercial vehicle
Expert answer
Hi John,
A Defender with only three seats in the front and no glass panels in the back would certainly qualify as a commercial vehicle, so as long as you can show that you require it for work, and that you’re not using it for social, domestic, or pleasure use, then you should be fine.
How much to tax a 2015 Ford Focus diesel?
Just bought a 2015 Ford Focus 1.6 diesel car. How much do I need to tax it for the year please?
Michael Laffan (Dublin City)Jun 2020 Filed under: taxation
Expert answer
Hi Michael,
Assuming that it’s the 105hp version of the Focus 1.6 TDCi, and uses a manual gearbox, then it has CO2 emissions of 88g/km, which means tax of €180 per year.
Is there a BIK tax reduction for hybrids?
Hi guys,
I’ve opted for a Toyota Corolla hybrid for my next company car. My question is, is there a reduction in BIK tax for hybrid electric cars in Ireland?
Niall Carson (Athy)Jun 2020 Filed under: taxation
Expert answer
Hi Niall,
I’m afraid not. Revenue only applies BIK relief to electric cars and flatly states that ‘hybrids do not count as electric vehicles.’ BIK is calculated on the value of the car and the annual mileage, not on the CO2 emissions of the car. That may change in the coming months, with the new FG-FF-Green coalition promising to review the motor taxation system, but for now, there’s no BIK benefit to driving a hybrid.
Do I have to alter an LCV to go private?
Are there any physical changes i.e. replacing missing seats for say NCT purposes in order to switch from crew cab to private? I presume the commercial tax test is the same as NCT?
Many thanks
Richard Spicer (Bray)Jun 2020 Filed under: commercial vehicle
Expert answer
Hi Richard,
There are no issues in terms of seats etc if you want to run a commercial vehicle as a private car — it’s simply a change in the rate of tax that you pay, and all you have to do is talk to your local motor tax office. You’ll be charged a tax rate based on the cubic capacity of the engine. As for the NCT, you’ll still have to get the vehicle tested on the Light Commercial Vehicle test, every year. Even if it’s taxed privately, it needs that rather than an NCT.
What makes a vehicle a commercial?
What makes a vehicle "commercial"? Is it the type of vehicle or the individual owner's use of it? For example, if I buy a car-van simply because the large boot suits me, but the previous owner used it commercially and taxed, insured and tested it accordingly, what do I have to do to ensure it's considered a private vehicle when I buy it (taxed and insured that way, subject to NCT instead of CRW)? Is there any VAT issue with a private buyer purchasing a used commercially vehicle?
Owen Doyle (Dublin)Jun 2020 Filed under: commercial vehicle
Expert answer
Hi Owen,
In terms of taxing a vehicle as a private car, there are no particular restrictions. All you have to do to tax a commercial vehicle as a private car is to let your local motor tax office know, and they’ll shift your tax to the old engine capacity system, instead of the flat-rate €333 annual commercial tax.
What makes a vehicle a ‘commercial’ is its original homologation (whether it’s classified as an N1 commercial vehicle, or an M1 passenger vehicle), but it’s entirely legitimate to tax an N1 commercial as a private car. However, even if you do so, it will still need to be tested, annually, under the Light Commercial Vehicle test, not the passenger car NCT. There’s no VAT issue in that you’ll pay the normal VAT rate when buying a commercial vehicle, but you won’t be able to claim back the VAT unless you’re using the vehicle for commercial purposes.
Can I import a Land Cruiser as commercial?
Hi there,
Wondering if you can clarify something for me about importing a Toyota Land Cruiser from the UK for commercial use in Ireland. Does the vehicle need to have been commercially registered in the UK, which I think is N1, before it can be imported and taxed as commercial in Ireland? I've tried searching for commercial vehicles in the UK but there are only a handful of vehicles listed whereas there are thousands of the same model vehicle (Toyota Land Cruiser) listed as having been privately registered.
Many thanks in advance
Ken
Ken O'Sullivan (Lahinch)Jun 2020 Filed under: commercial vehicle
Expert answer
Hi Ken,
It depends on what exactly we’re talking about here. If it’s a two-seat Land Cruiser with a cargo bay in the back, then Revenue should treat it as a purely commercial vehicle for VRT purposes, even if you later go on to tax it as a private vehicle. If, though, it’s a four-seat model that has been categorised as an N1 in the UK, Revenue won’t accept it as a van here anymore, and it’ll be charged at the full passenger car VRT rate.
Motor tax on 2016 Mercedes C 250 Coupe?
What is the annual motor tax rate on a 2016 Mercedes C 250 Coupe?
Jerry Hanrahan (Lahinch)Jun 2020 Filed under: taxation
Expert answer
Hi Jerry,
Assuming that it’s running on the 18-inch wheels, the 2016 C 250 d Coupe has CO2 emissions of 112g/km and so will cost €200 a year to tax.
Which big tow car to go for on moving?
We are moving from the UK to Ireland soon and are gobsmacked (for the want of of a better word) to find that our two trusty vehicles, the 2005 Chrysler Grand Voyager (diesel) and 2005 Mercdes C-Class Elegance (petrol) are going to cost in excess of €6,000 jointly to tax! The cars are not even worth a fraction of that, so we sadly have to replace them (in this throw-away world we have always been proud to keep our vehicles beyond their life expectancies).
So, what car can you recommend for a family of six, that would be able to tow a horse box, but would be the cheapest to tax as we relocate to the Emerald Isle?
Jo Sheedy
Surrey, UK
Joanna Sheedy (Epsom)Jun 2020 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Joanne,
If it’s just the one car you want, then I think your best bet would be a Ford S-Max or Galaxy, or possibly a SEAT Alhambra. All three cars do all the important family hauling work really well, and the two Fords will tow a maximum 2,000kg load, while the Alhambra can haul as much as 2,400kg.
If you want to go down the two-car route, then maybe go for a Mercedes E-Class Estate, with the fold-down seats in the boot, as the family machine and a Volkswagen Amarok pickup (the early model with the 2.0-litre turbo engine so as to keep the tax costs down) as the tow-car. It can haul a whopping 3,500kg, but is also comfy and refined enough to be a daily driver.
Read our Mercedes E-Class reviews