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Hi Tracy,

Do you mean VRT? VAT, Value Added Tax, is only charged on a new vehicle, or on an import that’s younger than six months old, or has less than 6,000km on the clock. At the current 23 per cent VAT rate, you’d pay around €6,000 on a brand new Nissan X-Trail in VAT.

If you do mean VRT, or Vehicle Registration Tax, then for a 2018-registered X-Trail with the 1.6 dCi diesel engine, you’re looking at around €5,000 for VRT. If you’re importing after January 1st, then there’ll be the extra NOx levy to pay, which, with the basic X-Trail’s 40mg/km NOx rating, means an extra €200 on top of the VRT.

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Hi Kieran,

Because you go back to the old engine capacity tax system when you tax a commercial vehicle as a private car (no, we don’t know why either) it’s going to be €413 a year to tax a Courier with a 1.5-litre engine.

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Hi Gerry,

Yes, you can absolutely insure it as a private car, especially when you have taxed it as such. Just ring up your insurer and let them know of the change. There shouldn’t be any increase in cost, or at least only a small one.

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Hi Ken,

It depends on the car, and how and where you are buying it. If it’s an import, then you’ll have to pay Vehicle Registration Tax when you bring it into the country, and this is charged on the basis of the car’s current second hand value in the Irish market, and it’s CO₂ emissions, so we’d need to know the make, model, trim, year and mileage of the car to give you anything like an accurate figure. You'll also have to pay the NOx levy.

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Hi Tristan,

If you’re taxing a van or commercial vehicle as a private car, you go back to the old by-engine-capacity system, and for a 1.6-litre engine that’s €514 per year.

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Hi Mary,

That version of the Soul, with the automatic gearbox, has CO₂ emissions of 155g/km, so it’ll cost you €390 a year to tax. VRT on import shouldn’t be too steep — probably around the €1,800 mark depending on optional equipment, but bring it in quick — if you leave it until after January 1st you’ll have to pay the extra NOx tax, and that will add €1,975 to your import bill...

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Hi Mark,

That’s right, you’ll miss the NOx tax if you bring it in before the 1st of Jan. After that though...

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Hi Alan,

Yes, you can. Just contact your local motor tax office and inform them of the change. They’ll then switch you to the old by-engine-capacity tax system, and you’ll pay €358 per annum.

Yes, you can. Just contact your local motor tax office and inform them of the change. They’ll then switch you to the old by-engine-capacity tax system, and you’ll pay €358 per annum.

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Hi Steven,

Can you tell us which model your car is? That might be helpful. In the mean time, there’s a list of all the contact numbers for local Revenue offices at this link, so you could try getting in touch with the office for your area. 

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Hi Carole,

Assuming it has the 1.6 TDI diesel engine, then it’s going to cost €514 a year to tax it as a private car — that’s because when you tax a van as a car, you revert to the old by-engine-capacity taxation system. No, we don’t know why either.