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Hi Michael,

You’ll need to go and talk to your local motor tax office to get it re-registered, and you’ll almost certainly end up paying more motor tax, as you’ll be taxed on the capacity of the engine. You’ll still have to put it through the Commercial Vehicles Test (CVT) every year, and don’t forget to advise your insurer of the change of use.

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Hi Aime,

As ever, welcome to the wonderful world of Irish car insurance… You’re totally within your rights to be able to use a van as a private car, and actually you’re doing the right thing by registering it for private use, and informing your insurer. Many people just break the law by driving a commercial for private use without ever paying the extra tax or informing their insurer. If you’re struggling to find cover, I would track down a good local broker — they’re usually much more clued into the market than the call-centre staff of insurance firms, and can often find deals that we mere mortals can’t.

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Hi Philip,

Well, you’re right about Toyotas being reliable. In fact, if reliability is your ultimate goal, then Toyota, Honda and Subaru are usually your safest bets. That said, Skoda is rarely that far behind the big Japanese names in reliability terms, and often is the best-performing European marque in that regard. In terms of load capacity, the answer is almost, but not quite. The roomiest boot in the in the Toyota range right now belongs to the Corolla Touring Sports estate. Now, this is one of our favourite cars right now — good looking, good to drive and with a seriously frugal and future-proofed hybrid engine, but with a 598-litre boot, it’s some 62 litres short of the Superb Combi. Still worth considering though, as, if you can live without the extra litres in the back, then it’s a more cost-effective purchase than the Skoda.

Another alternative is the new RAV4 Hybrid. Again, this is smaller than the Superb in the back — 580 litres when loaded up to the windows — but the boot is big and square, and again the hybrid engine is frugal and it’s got reliability on its side. 

Worth remembering though that Skoda is refreshing the Superb this year (order books are open now for delivery later in the year) and there will be a hybrid, a plug-in hybrid in fact, this time around, so it might be worth waiting for that before making a final decision.

Relevant reviews:

Toyota Corolla 1.8 Hybrid Touring Sports estate (2019) review

Toyota RAV4 Hybrid AWD-i (2019) review

Skoda Superb 2.0 TDI Evo Combi (2020) review

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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 John,

OK, that’s a slightly tough set of criteria, but I think we’ve found some winners. How about a Honda Insight Hybrid? Ultra-low CO₂ means ultra-low tax, it’s auto, Hondas run for ever, it’ll do 50mpg easy and there’s just about enough space for a family of three. Your budget gets you a 2010 model.

If you need something smaller, there are automatic Nissan Micras around for that sort of money, but you might find them a bit small for the wee one. Fancy something posh? You could try a 2010 Mercedes C 180 Estate, which we found, but the tax on that will be a bit higher. Something newer? A Skoda Fabia Combi estate from 2012? Reliable and tonnes of space in the boot. Cracking car.

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Hi Noreen,

If it’s taxed on the old engine capacity system, then it’ll cost you €636 a year. Theoretically, though, you could apply to have it taxed under the CO₂-based system, and with emissions of 162g/km, it’ll actually be a little cheaper, at €570 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

Expert answer

Hi Thomas,

Well, APR isn’t actually charged on motor tax, but you will pay extra if you’re paying by the quarter — which is, I guess, a form of interest one way or another. The rate for a 3.5-litre car on the old engine capacity system is €511 per quarter, so you’re paying an extra €235 overall. 

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Hi Janos,

It doesn’t. At least not normally. A conventional, passenger X5 has motor tax of €570 a year (assuming it's the xDrive30d model with CO₂ emissions of 158g/km). If it has tax of €333 according to a seller, then that means it’s been converted to a commercial vehicle, and can only be used as such. X5s can be converted to five-seat commercials (under the older, pre-July 2019 tax regulations), but in many cases a €333 tax figure may mean that it’s only a two-seater. And, legally, it cannot be used for personal or family use if it’s taxed as a commercial. 

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Hi Brian,

Look closer and you’ll probably see that these are most likely Irish number plates that have been printed in the style of German plates. Some owners of German-built cars do this as an aesthetic thing. It’s totally illegal by the way. “Using vehicle in a public place that has been modified or altered such that authorisation plate is inaccurate” gets you three penalty points.