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Hi James,

Assuming that it's the supercharged V6 S, with CO₂ emissions of 213g/km, it'll cost €1,200 a year to tax. 

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Hi Jonathan,

Assuming it's the 1.4 VVTi petrol model then you'll pay €385 a year to tax it. As for problems? Not many - the Corolla is spectacularly rugged so, as long as it has a full service history, we wouldn't expect any major problems. Fuel economy should work out at about 40-45mpg depending on how you drive it. 

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Hi John,

For that model year the XF had CO₂ emissions of 149g/km so tax of €390.  

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Hi Peter,

It depends on what kind of history the car comes with. If it has a fully-stamped-up service book and a folder bulging with receipts, tax discs and old NCT certificates, and is in obviously good condition, then I wouldn’t have too many worries. If it’s a bit tired and worn looking, and there are gaps in the history, I’d avoid.

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Hi Mark,

For the new model G30 5 Series, the CO₂ emissions for the 520d SE are 108g/km, so that means annual motor tax of €190.

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Hi Lorraine,

It’ll set you back €710 a year, unless it was imported from the UK post-2008. If it’s an import, then it will be on the current CO₂-based system, which will mean tax of €750 a year.

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Hi Patrick,

To qualify as 'vintage' for tax purposes a car must be 30 years old or older. For insurance purposes a car can sometimes be younger than that,  but most insurers will demand that you have a more modern car for everyday driving as well as the classic. 

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Hi Tina,

That's on the old pre-2008 engine-capacity based tax system (unless it's an import) so it'll be €710 a year. 

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Hi David,

Yes, you could just about do 48km each way in an electric car, certainly in the Ioniq and just about in the 30kWh Nissan Leaf, although it would be hugely helpful if there could be some way of charging up at work. A Renault Zoe might do the trick too.

Hyundai asks for a minimum €5,000-odd deposit on a new Ioniq, and the repayments are quite steep so that one might be out of the question, although they come down to around €360 if you can put a €10,000 deposit down. A basic Nissan Leaf, with €6,762 down, will cost you just €264 a month, which might leave enough wriggle room to go for the bigger battery, and Nissan has some tempting free insurance offers on at the moment, while Renault asks just €179 a month for a Zoe, but the battery rental is extra and it comes with some quite tight mileage stipulations.

The other, possibly better, option would be to go half-electric. Toyota can put you into a Prius or an Auris Hybrid for as little as €199 to €263 a month (again, depending on deposits etc.) or you can get the rather impressive new Kia Niro for €353 a month with a €9,000 deposit. All of those should average as much as 60mpg, which would put a big dent in your fuel costs.

Read our relevant reviews here to help you choose:

Kia Niro review

Hyundai Ioniq Electric review

Nissan Leaf review

Renault Zoe review

Toyota Prius review

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Hi Michael,

I think your best bet is to sell the car in Germany first, but possibly not to this other person you’re speaking about. If you’re concerned about what a future owner may do with a car, then the best thing is to find someone else to sell it to. Bringing the car into Ireland to sell will involve a large amount of paperwork and a hefty price tag in Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT), so I think you’re going to be better off by far selling the car in Germany.