Expert answer

Hi Annette,

I think your best bet could be to upgrade to a newer Mazda3 Saloon. The second generation 3 four-door is a really nice car - spacious, comfy and reliable, and if you get a 1.6 diesel from 2008 onwards you'll be paying half nothing for your road tax. 

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Hi Barry,

To be blunt, you're going to struggle to get a decent diesel engined car at that price level. There do seem to be one or two diesel Peugeot 307s or Renault Méganes around at that sort of money but we'd advise serious caution before purchase - neither have a great reputation for reliability. 

Unless you're covering mega-miles every week, you would probably be much, much better off getting a tidy 1.4 petrol hatchback, perhaps a circa 2002 Toyota Corolla? Really solid on the reliability front, excellent fuel economy and affordable motor tax. It would be a much better idea than going all out for diesel but ending up with a less reliable car.

What do you think?

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Hi Jemima,

It really depends on which model you're talking about. Assuming it's the all-new Qashqai launched this year, the 1.5-litre dCi diesel are in Band A2, costing just €180 per year to tax; the 1.6-litre diesel (manual or automatic) is in Band A4 at €200 per year; while the 4x4 Qashqai with the 1.6-litre diesel is in Band B1, costing €270 per year. The 1.2-litre petrol versions are also in Band B1.

Hope that's of some help

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Hi George,

We'd need to reg. number to give you a definitive answer, as the official emissions rating for that car depends on a number of factors, including the factory-fitted wheel size, whether it has stop-start and whether it's the five- or seven-speed automatic gearbox. Possibilities include:

- 16-inch wheels, five-speed auto, no stop-start: 154g/km - Band C - €390 per year

- 16-inch wheels, seven-speed auto, stop-start: 129g/km - Band B1 - €270 per year

- 18/19-inch wheels, seven-speed auto, stop-start: 138g/km - Band B2 - €280 per year

Come back to us with either the registration or all those details and we'll give you the definitive answer.

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Hi Tony,

There are some nice Ford Fiesta automatics around, usually with the 1.4-litre petrol engine that should fit your needs rather nicely.  Or better yet, what about a Honda Jazz 1.4 ES with the CVT automatic gearbox? We found one online for just over €16k and it's a cracking car - high quality, reliable, spacious and with a terrific 1.4-litre engine.

Let us know what you think

Expert answer

Hi Joe,

We suspect the advertisers are being a bit ambitious there. Generally speaking, you cannot tax a 3.0-litre as a 2.0-litre – that’s called fraud. However, you can tax a commercial vehicle with a 3.0-litre engine for €333 a year, which is roughly equivalent to taxing a 2.0-litre diesel with Band C emissions, but it’s a very inaccurate way of describing a car.

Also, to tax a vehicle as a commercial means that you cannot, under any circumstances, use it for personal use, such as school drop-offs or shopping. If you’re caught, it can mean a fine of up to €4,000. Generally, we’d say anyone using a phrase such as ‘taxed as a 2.0’ is being a bit too fast and loose with the truth, so is best avoided.

Expert answer

Hi Sean,

The CO₂ emissions of that model are 139g/km so the annual motor tax is going to cost you €280. VRT is much, much harder to calculate as it's down to the spec more than the year and mileage, and the mandarins of Revenue are famously arcane in their calculations. Prices for that model seem to hover around the €15,000 mark so, assuming Revenue accepts that as being the Open Market Selling Price (OMSP), then the VRT would be 19 per cent of that, which is €2,850.

Please don't take that as gospel though!

Expert answer

Hi Anna,

There are several versions of that car, and there as a model year change in late 2009 so it depends which it is exactly. Here are a few examples, assuming you're not talking about the estate:

- 1.8 TDCi saloon with 100hp and five-speed manual gearbox: 149g/km CO₂ (Band C): €390

- 1.8 TDCi saloon with 125hp and stop-start (called 'Eco') and five-speed manual gearbox: 139g/km CO₂ (Band B2): €280

- 1.8 TDCi saloon with 125hp and five-speed manual gearbox: 154g/km CO₂ (Band C): €390

If you give us the registration number we can give you the exact price of tax.

Expert answer

Hi Trevor,

It would seem not. Certainly it was the case some years back when car makers often 'de-contented' (i.e: stripped out) their cars to help compensate for Ireland's staggering levels of vehicle taxation, but the situation seems to have stabilised now.

 According to the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, to whom we spoke about this, the last official EU survey on pre-tax prices carried out in 2011 showed that the gap was, in some cases, still there, but was narrowing.

In a statement, the EU said that "The Commission continues to monitor the competitive situation on the new cars market, as well as the markets for spare parts and repair and maintenance, in cooperation with National Competition Authorities. The Commission is committed to safeguard competition in this sector and will not hesitate to take the necessary enforcement action if problems arise."

Basically, the changes in the tax system in Ireland since 2008 have meant that we're much more in line with the rest of Europe than was once the case.

Now ask us about the post-tax price...

Expert answer

Hi Joe,

Both excellent choices although it's worth pointing out that the petrol-powered Honda will struggle more to hold on to any value as the market is so diesel-obsessed at the moment. Still, that means prices are cheaper for you at buying time...

As with all Hondas, the CR-V is remarkably reliable, although this model has suffered from some issues. There have been some problems with trim scratching and scuffing too easily, as well as problems with the alternators. Some have had issues with the gearbox too and high front tyre wear. You should also check carefully underneath to make sure that any previous owner hasn't been taking the 4x4 bit too seriously.

That goes equally for the Hyundai and the good news here too is that reliability is excellent. The only regularly reported problems with the Santa Fe are that the air conditioning system can need regular re-gassing and that the stereo is pretty rubbish.

Both will be expensive to run though. The CR-V has CO₂ emissions of 194g/km so motor tax is going to be pricey. Despite being diesel, the Hyundai is no better, with CO₂ emissions of 191g/km. Both will average around 35mpg in regular driving.

I have to admit to a small bias - my father-in-law has owned his 2.0-litre petrol CR-V from new in 2007 and loves it. It's been massively reliable (only ever needing a replacement alternator) and he regularly gets better than 40mpg from it. That said, the Hyundai is also an excellent vehicle and I would say both are safe bets - try some test drives and see which one you prefer and let us know which way you go.