How much to privately tax a van?
I want to tax a crew cab five-seat van privately; how much will it cost me?
Jimmy Mcgrath (Waterford)Oct 2018 Filed under: taxation
Expert answer
Hi Jimmy,
It’s an odd one — when you tax a commercial vehicle as a private car, it reverts from the CO2-based tax system back to the old engine-capacity system, so it will depend on the engine that’s in the van. Just as a guide, 1.6 tax is €514 a year, 2.0-litre is €710 and 2.5-litre tax is €1,080.
Is a pick-up with seats a commercial vehicle?
Is a pick-up with seats in the back considered a commercial vehicle?
Joe Healy (Cork)Sep 2018 Filed under: pick-up
Expert answer
Hi Joe,
Assuming you mean a crew cab design with the seats separate to the load bay, then yes that would be considered a commercial vehicle. Note, though, that a vehicle such as that, registered and taxed as a commercial vehicle, cannot be used for any private reasons whatsoever.
What tax do farmers pay on their tractors?
What tax do farmers pay on their tractors?
Pat McMahon (Carrickmacross)Sep 2018 Filed under: taxation
Expert answer
Hi Pat,
The annual motor tax rate for a tractor or excavator is €102.
Thoughts on the 2012 Kia Ceed diesel?
2012 Kia Ceed diesel: is this a reliable car? I've found a private seller with one for €6,000 - is this good value?
PATRICIA PLUNKETT (Ballyhaunis)Aug 2018 Filed under: reliability
Expert answer
Hi Patricia,
A price of €6,000 for a 2010 Ceed from a private seller isn’t bad, but it’s worth pointing out that there are dealers offering similar models for similar money, so that’s worth bearing in mind. Ceeds are very reliable, and a 2012 car should, if it’s been serviced at a Kia dealer the entire time, still have two years of its original manufacturer's warranty to run. Keep an eye out for creaking and squeaking interior panels and issues with the stereo system, but other than that they’re pretty robust.
Tax and VRT on an imported Defender?
Hi.
Really useful site. I want to import a Land Rover Defender 90 from the North. It was made in June 2008; does this mean it falls under the old or new tax system? I am using it for personal purposes. As far as OMSP for VRT, do you know how the revenue calculates that?
Thanks and best regards
Ger
Gerard Mooney (Dublin)Aug 2018 Filed under: VRT
Expert answer
Hi Gerard,
It depends on whether you’re registering it as a commercial vehicle or a passenger car. If it’s a commercial vehicle, it’ll qualify for the standard €333 annual van-rate tax, but if it’s a private car then it’ll actually (and oddly) revert to the old engine capacity system, which could be a bit pricey. The Defender (annoyingly) doesn’t feature on Revenue’s VRT ready-reckoner, so an OMSP is tricky to predict, but given the way Defender values have gone of late, it will probably be between €10-18,000.
My Renault's satnav isn't quite right!
The speed limit indicator on my inbuilt satnav has never worked properly in that it shows incorrect limits especially 60km/h limits show as 40km/h. The car is 171-registered and has been back to the dealers several times. Renault Customer Service has suggested that they would fund the cost of a stand alone satnav as a solution! This seems to be a problem with the particular model of satnav. What can I do to resolve the matter after 16 months of frustration?
Liam Ennis (Skibbereen)Aug 2018 Filed under: satellite navigation
Expert answer
Hi Liam,
Renault’s satnav software is usually supplied by TomTom, so theoretically an update of the navigation software should do the trick, but there could be an issue that local authorities are altering or moving speed limits and not supplying the information to the mapping companies. You could complain to TomTom directly, and see if that gets you anywhere, but one quick observation — if a 60km/h limit is displaying as 40, is there a chance the satnav is set to miles per hour, not kilometres per hour?
Is my Hyundai's gearbox under warranty?
In January I bought a 141 Hyundai privately with only 60,000 miles on the clock. The car has been stamped on the log book by independent garages (i.e. not Hyundai). Now my car's gearbox has gone and only time it mentions about gearbox servicing in servicing schedule is 96 months. I can understand servicing the engine wrong could bring faults, but as gearbox is a sealed unit not required servicing until 96 months I don't know why Hyundai is refusing to stand over my gearbox. It is saying that it was not properly serviced even though the gearbox was not due to be serviced.
Is this regular practice in your opinion?
Martin Mcgourty (Clonmel)Jul 2018 Filed under: warranty
Expert answer
Hi Martin,
Sadly, in many cases, this is regular practice. While Hyundai offers a very good five-year unlimited mileage warranty, it’s only valid if you keep the car serviced with a Hyundai dealer, and that will be the case whether the part or component in question was specifically serviced or not. Now, there could be a case to be answered that the gearbox, failing as it did that early on in the car’s life, had some sort of manufacturing defect or fault, and in that case you could potentially argue that the car should not have been sold in the first case in that condition, but you’d need to consult a solicitor before taking it any further.
Why do Irish car buyers not get discounts?
Hi,
I wonder if you could explain something I don't really understand about the Irish car buying market, even though I have a big interest in cars and the industry. Why is it that Irish car buyers hardly ever seem to get the sort of discounts that buyers in Britain do? I'm not just referring to the fact that overall new and used prices are cheaper there.
I wanted to buy a new or nearly new Peugeot 508 here recently and thought I would get a reasonable discount, which I pushed for, as that model does not sell as well as many of it's rivals and I thought the Peugeot dealer would be delighted to sell a saloon seeing as the market for them is declining so much and so many people now want SUVs instead. Alas, I could not get any sort of decent discount for a new or nearly new 508. It is well known that in Britain the buyer often gets a sizeable discount for car types or models that lag behind many rivals in sales, or for certain brands such as Vauxhall/Opel and Citroen. From what I observe and hear, you don't get decent discounts either for certain makes and models here in Ireland.
Higher VRT and other taxes here, don't explain these differences alone. I thought with Brexit and the vast increase in used and nearly new imports that Irish dealers would be more price competitive, but I'm surprised also that the prices of good fresh second hand cars here haven't come down more in this backdrop. For some good reasons, I'd prefer to buy here than from abroad, but it just seems that Irish car buyers can't catch the breaks that UK buyers get at all! Do you agree with me or can you kindly explain these differences in both markets?
Thanks, JC
JC Holohan (Waterford)Jun 2018 Filed under: used car values
Expert answer
Hi JC,
The big issue, really, is the size of the market. In the UK, vast dealer groups, with multiple outlets, are the norm and, obviously, these groups can be more cost-efficient and can potentially offer bigger discounts. Although there are dealer groups in Ireland, the norm is still very much the individual family-run business. That’s equally true on the import side of things — although there are now importers here that are tied directly to the car maker itself, many are still private, individual, locally-owned companies and those struggle to match the sort of discounting that is more common in the UK market. Plus, the fact that we buy in and around 100,000 to 130,000 cars a year here means that there’s less volume to spread discounts across. The UK market shifts two million cars a year — a considerable difference. VRT and VAT costs also play into it, as the wholesale price is often kept artificially lower to try and keep the added tax price down as much as possible.
Is customs duty included in VRT for import?
Is "Customs Duty" on a non-EU import (e.g. a car from Japan) included in the figure got from the VRT calculator, or is it an additional charge?
Enoch Soames (Bray)May 2018 Filed under: importing
Expert answer
Hi Enoch,
No, customs duty, along with VAT, is another charge on top of VRT. Well, actually, VRT is a charge on top of customs duty and VAT. You have to pay the customs and VAT when the car enters the country, and then go and get it assessed for VRT. You can find more details on this from the Revenue website or by reading our How Much VRT is Paid in Ireland? guide.
My 2015 Audi Q3 won't start. Help!
I have a 2015 Audi Q3 and it does not want to turn on the engine. It's as if the security system has activated a short current for the engine as everything else turns on. How can I correct this?
Jose A Flores (Puerto Rico)Apr 2018 Filed under: fault
Expert answer
Hi Jose,
We don't know of any widespread issue with the Q3 that matches your description so it's difficult to assess the issue from afar. It sounds as if the car can't sense you pressing the clutch down to start it if it's a manual or pressing the brake with the gear lever in Park if it's an automatic, but that's just one possible cause.
Best bet is to get a good mechanic to look at it.