Expert answer

Hi Brian,

That is a slightly unusual situation we've not come across before and we'd urge you contact Revenue yourself for clarification.

With that in mind, my belief would be that you should not be liable for VRT so long as the van was converted properly to a crew cab vehicle and certified as such. It's important that it was not converted to what may be construed by Revenue to be a regular passenger vehicle - unless, of course, the owner that did the conversion already paid VRT to do that (which is highly unlikely).

In short, you're not changing the vehicle; you're just using a commercial vehicle for private use. If you yourself converted a van in this manner, then it may be a different situation.

But as I said at the top, this isn't a common situation and getting official clarification is advised.

Expert answer

Hi Daniel,

Thanks for the kind words! Good news for you: only last week it was confirmed to us that Peugeot Ireland is looking into pricing the plug-in-hybrid version of the 5008 for introduction this year. Given that confirmation, we'd hope it's available in the next few months.

Expert answer

Hi Lorraine,

There really is a lot of choice out there, but we will try to help you narrow things down.

With your car as a trade-in, and the €16,000 budget on top, we'll look for cars up to about €27,000.

First up, narrowing the search to automatic SUVs post-2021 really limits your options to the Nissan Qashqai, which isn't very powerful, the Peugeot 3008 (which is quite rare) or the Skoda Karoq and Volkswagen Tiguan. The latter two are potentially worth a look as they're built on much the same underpinnings as your Ateca and their 2.0 TDI engines have plenty of go. There aren't many of them about with automatic gearboxes though.

Removing the constraint on that opens up the options considerably and one car that stands out for us right away is the Mazda CX-5. It's perhaps not as common as some others, but it's great to drive in particular and it should tick all your other boxes. Try to get hold of one to test drive for yourself.

A newer Ateca is of course an option, and we're big fans of the SEAT, but all the newer ones we found haven't a very powerful engine.

The Peugeot 3008 is another car we like and would encourage you to try it out for size. There are plenty of them about with a manual gearbox.

All of these should have the niceties you're looking for as well.

Come back to us if you need help narrowing your search further, or if you want our opinions on any other alternative to the above.

Expert answer

Hi Frank,

We wouldn’t have considered those to be natural rivals as the Toyota starts at about €43,000 and the most expensive Kona Electric is €38,495 and in truth, the cabin ambience of the bZ4X reflects that – it’s a more luxurious car inside. The Toyota is also more spacious in the back seats, though they have similarly sized boots. The bZ4X is nicer to drive and smoother, though the Hyundai is a little more efficient in real-world driving.

In short, if the price difference isn’t part of your decision, you just need to go and test drive both to see which you prefer, as we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend either.

Expert answer

Hi Simeon,

I think a plug-in hybrid such as this could work well for you, though best to go into the purchase realising that the car is likely to go no further than 40-50km on electric power most of the time. Nonetheless, if you can charge it up at home on cheap night-rate electricity then it should cost you very little to run. You’d likely do the Cork to Ringaskiddy and back trip barely using the engine.

By default, the car will use the electric motor and ability as much as possible, so on longer runs the drive battery charge will be quickly used up and the engine will be on most of the time from then on. It can affect responsiveness a little.

The Volvo has a setting you can activate to hold the battery charge, or top it up, using the engine as a generator while it drives along. This is useful if you want to have battery charge for later in the journey to allow for electric-only driving, but it isn’t any more efficient as it uses more fuel from the tank to do this.

If you can charge up at home or work, I’d suggest you’re a perfect candidate for an electric car. A vast majority of them could manage the Cork to Bantry return journey without needing to be charged up.

Expert answer

Hi Tony,

Happy to help someone find the car that suits them.

I suspect you’ve focused a little too much on one of the few negative things Neil said about the car’s suspension in that review, and I should point out that the “crash and bang” words were used specifically in conjunction with “when tackling rough-edged surfaces.” I myself spent a few weeks in the CX-80 on Irish roads in December, including driving on poorly surfaced country roads and found it generally to be excellent. Rough surfaces can make themselves felt, but no more than in any competitor vehicles.

Expert answer

Hi Nathy,

Generally, once a new car arrives at a dealership, the company’s administration department will begin processing the registration as soon as possible. I’m unsure that this is an automatic process, as in past experience, all of the customer’s details had to be manually inputted into the vehicle registration system.

However, as Audi will invoice the dealership for the car once it lands there, it is unlikely that the company will hold off or defer any registration process, as once it’s completed, it can include that car with its monthly sales/registration figures, which is important for targets, commissions etc. Unless specifically outlined and agreed ahead of time, it is unlikely that the dealership will defer this process. 

Expert answer

Hi Juliana,

If you spend a lot of that driving on the motorway, or you're the kind of driver that 'pushes on' regularly, then I'd suggest diesel is still a good option for you. If you're a more relaxed driver and that mileage is taken at lower speeds then a hybrid may be just as economical, but it won't be otherwise. 

You've not mentioned the electric alternative, and it could be that you don't want to go electric, but almost any new EV will easily do a 160-kilometre round trip without needing charging up, and running costs are way lower than they are for diesel or hybrid. For that to work you'd need a home charger, but it's food for thought nonetheless.

If your Tiguan is giving you no trouble, I'd be inclined to hold onto it a while anyway, as with that mileage on the clock it won't be worth a lot as a trade-in.

Expert answer

Hi Paul,

That sounds like a nightmare.

We're motoring experts, not legal, though I suspect it would be challenging to make a legal argument for a full refund this long after you first bought the car, a vehicle that was already seven years old - especially as it appears that you accepted a warranty extension and the returned car on several occasions.

I also suspect you’d have a stronger case if it was the same issue being dealt with for the past year and a half, but it’s a long list of seemingly unrelated problems.

Nonetheless, I’d urge you to get in touch with the good people at the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) before you make any decisions. And as in all such disputes, I’d encourage you to talk to the garage first and foremost, telling them you are going to investigate the legal options open to you, but is there anything they can do to fix the situation before you do.

Please do let us know how you get on so we can use that information to advise others.

Expert answer

Hi James,

It's very frustrating, isn't it? We refer to that site regularly to help buyers and it has certainly taken a backwards step since the update.

Unfortunately, there does not seem to be any other way to get a confirmed VRT price for any given car from Revenue without presenting it for inspection as you've described.

If it's any help at all, tell us the full details of the car and we can try to make the estimate for you, but of course it's still only an estimate.