Went onto the skoda irland site after seeing a post about vrs sitting in dealers there. Never seen a car i liked so i went into the price section for new cars and got the shock of my life when i seen a diesel vrs is cheaper than a petrol vrs, what going on there. how can they be cheaper for a diesel and we are more for a diesel.

Fair point but you may as well ask why the Irish have to pay €30K for a petrol...thats nearly £27000 at the current exchange rate.

Looking at few other Skoda sites it looks as though the UK price is a bargain; €28K for an RS in France and Germany.

No list price differential between petrol and diesel at all in France.

It gets even worse

Went onto the skoda irland site after seeing a post about vrs sitting in dealers there. Never seen a car i liked so i went into the price section for new cars and got the shock of my life when i seen a diesel vrs is cheaper than a petrol vrs, what going on there. how can they be cheaper for a diesel and we are more for a diesel.

Irish, Southern Irish I should say, VAT rate is 21% as compared to UK 20% so that accounts for a few hundred quid.

The prices of Skoda's is a complex mix of Czech currency for the labour cost and Euros for much of the parts. Then there is transport. I would have thought the Irish cars also come in to Immingham and then go to Scotland and across on the Ferry. Which ever way they go they probably cost a couple of hundfed extra Euros to get over to Ireland.

Like most European countries diesel is cheaper than petrol rather than the other way round here in the UK. Hence they probably sell much more diesels than petrols and there may be a volume discount to the importer.

I suspect the price of producing the diesel is not a huge amount more than the petrol, a few percent. KPMG reckoned that RHD cars cost about 6% more to produce than LHR because of tooling costs but I suspect that gap has narrowed.

The most important factor is car manufactures charge what the market will bear. GM sold cars for years losing about £500 a car hoping they would survive and others would not!

Edited 8 May, 201115 yr by lol

Irish, Southern Irish I should say, VAT rate is 21% as compared to UK 20% so that accounts for a few hundred quid.

The prices of Skoda's is a complex mix of Czech currency for the labour cost and Euros for much of the parts. Then there is transport. I would have thought the Irish cars also come in to Immingham and then go to Scotland and across on the Ferry. Which ever way they go they probably cost a couple of hundfed extra Euros to get over to Ireland.

Like most European countries diesel is cheaper than petrol rather than the other way round here in the UK. Hence they probably sell much more diesels than petrols and there may be a volume discount to the importer.

I suspect the price of producing the diesel is not a huge amount more than the petrol, a few percent. KPMG reckoned that RHD cars cost about 6% more to produce than LHR because of tooling costs but I suspect that gap has narrowed.

The most important factor is car manufactures charge what the market will bear. GM sold cars for years losing about £500 a car hoping they would survive and others would not!

If there's more demand generally prices go up....I think they sell more diesel VRS in the UK too and that explains why the petrol is effectively £4K cheaper!

I suspect the "cheap" UK prices are due to lower standard spec and the current state of the pound. 4 years ago £1 was approximately €1.5, now its about 1.1...

Irish cars are subject to "Vehicle Registration Tax" which is levied against the Factory price and then VAT at 21% is added on top of that.

The VRT starts at 14% and rises in steps: 14% 16% 20% 24% 28% 30% up to 36%!!!!

The band for a car is decided by CO2 emissions so all diesels rate lower than similar petrol engined car. Even if the factory price is higher for a diesel engine the extra VRT will make the petrol car cost more on the forecourt.

Simples.

Irish cars are subject to "Vehicle Registration Tax" which is levied against the Factory price and then VAT at 21% is added on top of that.

The VRT starts at 14% and rises in steps: 14% 16% 20% 24% 28% 30% up to 36%!!!!

The band for a car is decided by CO2 emissions so all diesels rate lower than similar petrol engined car. Even if the factory price is higher for a diesel engine the extra VRT will make the petrol car cost more on the forecourt.

Simples.

Ahhhh, like the UK car tax which was 10%. Why do not people buy in the six counties (aka NI) and then bring it across the border I wonder?

Petrols are now same as diesels for CO2, my 1.8 TSI is 155 grams against diesel VRS's 150 grams/km but acceleration is better than diesel VRS.

Edited 9 May, 201115 yr by lol

Irish cars are subject to "Vehicle Registration Tax" which is levied against the Factory price and then VAT at 21% is added on top of that.

The VRT starts at 14% and rises in steps: 14% 16% 20% 24% 28% 30% up to 36%!!!!

The band for a car is decided by CO2 emissions so all diesels rate lower than similar petrol engined car. Even if the factory price is higher for a diesel engine the extra VRT will make the petrol car cost more on the forecourt.

Simples.

The CO2 emissions are then also used determine the road tax payable, also on the off chance someone decides to go up north or acroos the water to buy a car either new or second hand and bring it back on the ferry the vrt is then applied to the market value of the car in order to register it on irish plates, so we get caught both ways

for example on the road tax my manual diesel vrs is just 1g inside band C at €304 but the dsg falls into band D at €447

and on the old engine capacity tax a 2.0 was € 614

Edited 9 May, 201115 yr by Dallan

Ahhhh, like the UK car tax which was 10%. Why do not people buy in the six counties (aka NI) and then bring it across the border I wonder?

Petrols are now same as diesels for CO2, my 1.8 TSI is 155 grams against diesel VRS's 150 grams/km but acceleration is better than diesel VRS.

I under stand about the 0/60 times but in gear times the diesel will leave the 1.8 behind. but thats not what it's all about, speed is not every thing.

I do not worry about gears as it is DSG just put my foot down it screems to 7K rpm.

From any speed the 1.8TSI either starts off the same or accelerates up to 10% faster than the VRS diesel.

The 1.8 TSI reaches 100 mph 2 seconds quicker than the diesel VRS for instance.

It is much more complex than comparing torque figures. If you map percentage of power against percentage of revs you will see TSI has a broader spread of power and much more in the mid range. My max power occurs at only 60% of max revs. Diesel engine internal are much heavier so their moment of inertia is much higher ie when accelerating a high proportion on the engine torque goes in to accelerating interal parts, hence a petrol can be quicker even if the power output is similar.

Add all of the above and the petrol being £5K cheaper the choice was simple. The things I do not like about the petrol is filling it up more (500 miles) often and servicing it more often (19K), hate the time it takes to do this!

Many who measure

Edited 10 May, 201115 yr by lol

Ahhhh, like the UK car tax which was 10%. Why do not people buy in the six counties (aka NI) and then bring it across the border I wonder?

I think they catch up with you and charge you lots of tax later if you do that.

I think they catch up with you and charge you lots of tax later if you do that.

As Dallan posted, we are legally obliged to re-register every imported vehicle, which is when they clobber us for VRT/import duty. The car can be seized instantly if they think you are driving it on NI or UK plates without paying VRT-happens regularly!

We also have an ar5e of a situation where we cannot claim VAT back on petrol for business use-only diesel.

VRT and annual road tax are both based on emissions here-hence a new Range Rover or Bentley etc will cost you €2100 PA in road tax....(yep, true!)

VRT and annual road tax are both based on emissions here-hence a new Range Rover or Bentley etc will cost you €2100 PA in road tax....(yep, true!)

Oh dear. Poor Bentley owners.

Oh dear. Poor Bentley owners.

Quite.

Bit stupid when it applies to people who genuinely need a Discovery or similar though. Even a Superb V6 or BMW M3 will get clobbered heavily.

Still, I saw an 11 plate Panamera Turbo the other day, so there are still some who can afford it....

But it's not just "prestige" cars that get hit with this tax over here. I had a lovely petrol 2.6 litre V6 Omega that was costing me about €1200 a year to tax. I just could not justify spending €100 a month in tax so had to sell it in the end.

Edited 11 May, 201115 yr by RichieH

Quite.

Bit stupid when it applies to people who genuinely need a Discovery or similar though. Even a Superb V6 or BMW M3 will get clobbered heavily.

Still, I saw an 11 plate Panamera Turbo the other day, so there are still some who can afford it....

Not very many people genuinely need a Discovery. Certainly a fairly low percentage of the numbers that have one.

I think they catch up with you and charge you lots of tax later if you do that.

I would have thought it is part of the EU agreement that you can buy goods where you want etc free movement of goods and people. Sounds anti-EU. My recently acquired OCty1 clearly spent much of its time in Eire as the radio was tuned to Irish stations. Was/is on Uk plates.

Edited 11 May, 201115 yr by lol

As Dallan posted, we are legally obliged to re-register every imported vehicle, which is when they clobber us for VRT/import duty. The car can be seized instantly if they think you are driving it on NI or UK plates without paying VRT-happens regularly!

We also have an ar5e of a situation where we cannot claim VAT back on petrol for business use-only diesel.

VRT and annual road tax are both based on emissions here-hence a new Range Rover or Bentley etc will cost you €2100 PA in road tax....(yep, true!)

Well meaning if Eire wants to lower its Carbon footprint but people always find ways round it.

Like France only allow under 21s to drive diesel because they are usually slower but then Jenson Button got done at 230 kph heading to Paul Ricard in the 330D or th like when 20 years old!

Like France only allow under 21s to drive diesel because they are usually slower but then Jenson Button got done at 230 kph heading to Paul Ricard in the 330D or th like when 20 years old!

Yes its a bit like when we in the UK had mopeds for 16 year olds that still had to have pedals that could propel them but could do 50+ mph. Sometimes the laws have to catch up!

I would have thought it is part of the EU agreement that you can buy goods where you want etc free movement of goods and people. Sounds anti-EU. My recently acquired OCty1 clearly spent much of its time in Eire as the radio was tuned to Irish stations. Was/is on Uk plates.

Doesn't always really work like that otherwise the UK would need to allow mail order sales of cigarettes and booze from elsewhere in the EU at cheaper prices. Try that and see how far you get.

As for the radio maybe just an extended holiday? Or perhaps someone from NI who likes the radio better in the republic?

There are lots of explanations, but I'm sure the Irish guys know what they are talking about when they say you can't just import a UK car and drive it around indefinitely on UK plates without paying the high ROI registration costs.

We also have an ar5e of a situation where we cannot claim VAT back on petrol for business use-only diesel.

Seems to me that Skoda IE are missing a tick. On that basis surely they could charge a healthy premium for diesel models?

Doesn't always really work like that otherwise the UK would need to allow mail order sales of cigarettes and booze from elsewhere in the EU at cheaper prices. Try that and see how far you get.

In the case of alcohol/cigarettes, if you travel to France, buy them in Sainsbury's Calais, and personally bring them into the UK (i.e. you walk through the Channel Tunnel carrying them, have them in the boot of the car you're sat in, etc), then you don't have to pay UK duty. However, if you get someone to bring them in for you (e.g. mail order), then you do. HMRC did lose a court case over their policy of setting a personal quota and seizing anything they thought was not for "personal consumption", although that did not stop them from continuing to do so.

As long as the VAT is paid at the point of purchase, then I don't believe you need to pay it again when the goods enter the UK (that, or you only need to pay if the rate of VAT was lower than the UK rate, can't remember which).

Your right - as long as "duty" has been paid within the EU then you don't have to pay again.

France is not worth it I'm afraid - prices almost the same as the UK.

Best bet is to make the hour drive down to Belgium and get some much better pricing.

HMRC do have limits and unfortunately it is up to you to prove that the items are for you - they don't need to prove that they aren't.

It may well be that it gets to court and you might win - however in the meantime, while you wait for your day in court you've had your car ceased!

Best bet, honestly, stick to the limits and go more often.

Sorry - gone OT

HMRC do have limits and unfortunately it is up to you to prove that the items are for you - they don't need to prove that they aren't.

Yup, HMRC are very naughty, as they've been told it was unlawful by the European Court, as the free movement laws do not recognise "personal limits" restrictions (the afore-mentioned lost case).

It may well be that it gets to court and you might win - however in the meantime, while you wait for your day in court you've had your car ceased!

Or squished :(