Hi all, 

hoping someone might be able to shed some light on this. I'm living in Ireland and currently have a 2016 Octy VRS which I love. But I am thinking of changing and while waiting for the new VRS to come along I spent some time looking at the Superb Sportline iV

Really like it. But when I price it on the UK site it comes in at £39540 (45,400euro)  but the same spec'd car on .ie comes in at 54957euro. About 10K difference

Now obviously I am considering  VRT but still seems unusally high compared to other versions.

 

For example if I do a comparison of the same spec car but with the 1.5TSi DSG engine in both the difference is   £33,910 (38,900E) v 43,625E = 4,725K 

 

So why so much more for the PHEV engine? The only thing I can think is that they are taking advantage of the 7,500E grant here in Ireland. If you subtract the grant the difference between the 2 cars is now only about 2,500E  - that seems way more in line.

 

Is it that transparent? Are they really ripping us off here to get the grant money? So in effect the grant may as well not exist for the buyer as he is getting no benefit what so ever from it due to the inflated price of the PHEV spec'd car. 

 

Very interested to hear any informed and educated comments on this as I am only doing a rough calculation of the situation. 

Is there a grant allowance in the UK price? If so the car/technology is just costing more

3 hours ago, Markbro said:

Is there a grant allowance in the UK price? If so the car/technology is just costing more

In UK, There is a 35% grant (maximum £3500) providing CO2 is under 50g/km and car can travel at least 70 miles (112km) in electric mode.   So although the CO2 at 32 (hatch) or 35 (combi) pass it doesn’t get grant as electric range is only 37 miles

 

24 minutes ago, SurreyJohn said:

In UK, There is a 35% grant (maximum £3500) providing CO2 is under 50g/km and car can travel at least 70 miles (112km) in electric mode.   So although the CO2 at 32 (hatch) or 35 (combi) pass it doesn’t get grant as electric range is only 37 miles

 

Just an over inflated price for Ireland then, but similar to passat gte and bmw 330e?

12 hours ago, Markbro said:

Just an over inflated price for Ireland then, but similar to passat gte and bmw 330e?

This is turning out to be similar to the thread in Scala section, where someone spec’d an identical one in Slovakia and discovered UK was 25% more

 

Perhaps you should try the Slovakian configurator, see how much, then fly out and drive one back.  I wonder what price it would be to match your chosen spec.

 

I might do a bit more looking into to it but on the face of it, it looks like the government is just allowing itself to be ripped off again. As with so many government incentives and grants, the suppliers just up the price by the amount of the grant and basically clean up. Absolutley no benefit or incentive to the end user at all. 

Just on principal I wouldn't buy a PHEV under those conditions. The dealer is hoovering up an extra 7500 for nothing. And if the government wants to truly incentivise me to go electric and move away from ICE then they will have to build better infrastructure and make sure that the grants go in the pocket of the buyer not the seller.

 

I'm also concerned about the re-sale value of PHEV. After 4 or 5 years when I prob want to change again who would be interested in paying a nice sum for a car that prob will need 1000's spent on a new battery. And I'm sure the dealers, if I was trading back in, would use it as leverage to lower the trade in price - "Well the battery is half way through it life cycle now, so we need to allow a couple of thousand for that" - 

 

Hard to know with Electric Hybrid, Phev or Full Elec how it will play out over the next 5 years. It is certainly the future, but the early runners might get caught with heavy depreciation as the newer models over the coming 5 years have improved tech and battery solutions giving better range, faster charge etc etc  - These early Phevs could be viewed as "Vintage" in 5 years ( I use that word as that is what Apple once referred to my 5 year old £2000 27" iMac when it had a graphics card problem - part not available anymore, its vintage model)  

 

I have spec'd the 2L Diesel Sportline, 2L Diesel L&K and the Phev - all to almost identical extras etc, and they all fall at almost exactly the same price 50K Euro - (57.5 for the Phev less the 7500 grant) 

Based on that, given the mileage I do (not a lot) I'd prob just go with the petrol - all same spec as above for 47K. But its only 1.5

The engine options in IRE are terrible. Only 1.5 in Petrol, 2L in diesel but same HP as the petrol, and NO Sportline Plus with the 2l Petrol 272 

 

So just 1.5 Petrol, 2L Diesel and the PHEV available. Disappointing  - maybe more will become available. 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, SurreyJohn said:

This is turning out to be similar to the thread in Scala section, where someone spec’d an identical one in Slovakia and discovered UK was 25% more

 

Perhaps you should try the Slovakian configurator, see how much, then fly out and drive one back.  I wonder what price it would be to match your chosen spec.

 

1.5 TSI 7 DSG - Pretty much the same spec, Sportline with Columbus, ADAS, Heated Seats, Sunroof, etc...

 

Slovakia - 38K  (Left Hand Drive) 

IRE - 46.5K 

UK - £36K (41.5K euro) 

 

PS. Slovakia has a colour I haven't seen before - Dragon Skin - OMG!!

Like most things we are charged more in the UK for the same technology but perhaps tax regimes play a part. Manufacturers do charge what the market can bear so perhaps the level of income is lower in Slovakia leading to lower retail prices.

RRP's can be for those Leasing.    After the UK changes tariffs / taxes of imports in January 2021, or if they do then maybe these fiction car prices might have to become the actual selling prices.

How many in the UK actually pay the RRP that shows with a Skoda or SEAT if buying a car, or with many other manufacturers vehicles?

Well when I was privately buying my VRS OCTY 4 years ago from a dealer they would not budge even 5euro on the RRP. I distinctly remember because I told my local dealer I would walk away if they didn't give me something and I did walk away. He never budged. I ended having to buy from another dealer much further away, threatened to walk out on that one too and he wouldn't budge either so I had to back down and pay it if I wanted the car.

Its a major rip off here due to the VRT. The car is 8.5K more expensive here that Slovakia. And no point saying "go there and get one" - it really dosen't work like that for many reasons. 

But I am well used to that now and have come to accept it for what it is. 

 

The thing that is angering me this time is the inflated price of the PHEV - which just happens to be inflated by exactly the amount of the government grant of 7500Euro. Id rather they didnt bother give the grant at all, just keep the money and lower road tax or VRT or something. But one thing for sure I ain't benefiting from the grant and therefore not incentivised to go electric which is what the grant is supposed to achieve.

If there was no grant available the car would just sell for 50K instead of 58K. It seems like such a transparent and blatant false inflation of the price that I can't believe the government are allowing it to happen. 

 

As a matter of interest...what is `VRT`?

10 minutes ago, mandp said:

As a matter of interest...what is `VRT`?

It is a Vehicle Registration Tax, iirc from 14% to 37% depending on the CO2 the car, paid on new and imported secondhand cars.

 

There is also a VRT NOx tax now.

'Vehicle Registration Tax' in Ireland.

Ireland is staying in the EU as is Slovakia. 

 

 We will see where cars Imported into the UK in 2021 are in comparison.

 

Slovakia is very near to the Czech Republic as in next door.

A drive for a transporter.  

It is rather further to get Right hand drive cars to Ireland or the UK.

Edited 7 March, 20206 yr by Roottootemblowinootsoot

3 minutes ago, MaddicIrl said:

It is a Vehicle Registration Tax, iirc from 14% to 37% depending on the CO2 the car, paid on new and imported secondhand cars.

 

There is also a VRT NOx tax now.

And don't forget new cars imported along with fhose under 6 months old and less than 6000km attract VAT as well as VRT!