Motorists feeling the effect of price rises at the pumps
New Year Begins With Significant Increase at the Pumps writes Geraldine Herbert Motorists have been greeted with unwelcome news to start the new year, as the AA’s latest fuel price index found that average fuel prices in Ireland had increased significantly over the past month. According to the AA’s latest monthly survey of fuel prices, a litre of petrol now costs 144.5c on average – an increase of just under 3c on last month’s average...
What is the new NOx Charge?
What will the new NOx charge mean for car buyers asks Geraldine Herbert A new tax based on Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions was introduced on 1 January 2020. The charge is applicable to all vehicles excluding electrics but including hybrids and will be applied to new car purchases and used imports. It will replace the current 1 per cent diesel surcharge. The charges will be applied on a per-milligramme basis on a car’s officially...
First Drive: Mazda 3 Skyactiv-X
Can Mazda offer a new future for petrol and diesel engines asks Geraldine Herbert What’s new? At a time when most carmakers are ditching the development of new internal combustion engines (ICE), Mazda are saying yes to investing in petrol and diesel engines and are launching a new take on the lean concept with their revolutionary Skyactiv-X engine. So could this new technology help prolong petrol and even the much-maligned...
10 things to know about car sales in 2019
New sales down as car buyers look to imports writes Geraldine Herbert In the first five months of the year, there was a 7.6% decrease in new cars sold in comparison with the same period last year. To the end of May this year, 79,324 new cars have been sold – down from 85,868 in 2018. While new car sales are likely to reach about 110,000 by the end of the year, car imports are set to exceed the 104,000 mark, so 2019 may end with...
Key considerations when you’re buying a Family Car
From finance options to fuel types, Geraldine Herbert outlines five things to think about before choosing your next family car 1 Hatchback, estate, saloon, people carrier or SUV? For small families, hatchbacks are ideal and there is a huge choice of both new and used models on the market. Estates and saloons are a good option if you need that extra boot and cabin space. Nothing beats the versatility of MPVs and while not as...
