Over two thirds of all car thefts occur with the thief stealing the owners keys first. With Kabzy installed, even if your keys are taken your car is going nowhere. If your car happens to be stolen, you can even disable the engine when the car is driving. You’re probably thinking, that sounds dangerous right? And in theory it is, but the guys have thought of everything. Their neat Safe Engine Cut Off (SECO) process will only disable the vehicle when it comes to a safe position to do so. So for example, if the vehicle is driving and you press disable on the app, it will continue to drive as normal, only when the vehicle is under 10km/h for a continuous period of 20 seconds does it cut off. Even with the keys the engine won’t start, with one tap of a button on the app it will start again within 4 seconds.

Another cool feature they have is called Geo-fence, this basically allows you to put a virtual fence around your vehicle (20 metres). If your vehicle is moved outside of this zone, even with the engine off, you are sent an instant alert and you can track your car.

Would you like to know how good of a driver you really are? Kabzy also shows you your driving style and gives you a driver score out of 100. It looks at driving data such as speeding, harsh acceleration, harsh braking, idle time, harsh cornering and gives you a real time score over any period of time you chose. The more conservative a driver you are, the less fuel you burn and the more money you have in your pocket.

You will need to contact Kabzy directly if you are interested in their product and want to find out more about how it works. Kabzy are an entirely separate company to Cartell.ie and while we think their product sounds great we don’t endorse it! -we are simply making you aware of it! Kabzy tell us the cost is €395 per vehicle which includes installation and VAT – and this covers you for 12 months. Every year after that is €150 incl VAT. The company say the reason for the recurring charge is because there is a 3G global sim card within the device that will track your vehicle 24/7 throughout every country in the world. 

You can also view a video of how Kabzy works.

The post Kabzy are a young Irish company looking to secure your vehicle appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

CPG is based on Advertised prices. Cartell.ie has being loading cars onto Carzone.ie, Autotrader and Adverts.ie via registration for a number of years and is provided with the advertised data in return. This data which includes the advertised price is combined with the Cartell.ie data available for that registration.  The full details of the vehicle, including number of owners, specification and previous use, is then used in the CPG Database.

Previously, used car price guides were simply market based, even if accessed through registration, they respond with a value for a ‘typical’ example. (Car Price Guide) CPG is different, for the first time it values the actual car being examined, automatically accessing Cartell.ie databases and assessing the car against the issues that the used vehicle market treats as critical

• Mileage
• Specification
• Number of owners
• Original Value
• Tax history
• NCT status

CPG is extremely simple to use and all that is required is the registration of the vehicle and the mileage. The system gives a current valuation plus a one and three year future valuation for a given registration. It also displays sample adverts currently for sale and linked to Carzone.ie and Autotrader for real time comparisons. Only Cartell.ie has permission to use these adverts for your benefit.

The post Cartell.ie introduces a new Car Price Guide (CPG) appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

 On the 10^th of July 2015, we had the pleasure of driving the new A4. For a refreshing change (instead of the usual sales bump) the day started with the engineers that designed and built the car giving us their experience during the build. Then they gave us the stats and we love stats. But the thing that struck me most was the level of technology the new Audi A4 brings:

• Spotify and Pandora and other third party software available on board
• Traffic Sign Recognition
• LED Matrix lights
• Lane Assist
• Stop & Go Cruise Control
• Collision avoidance assist
• Rear cross-traffic assist – Warns you if a car is coming when reversing out of a spot
• Exit warning – Stops you opening a door when parked up if car or cyclist is coming
• Xenon headlights

I drove the 2.0TDI 150bhp and the 3.0TDI Quattro 272bhp around a very warm and dry track. You already know which one is my favourite so I don’t need to elaborate too much- but the Quattro outgunned the front wheeled drive 150bhp. I pushed it and it was very forgiving of my awful driving and gripped to the tarmac extremely well at speed.

As you know Cartell.ie have a new price guide and Audi wondered what we thought of future value. In other words will it hold value? Well as you can see from the graph below Audi currently dominates the D Premium segment. The car is capable of continuing high sales. Some 46,500 drivers already see real value in the A4 and one of our team here posted a used vehicle snapshot earlier this year which showed the Audi A4 is proving particularly popular with car buyers at the moment.

The biggest prediction I want to make here is that I believe if you opt for the Petrol, you will be pleasantly surprised at the future value. I don’t believe people need to be afraid of petrol cars anymore. The EU will probably bring in some pollution laws against diesel due to particulates. Petrol cars now are approaching the level of efficiency of diesels. This A4 2.0 litre petrol is only 1 l/100km behind the standard 150bhp diesel yet has 40 more bhp and a great CO2. This is due to the use of proven turbo technology being applied to petrol cars. So as long as the petrol is near enough in price or cheaper than the diesel then it could be a good buy. Either way I predict greater sales of the petrol model than in previous years. There could also be a hybrid on the way too. Oh and it’s a bigger car too – I felt like I was sitting in an A6!

Graph 1: D Premium Segment (Source: Cartell.ie Carstat)

The post Cartell.ie drives the 2016 Audi A4 appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

Power: 367 bhp – Acceleration: 0-60 4.3s – Top Speed: 280 km/h – Litres: 2.5

Yes those statistics are correct. If you are a tree hugger then stop reading now! On the 10^th of July Audi kindly lined up a fleet of new RS3’s for a blast on a test track in Munich. It would remind you of the start line of a race track. The engines were running in order to let them heat up before they were ruthlessly punished around the track. However normally, the RS3 consumes just 8.1 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres with CO₂ emissions of 189 grams per kilometre, leading to an annual road tax of €750 (Like that matters in this car…..)

The instructor on the day told anyone with travel sickness that perhaps this wasn’t for them. It was fine when in the driving seat but it took 3 laps to understand why as a passenger. The track is designed with lots of corners and only a few straights to ensure the grip and power were tested. We made sure that we had the sport mode on. Truth be known, I did feel a little dizzy and was sorry I ate 30 minutes before hand. In fact there should be a sticker right beside where the air bag warning is in the front passenger seat that says “food should not be consumed 30 mins before driving”. That’s how good this car is.

A seven-speed S tronic, which shifts even faster than the previous model, directs the power of the 2.5 TFSI to the quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. The quattro system features torque vectoring based on intelligent software and is designed through-and-through for maximum driving enjoyment. The all-new Audi RS3 Sportback steers directly into corners. On low-friction road surfaces, drivers can even perform controlled drifts, if desired.

Compared with the Audi A3 Sportback, the body is 25 millimetres lower. The pivot bearings of the front axle, the progressive steering, the RS-specific sport suspension and optional Audi magnetic ride adaptive damper control are designed specifically for the RS.

Customers can choose from a palette of eight paint finishes to either accentuate or subtly play down the purposeful look – it includes the two new shades, Nardo grey and Catalunya red, metallic, the latter available exclusively for the RS 3 Sportback.

Audi Ireland has announced that the all-new Audi RS3 will launch in early September, with a starting price of €66,750 OTR. Order books are now open. I am not sure how many will be sold but it would be great to see them on the road here and if you want exclusivity then this might be the car for you. Just remember to lock the gates or put a removable bollard down at night, you might sleep better. Poles can be purchased Southside Motor Factors http://www.smf.ie/

The post Cartell.ie has driven the new RS3 appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

The Seat Leon FR is fast (0-100km/h in 8.6s) and the 6 speed DSG box with sport mode was just excellent.  It averages 4.5l/100km and is only €200 per year to tax. It is easy to forget that you are driving an estate. The interior trim reiterates the sporty nature of the vehicle with red stitching on the seats, gear knob and steering wheel. Another nice touch was the red light in the door panels which illuminates at night. The driving position is excellent with good road visibility and the sports seats were supportive in corners. The handling was positive especially with the drivers assistance pack which contains lane assist (option @ €334 but well worth it). The 18” alloys assisted with the handling as did the sport suspension and the ride was not too firm

In terms of the practicality, it was quite spacious up front. I also put three child booster seats across the back. It was tough to put the seat belts on, but it could be done just like the Passat. It won’t take 3 full child seats but very few cars will (you need to look at the Alhambra for that). I was also able to deactivate the front air bag for the maxi-cosi  (people with babies know what this is – infant child seat for those who don’t) with ease, although I handed the car back to Seat without turning it on again. However it is a doddle to do so I expect the next user to do it with ease. The boot is 587 litres and not far behind the Passat.  The boot can be split high and low to allow for ease of loading. Rear legroom was a bit tighter than what we would be used to but again it is more than sufficient.

The Leon ST FR looks good. The colour for our test might be a tad strong but it certainly would get you noticed. I would go so far as to say that the ST looks better than the Sports Coupe (Hatchback) Leon. The LED lights were very bright and clear.

This was the safest car that I have driven to date. Not because of the 7 air bags, hill-hold, tyre pressure warning light, ECS or the LED lights which are all standard.  The clincher for me was the Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Departure.  Although an extra it meant the vehicle could practically drive itself along the M50 and more importantly help you if you did dose off. People need to test this for themselves. It’s eerie at the start but you get used to it fast. However technology is such that autonomous vehicles are just around the corner and Google’s driverless car is the classic example.

So far we can see that I like the car, but what really pushes me in the direction of the Seat is what you get for the price. The FR comes in two engines. We tested the 150bhp but it is available in the 184bhp version for less money although it won’t have DSG. It will however be faster and just as efficient. The list of standard features include, Hill Assist, Cruise Control, Bluetooth, 7 Air Bags, iPod connection, parking sensors, Sport Mode- the list is quite extensive without the need for options. I would go for the 18” alloys and metallic paint as a minimum.

The Seat Leon FR ST is a cracking car. I would be a big VW fan having had Golf GTs and Passat Estates. This car has the pace and running gear from the GTD (184bhp) which starts at €37,470 in 5 door guise and the practicality of a 2.0 TDI R Line Passat (140bhp) which starts at €35,830 and combines them into a starting price of €28,600 (150bhp) and €29,930 (184bhp)saving €7000. I know what I would buy.

The spec on the test car was extremely high and the “as tested” price was €34,125 but this DSG 150bhp version can start at €30,365. PCP options for the Leon ST begin at €239 per month but this would be for a lower spec. In fact the ST starts from €20,185 in 1.2 TSI S trim, so there is plenty of choice. 

The post Seat Leon ST FR – Practical, Fast and Great Value appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

Heading the international Entry list is last year’s winner, Gary Jennings who is likely to start the event in the top slot. Behind him comes the current leader of both the Tarmac and the National Championships, Declan Boyle, with two times Lakes winner Daragh O’Riordan and former winner Denis Cronin also in contention for a repeat of their earlier successes.

West Cork Rally winner Donagh Kelly will be seeking his first Killarney win, while the 2012 Billy Coleman award winner, Sam Moffett, in his Fiesta WRC, will be anxious to make his mark on the International Rally scene. Local Driver Alan Ring has reverted to his Group N Subaru for this season but he faces stiff opposition from drivers such as Josh Moffett (Evo) and former National Group N Champion Colm Murphy.

Making a welcome return to the rally scene is Aaron McHale,who will be seeking to continue in the winning ways which made his father, Austin, a multiple Tarmac Rally Champion. In the National Rally all the big Escort brigade come out to play but perhaps the person who will cause them most bother is the flying milkman from Donegal, Declan Gallagher, who put in such an incredible drive over many of these same stages to take the overall win in the Modified section of the 2013 Rentokill Killarney Historic Rally last December, on his first ever event in Killarney. Declan went on to repeat the category win in the West Cork Rally and will be anxious to consolidate his claim to the top spot in the Modified Challenge of the Clonakilty Black Pudding Tarmac Championship.

Others well in contention in the National section include local crews Barry Meade who has returned to rallying after a year of competitive cycling, Fergus O’Meara who won the National Section last and Billy Coleman award finalist Rob Duggan in his incredibly quick Honda Civic.

Last year’s FIA Historic Rally of the Lakes winner Wesley Patterson has abandoned his Appendix  K Car to revert to his more familiar Modified machine and will also be a strong contender, as will the legendary Phil Collins who makes the trip from Herefordshire to the stages he loves so well and where he has enjoyed considerable success over the past 32 years.

Killarney’s Ed Murphy comes to the event on the back of two great drives in the Dunlop National series, which have netted him a 5^th overall in Birr and 9^th overall in the recent Circuit of Kerry, while Roy White , who appears to have sorted the reliability problems in his Rover MG, loves the Killarney stages and has shown that he has the speed to mix it with the best that the opposition can throw at him.

The battle for the John Mullane Cup for the highest placed driver from Co Kerry will be as closely contested as it has been since the award was first introduced in the very early days of the Rally of the Lakes.

Apart from the Kerry crews already mentioned one can never rule out the father and son combination of Charlie and Johnny Hickey whose experience of these stages is vast, as indeed is that of John Hickey, Kevin O’Donoghue and Vincent O’Shea.

The FIA Historic Rally will run ahead of the International rally and will be headed by Millstreet’s Mark Falvey, the Start to Finish winner of the Rentokill Historic Rally last December and also of the Historic section of the 2013 Cork 20 International

Mark’s opposition will be provided by crews from the UK, Isle of Man, Italy, Sweden, Finland and Spain in Appendix K cars which include Ford, Lancia, Triumph, Porsche, Vauxhall and BMW.

A strong Junior Entry has already been received and these will join the rally for all of the second leg of the rally on Sunday. The event gets under way with a ceremonial in Killarney town centre on Friday evening with competitive motoring kicking off on Saturday morning to tackle a loop of three stages at Molls Gap, Beallaghbeama and Caragh Lake before returning to Service at the Liebherr  Container Cranes factory in Fossa.

A second loop of these three classic stages follows, with a further visit to Service before tackling the final stage at Kilcummin, which is a shortened version of the stage which featured as the finale of the Killarney Historic Rally for the past two years.

The first day’s stages will be familiar to most Rally of the Lakes regulars but there are some variations such as a hairpin right at the end of Molls Gap and Beallaghbeama reverting to the longer version which was a feature of the earlier years of the Rally of the Lakes.

Sunday sees the cars tackle Molls Gap for the third time and then it’s on to a loop of three stages which have not been used for ten years in the Rally of the Lakes. The first of these, Borlin, is actually a combination of two old classics, Sheen River and Borlin,  and takes the rally over the county bounds into County Cork. The second is the fabulous lakeside stage at Lough Allua, which was a regular feature of the Circuit of Ireland up to the eighties and of the Rally of the Lakes from 84 until 2004.

In recent years the stage has been associated with the Cork 20 International but the Cork 20 version generally runs in the opposite direction to the Lakes format, starting in Ballingeary and finishing in Kilmichael.

Fuhiry, which starts outside Ballingeary, brings the rally back over the County Bounds , past Creedons at the Top of Coom, the highest pub in Ireland, and finishes on a fast downhill section towards Kilgarvan.

Service in Kenmare Mart is followed by a further trip over the same loop of three and, after a final service in Kenmare, the rally concludes a run over Moll’s Gap back to Killarney.

Ends

The post Tarmac Battle resumes in Killarney appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

The NCT was recently the subject of controversy when a number of employees were sacked following an RTÉ programme which highlighted bribery in at least one NCT centre.

Cartell Discount for Older Vehicles

We at Cartell appreciate the annual NCT  – coupled with the recession – will make things a little more difficult for older vehicle owners. To assist a bit – and for a limited period – Cartell is delighted to present a Ten Euro Discount on our 2-star and 3-star checks if your car is at least eight years old. In other words any vehicle which is registered ’03’ or earlier can avail of great rates…

A 3 Star History and Finance Check will cost you 25 Euro (reduced from 35 Euro)

A 2 Star History Check will cost you 10 Euro (reduced from 20 Euro)

To avail of this offer simply enter your vehicle registration number – as you would do anyway – and our system will apply the discount!

The post Annual NCT for vehicles 10 years and older appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

The numbers not paying motor tax are as high as 1 in 10 drivers resulting in a significant loss of revenue to the state. The confiscation rules, when enacted, will bring Irish law into line with the UK.

See also our previous post about the new UK rules – set to be introduced this month – which make it illegal to fail to insure a vehicle which is off-the-road but not declared as such.

The post Plans to confiscate “off-the-road” cars in Ireland appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

The purpose of the new approach in the UK is to crack down on uninsured drivers who are reportedly costing drivers an estimated £500 million in additional premiums per annum.

In a blog we published in August 2010 we noted that the UK had coupled the existing SORN system with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR)  to pin point vehicles which are unlawfully on the road. The introduction of the new insurance rules – which will apply to vehicles both on the road and off the road – means that the net is further tightened on those who are unlawfully using their vehicles – without road tax and insurance.

The situation in Ireland is already broadly similar to the new regime. In Ireland motor tax is backdated meaning that where tax has not been paid for a period it will still fall due unless the vehicle owner signs a declaration at a Garda Station swearing the vehicle is off-the-road. It is already a criminal offence to drive an uninsured vehicle in Ireland.

The new UK regime makes it an offence to fail to insure a vehicle which is off-the-road and which has not been declared as such.

The post New Insurance Rules in UK – failure to insure off-the-road vehicle an offence appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

Of course we all like a good deal! Especially in this difficult economic climate! However when is a good deal literally “too good to be true”! Cartell was designed to assist and over the past five years we have helped thousands of customers in the market for a vehicle to reach a decision.

We want to thank all of you who have sent us testimonials – proof that our work is having a positive impact – and have helped us get to this point.

Promotion

To celebrate our five years of success we are offering all our consumer customers a 30% discount on Cartell Two Star and Three Star Car Checks. This means that a Cartell Three Star Check which retails at 35 Euro can now be purchased for 24.50 using the voucher – a saving of over 10 Euro! To avail of this fantastic birthday discount just enter Cartell5 into the promotions step when performing a car history check.

Agus go raibh maith agaibh go léir!

The post It’s our Birthday: Cartell is five years old! appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

The investigation was carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) under its contract to audit the NCT systems and equipment on behalf of  Applus – the company that operates the NCT. While the Prime Time programme concluded that bribes changed hands in return for a favourable test result an anonymous letter to the Road Safety Authority (RSA), which triggered the investigation, suggested there were “reliable” lanes which were used for trade cars or vehicles belonging to motorists who had complained after failing a test.

In its response to the allegations, issued to the RSA board two weeks after the letter was received, PwC said the NCT had an “inbuilt random-allocation feature” which assigned a customer vehicle to an inspector who determined the lane.

PwC said Applus was “firmly of the view” that all 91 test lanes were standard and there was no concept of reliable lanes. The AA’s most recent consistency test, in September, found a 99 per cent compliance rate, “which compares favourably with similar tests in previous years,” PwC said.

AA Ireland was mentioned in the anonymous letter to the RSA when it was suggested that representatives of that organisation “can’t even get the same result in two lanes beside each other”.

You can read the full article here.

The post NCT was investigated but no problem identified appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

In fact the Ford Focus was one of the vehicles at the bottom of the risk ranking.

Robin Reames, claims director at the insurer swiftcover.com, who compiled the research says:

“Our analysis shows that luxury cars are more likely to be targeted by vandals however it’s interesting to see the Mini ONE in the top three. The majority of vehicles in the top ten are what we call ‘executive cars’, likely to be driven by high earners who see their car as a status symbol, with just one 4×4 making up the top ten.”

The list of top ten vehicles most likely to be vandalised reads as follows:

1 Lexus IS
2 BMW Z4
3 Mini One
4 Mercedes CLK
5  Audi TT
6 Mazda MX-5
7 BMW X5
8 Skoda Octavia
9 BMW 525
10 BMW 530

While vandalism is difficult to prevent motorists can take some steps to protect their cars – principally by leaving them off the street – a garage is ideal if available. Alternatively security enhancements such as cameras and motion detection sensors will assist matters.

In Ireland, according to the CSO, vandalism was the most common form of crime experienced by households in the 12 months prior to their last survey on the matter with 4.8% of households nationally  reporting at least one incident of vandalism with households in Dublin registering 7.9%.

* wholly owned subsidiary of AXA Insurance UK PLC which forms part of AXA Group

The post Vandalism of Vehicles: The Most Vandalised Cars appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

Guaranteed Future Values (GFVs) often centre on the arrangement where the driver puts a down payment on a car direct with a manufacturer and pays-off a certain amount per month on the vehicle over an agreed period of time. At the end of that period the driver can pay off a remaining balloon payment which is the GFV of the vehicle or the driver can hand the car back or can trade onwards and start the process again. The GFV depends on the mileage on the vehicle and there can be significant penalties for drivers who exceed the agreed mileage.

While the concept of GFV is relatively new in Ireland the practice has been prominent in the UK for some time. Motor Trade Insider give the example of  an individual who has agreed to do 8,000 miles per annum over a 3 year period  – their penalty for exceeding that is normally 10p per mile. The article says that owing to the current economic climate companies are adjusting the clocks on their vehicles to avoid paying the penalty and protect the residual value.  The article continues by saying:

“Of course this is not being widely reported at present and car dealers are very careful in ensuring that the used cars they have for sale are mileage checked against service records etc, however with variable servicing prevalent in lots of cars this information cannot always be totally relied on.”

Interestingly, the article notes that some car makers are taking steps to eradicate the possibility of clocking by developing technology which will ensure that all the mileage and maintenance information is stored within a code in the key, thus allowing dealers to make a simple check to verify the cars authenticity.

Insider also give some basic tips to spotting a car which may have been clocked:

– Look for a smooth steering wheel which would indicate long use should the wear be so pronounced on the age of the car.

– Look at the pedals and surrounding carpets for signs of excess wear and tear as this could also indicate far more use than the stated mileage may indicate.

– How does the driver’s seat feel? Is it still firm and comfortable or is lopsided or spongy?

– Always check the service history in the service book and ensure the mileage stated adds up with the servicing parameters. Also ensure that the stamps are genuine, if necessary contact the dealer whose stamp is in the book for verification.

Finally, always get a Cartell.ie/HPI check to verify the mileage details against the millions of mileage readings stored in the National Mileage Register (NMR) and NMR (UK)

The post Guaranteed Future Values leading to Car Clocking appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

The Irish Independent conducted an investigation which measured the likelihood of a motorist getting caught for failure to pay for tax, insurance, or arrange an NCT for the vehicle, and discovered that the chances of getting caught are considerably higher owing to a Garda clampdown, principally due to an expansion of the Garda Traffic Corp.

The number of motorists prosecuted for driving a car without a valid NCT has has increased dramatically. The newspaper reports that in February 2010, 198 drivers were convicted for using a vehicle without a test certificate. As of April 31, the figure had risen to 2,810. In the first three months of this year, 8,180 vehicles were taken off their owners at roadside checkpoints.

Road Safety Authority chief executive Noel Brett said:

“We are delighted with the high level of garda enforcement but it is very disappointing to see that 26,000 cars were seized last year. These are 26,000 cars that have no tax or no insurance and many of them would be unroadworthy.”

The article states that seized cars are kept by Gardai for six weeks, during which time their owners can reclaim them providing they present evidence of having paid their tax, insurance or passed their NCT.

Owners have to pay €125 for the first 24 hours their car is in the pound, plus €35 a day after that. After six weeks, if the cars are not reclaimed, they are crushed and recycled. Around a third of all vehicles are returned to their owners.

The post Gardai Seizing Large Number of Vehicles appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

As part of the Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes 2011 we were delighted to give away a fantastic weekend for an enthusiast of the Rally including:

• 3 nights accommodation at rally HQ, The Gleneagle Hotel
• 2 free tickets to see Jenny Greene play the ‘Electric Disco’ in the INEC on Saturday the 30th of April
• 2 free tickets to the rally Awards Ceremony the following night also in the INEC!
• Cartell and Rally merchandise.

The winner was selected from among the hundreds of people who found Cartell.ie on Facebook – and “liked” our page. Katie Kelly was the lucky winner and she touched base with us this week. She says:

“I thoroughly appreciate winning the Rally of the Lakes prize with Cartell.ie! Having never been to a car rally before it was an eye-opening and extremely enjoyable experience. I had a great weekend at the rally with my sister, cousin, friends and my boyfriend.

The Rally itself was exhilarating and definitely something I would love to attend again, although on the drive back to Waterford I was seriously tempted to drift around bends and the likes!! I would like to thank Cartell for this great prize and experience”.

Thanks a lot Katie for the feedback! We’re delighted you enjoyed the prize and we’re delighted with the warm reception Cartell.ie received in Killarney. The Rally was won by Daragh O’Riordan following a superb performance from him in his SI2B Subaru WRC.

We’re already looking forward to next years event!

The post “…the rally was exhilarating…I thoroughly appreciate winning!” appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

We spoke to David, son of Paschal, about trading conditions for this month’s TRADE FOCUS and the first question we asked was: How does this recession compare to the countless others your company has experienced through the years? “One of the roughest” says David, “the biggest problem is the lack of finance, there’s less money circulating, but thankfully we’re in a descent position because we’re supported by VW Finance who offer a super rate – 4.9% APR” (Volkswagen Group own SEAT and the Kennedy family specialize in selling SEAT and Daihatsu vehicles).

We asked about the profile of the customer he is selling to at the moment. He tells us that generally speaking it’s the middle-aged or older customer who arrives on his forecourt these days. The younger generation, by and large, are sadly not appearing for obvious reasons.

We also followed up on a letter which appeared in the motor section of a national newspaper this week asking what type of discount a cash buyer with no trade-in can expect to get? The newspaper editor had suggested €1,000 – so did David agree?

“Well, to be honest the list price of new cars has dropped and that has cut into the dealer margins. The dealers don’t have scope to offer big discounts – but all things considered – a figure of about €700 to €800 could be expected – depending on the price of the car  – for a cash buyer with no trade-in.” And are Kennedy Motors getting many cash buyers lately? “Sure” he says, “there are quite a few cash buyers coming into us at the moment falling into the middle to older-age brackets”.

As regards the scrappage scheme, he is concerned about what lies in wait when it ends in June. “It’s propping up the market at the moment. We’re getting a lot of ten-year-old cars into us. People are bringing their new car purchases forward to the first half of the year – which is the same as it always was – in many respects  – this year we anticipate 70% of new car sales will take place in the first 6 months – but I’d be concerned for the market when scrappage ends.”

So does he agree with the SIMI proposal to split the licensing year in half – similar to the UK? “Sure, I’m in favour of that,” he says, “it would balance new car sales across the year, so that would assist trading conditions”.

…and Cartell.ie?

“Honestly, I always use Cartell.ie, every single time. It’s a brilliant service! I remember one time we had an Audi A4 presented to us as a trade-in – we ran a Cartell check and discovered it was still on finance in the Republic of Ireland. Then we discovered it was an import too and there was a big mileage discrepancy on the UK side! The car was in mint condition – not a mark on it! But we were happy to walk away from that deal! – thanks to Cartell.ie!”

Finally we asked David to recommend a used car in stock to a potential buyer who has – say – 12k to spend.

“Well we have a 08 SEAT Leon 1.4 Sport Plus, black in colour with only 42,000 miles on the clock. One owner too! Would suit a middle-to-younger aged driver.” €11, 450

The post TRADE FOCUS: Paschal Kennedy Motors, Dun Laoghaire appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

Congratulations to Cork’s Daragh O’Riordan (SI2B Subaru WRC) for his comprehensive victory in the Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes 2011! Co-driven by Derry’s Tony McDaid they finished three minutes and 50.4 seconds ahead of second-place Denis Cronin/Coleman (Hurley Subaru WRC), and third placed Eoin Doyle/Peter Brennan (Subaru WRC).

The journalists favourite for the event, Tim McNulty set the pace on Saturday’s first stage, Moll’s Gap, where he was 13.1 seconds ahead of O’Riordan before his engine failed on stage 3 – ending his chances of success. From that point onwards O’Riordan started to dominate the event  extending a significant gap. He also posted the fastest time of the weekend on Sunday morning at Moll’s Gap to claim the Bertie Fisher Trophy. His win at the Rally of the Lakes is his first major rallying success. Congratulations Daragh from Cartell.ie!

Photo reproduced with permission of myrally.ie

The post Daragh O’Riordan wins the Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes 2011! appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

Our good friends and partners at BMW Automotive Ireland / Mini Ireland have kindly supplied Cartell.ie with a fantastic race spec car for us to use during the 2011 Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes. It will be used throughout the event as the main sponsor car and will be driven on all the stages ahead of the competing rally cars.

The car, a Mini Countryman Cooper D is a sleek eye catching road machine  – decked out in the Cartell.ie livery – and comes equipped with performance John Cooper Works 19″ alloys!

We have placed the Cartell.ie logo on the car and have put the number 37 on it too! This number is special for Mini because Paddy Hopkirk used number 37 when he won the Monte Carlo Rally in a Mini Cooper in 1964. So there’s your rallying trivia for today!

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In the same article it is reported that petrol prices are likely to increase too following an increase in carbon tax from €15 per tonne to €25 resulting in an expected rise of 2% per litre.  And as if that wasn’t enough for the Irish motorist the Government is also considering a raft of motorway tolls to help generate new sources of revenue.

The Consumers’ Association of Ireland were quoted in the article as saying  motorists were being unfairly targeted.

Dermott Jewell said “The motorist is always a target … the roads are in a disastrous state, and what are we going to get for our money? The Government should put a ceiling on tax so where fuel is at €1.30 per litre or above, VAT would not be imposed, which would give some benefit.”

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Here’s a sneak preview of some 2011 Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes Merchandise! We’re delighted to work with Autofashion Rally Merchandise to bring top quality gear for this years event. Due to high demand we recommend you get yours early to avoid disappointment!

The people at Autofashion will sell all the gear featured above from this weekend – starting at the Donnelly Group Circuit of Ireland Rally which begins in Armagh at noon on Easter Saturday 23 April.  Of course the gear will be available in Killarney the following weekend for the Cartell.ie International event: you can purchase the items at the INEC, Killarney.

Keep an eye on Cartell.ie Facebook as we may have some stuff to give away!

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2011 Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes Launch Night

Mayor of Killarney Donal Grady last night said the Cartell.ie International rally “is now regarded as the event which kick starts the tourist season in Killarney each year.” Speaking at the launch of the 2011 Rally he assured the  large numbers in attendance that Killarney Town Council would do everything possible to facilitate the running of the rally and to “ensure that everybody who comes to Killarney for the weekend will leave with a great impression of the town” Cartell.ie is title sponsor of the event for the second year and has committed to it until 2013!

Jeff Aherne spoke at the launch ceremony and was accompanied on stage by Chairman of Killarney and District Motor Club, Diarmuid Cronin, Patrick O’Donoghue of the Gleneagle Hotel Group, Brian McArdle Ordnance Survey Ireland, Tom Randles President of Killarney Chamber of Commerce and Tourism and Aaron McHale who spoke on behalf of the Road Safety Authority. That authority is using the event for a major road safety awareness campaign.

Cartell can also announce more details of the 2011 Rally:

Day one will consist of 4 stages, Molls Gap, Beallaghbeama, Caragh Lake and Shanera, each of which will be used twice. Denis Cronin, last year’s winner, will lead the field followed by Tim McNulty,  who dramatically lost last years event.  The first car will start Molls Gap at 8.03 and will arrive back to overnight Parc Ferme at 18.15. Service throughout the day is centralized at Liebherr Container Cranes on the main Killarney to Killorglin road.

The action restarts on Sunday with Molls Gap, followed by a loop of three stages, Healy Pass, Cods Head & Ardgroom in the Beara Peninsula, each of which are used twice, followed by the final stage at Killmackillogue. The leading cars are expected at the Finish Ramp at the Gleneagle Hotel at 17.25.

Service on Sunday will be on Dinis Island Castletownbere, courtesy of BIM and the Castletownbere Harbour Master. Apart from the battle for the International honors the National section will be hotly contested with last year’s winner Barry Meade facing stiff opposition from drivers such as Fergus O’Meara, Martin McGee, Kevin O’Donoghue, Charlie Hickey, Eugene Ferry, Vincent O’Shea and John Hickey all in Ford Escorts.

Also capable of challenging for a win in the National Section are Eoin Doyle from Mooncoin in a Subaru Impreza, John Somers from Wexford in a Toyota Celia and Joe Connolly from Kilkenny in a Ford Escort.

Join in the fun and find the latest Rally info on our Facebook page – including chances to win great prizes!

The post Launching the 2011 Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes! appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

Drivers are urged to take care on motorways. In particular never stop on a motorway! This can easily lead to pile-ups and serious accidents.  Cartell.ie thinks another serious issue on motorways is lane changing – particularly lane changing on a three-lane or multi-lane carriageway such as the newly designed M50 in Dublin. An obvious difficulty concerns two vehicles who simultaneously change lanes – one from the outside lane – and one from the inside lane – and where they converge in the middle lane. Always check your blind spot in the direction you intend to cross before changing lanes! Particularly on a multi-lane route!

Most at risk on motorways are pedestrians. Noel Brett, of the Road Safety Authority (RSA), said: “The message is clear: never, ever walk on a motorway.

“Pedestrians are at a massive risk on a motorway – you’re taking your life in your hands and putting other road users in danger too.

Drivers should also respect the hardshoulder.

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Another 6pc of motorists skip paying the tax for a few months and then falsely claim the car was off the road. The newspaper says the authorities are able to accurately assess the extent of the evasion based on the number of registered vehicles, and the amount of tax due based on the emission levels.This is then compared with the amount of tax actually paid.

Officials also carry out regular assessments of data supplied by toll operators, which capture photographic images of car tax discs. In the same article it is also reported that environment minister Phil Hogan is planning to close the “off-the-road” loophole where a Garda stamps a declaration form that a car has not been in use. This means motorists will, in future, have to inform their local authority if they are planning to take their car off the road for an extended period. They will have to produce documentation to back up their claim – for example, travel tickets if they are going abroad.

The post Report says 240,000 new and used cars untaxed appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

However, that isn’t to say that other, smaller counties fared better, Louth, for instance, has an estimated 7,542 clocked vehicles and Carlow – with 3,799 vehicles – has a problem of its own too.

Clocking of a vehicle (the deliberate recalibration of the odometer of a vehicle with a view to misrepresenting the mileage to a used-car-buyer) is a prominent problem with imported vehicles too – especially those imported from the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. In the case of vehicles brought into the country from those jurisdictions our previous story estimated that 11.4% of these vehicles are clocked.  We also revealed the top five manufacturers most frequently clocked in 2010.

In the past week a report broadcast by the BBC states that nearly one out of every 39 cars taking an MoT vehicle test (the UK equivalent to the N.C.T.) have had their mileage altered, although they say the actual figure is probably much higher. This is due to the fact that most clocking takes place before the car reaches the age where an MoT is required.

The risk of buying an imported “clocked” used-vehicle can be minimized by consulting the National Mileage Register (U.K.) which has access to more than 150 million mileage readings. Cartell.ie is delighted to say it has exclusive access to the NMR (UK) and all customer’s who purchase our three star check can verify the mileage they enter against that database.

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For the Irish consumer three consequences will follow: First there will be a significant slow-down in the availability of brand new Japanese vehicles. While Irish garages still have stock – up to 60 days in some cases – there will inevitably be a delay for consumers further down the tracks as global orders bottleneck. Second it is likely that Japanese car prices will spike. Third, the fall-out in Japan will also impact on sub-manufacturing plants around the world and the availability of parts for vehicles will become an issue too. This is an issue not just for Japanese vehicles such as Subaru, Toyota and Nissan but also companies like Ford who use Japanese parts for the hybrid systems in their vehicles and General Motors (GM) who temporarily shut a car plant in Louisiana last week owing to lack of availability of Japanese parts.

Still, things could have been worse, a major nuclear event at Fukushima could have forced the closure of primary manufacturing facilities for Toyota, Subaru and Nissan and this could have been disastrous for those companies. Toyota, in particular, has had a torrid time of late – after several high-volume recalls of its vehicles – and the earthquake and its aftermath has already taken its toll on that company.

The post How Tsunami will affect Japanese Car Industry appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

As already announced Cartell are delighted to be associated – as title sponsor – with the International Rally of the Lakes 2011. Ordnance Survey Ireland and the Gleneagle Hotel who have been the main supporters of the Rally of the Lakes for many years are continuing as Associate Sponsors.

The 32nd Rally of the Lakes will take place over the May bank holiday weekend of 30th April – 1st May and will embrace the following:

· Round 3 of the Irish Tarmac Championship 2011
· Round 2 of the Southern 4 Championship 2011
· Round 2 Citroen Racing Trophy 2011

Killarney man Dermot Healy has taken on the role of COC for this year’s event and he has put together the most famous classic route of stages available including 3 runs at the famous Molls Gap over the weekend.

Entry fee for the International Rally is 850 Euro and the National Rally is 800 Euro.

In the historic section the organisers have put together a Special deal for 600 euro: the cars will start on first stage Saturday morning (no waiting around), all cars will be seeded in the main field, and they will get a total of 14 stages, with an extra long service Sat evening and a free entry to next year’s event for the winner.

This year’s event will kick off with a ceremonial start in Killarney town on Friday evening at 8pm. Followed with 2 hard days of rallying and returning to the finish ramp at the Gleneagle hotel Sunday evening at approximately 5pm.

The Official Launch will take place at 7.30pm in the Brehon Hotel Killarney on Sunday April 17th

Special accommodation packages are available in rally HQ and associated hotels for competitors and these are aimed at reducing costs for competitors. Information on accommodation may be sourced by contacting the Gleneagle Hotel on 064 66 36000.

You can enter online by clicking here:

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However AA Ireland point to two noticeable price increases in the last 24 months. Based on average mileage that organisation say it now costs €225 a month to run a normal family sized car – which is a staggering €84 per month more than two years ago. Annualised that amounts to €1,000 extra per year per car for the Irish family. The article written by Fergus Black and Ralph Riegel says the price surge has put pressure on the incoming government to scrap the carbon tax or cut fuel prices. Both the AA and the Consumer Association of Ireland have called for the matter to be dealt with.

This time last year, a litre of unleaded petrol cost an average €1.27, but the cost soared beyond the €1.50 mark yesterday at many garages.

Conor Faughnan, policy director, AA Ireland, said that while much of the increase had been caused by rising worldwide demand and trouble across the Middle East, taxes imposed by the outgoing Government had also added an extra 17c to a litre of petrol.

An 8c tax imposed in October 2008 was followed by a 5c carbon tax and a 4c increase in the December budget.

Mr Faughnan said the irony was that when oil was around $150 a barrel in 2008, motorists were paying around €1.35 a litre.

Now oil is costing $120 a barrel and motorists are paying €1.50 a litre — thanks in part to government taxes.

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Last week Used Car History Check expert Cartell published statistics on the prevalence of vehicle ‘clocking’ in Ireland (the practice of altering a vehicle’s odometer) with a county-by-county breakdown. We’re delighted that the story has received considerable attention in local and national media outlets.

The Sun Newspaper, for instance, gave the matter extensive  coverage in yesterday’s edition. The article, written by journalist Mark May, quoted a spokeswoman for Enda Kenny  saying that FG in government will ‘investigate the practice’ primarily as this is ‘a road safety issue’. The article also quoted Tommy Broughan TD for Labour as saying that if Labour are elected to Government the issue is something ‘they intend to change’.

The Cartell study shows there are an estimated 208,978 ‘clocked’ vehicles on the roads in Ireland today. We also announced that the National Mileage Register (www.nmr.ie) has reached over 4 million unique mileage readings. The Register was set up four years ago as an initiative to compliment the vehicle history checking service which we supply to consumers – both in the car trade and private.

Mileage readings for the National Mileage Register are uploaded daily from a variety of sources. Jeff Aherne, Director of Cartell, was quoted as saying:

“One thing we’re delighted about is the interest ordinary members of the public have in preventing vehicle clocking and the volume of records the Register has achieved in a relatively short space of time. As support for the venture grows we anticipate the number of readings will rapidly increase over the coming months and years. Cars are an expensive purchase for everyone and buying a clocked vehicle is something nobody wants.”

Below you will find the county-by-county breakdown of vehicle clocking in Ireland:

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The initiative, launched in January 2011, will see many credit unions around the country offer special car loan rates to their members.

Commenting on the launch of the car loan campaign Kieron Brennan, CEO, Irish League of Credit Unions said: “Irish people are still buying cars but are shopping around for better value in the car financing deal. Some of the special car loan promotions being offered in 2011 from the credit union are as low as 6.5% APR, this is particularly noteworthy.

Based on 2010 figures, the average car loan across credit unions was *7.1% APR, so it is worth calling in to your local credit union to see what is on offer in 2011. Many of the loan rates are very favourable compared to other financial institutions.”

Some of the things that make a loan from your credit union different to a loan from the bank include:

• There are no hidden fees or transaction charges;
• Credit union interest rates are fair and reasonable and capped by law;
• Repayments are calculated on your reducing balance, so you pay less interest with each repayment;
• Once you are eligible for a credit union loan, repayment terms can be designed around your needs;
• Your credit union loan is insured – subject to terms and conditions – at no direct cost to you. Other lenders charge for this;
• You can pay off your loan early, make additional lump sum repayments or increase your regular repayments, without a penalty.

The post Credit Unions to provide car loans through new DACU appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

The Department of Transport, responding to a query on behalf of the boy by Joe Behan TD, acknowledged that such registration errors had been detected but that numbers are ‘relatively few’ Officials also indicated that there is no evidence that the issue was a ‘growing problem’ though it does appear to be quite persistent.

Mr. Behan is reported as saying this was not an adequate position for the Department to take as it was only basing its decisions on the numbers actually detected and not on the overall figure. While the Department receives 750,000 notifications for transfer of vehicle ownership annually and while there are ‘administrative procedures’ in place it doesn’t appear that evidence of identification is required. Therefore this issue may require further consideration: especially if evidence of a greater problem comes to light.

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The paper also notes that while the NCT applied to cars which were more than 10 years old, classic cars registered before 1980 would not be affected by the NCT changes.

You can read more about the development and statistics on the NCT Pass rates in the article.

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New Car or Second-hand?

The second hand car market is particularly competitive in Ireland with good bargains to be had right across the board. This is due to a number of factors in the market including the rate of depreciation of new cars: which is high in Ireland; and the relative continuing affordability of new car purchases to the Irish consumer: for as long as a significant percentage can afford to buy a new car then this will result in lower prices in the second-hand market. Contrast this to countries where new cars are out of reach for the majority, e.g. Brazil, and where second-hand cars consequently retain much higher residuals reflecting the fact that the vast majority of sales take place in the second-hand market.

However, don´t be fooled into thinking that a second-hand car is always a better, cheaper, alternative. It isn´t. You must consider a variety of factors:

Motor Taxation

Those changing their car this year may be entering into the new motor taxation regime (introduced in 2008) for the first time. This regime provides significant savings to a buyer of a lower CO2 emission vehicle. This saving is particularly prominent with diesel vehicles – which produce, generally speaking, far lower CO2 than their petrol counterparts. Thus a buyer switching from the old-taxation-regime petrol to the new taxation regime diesel can expect savings of four hundred euro per annum or more. For example a Ford Mondeo 2007 1.6L petrol under the old regime was liable to 560 Euro motor tax. The equivalent Ford Mondeo 2011 2.0L diesel is liable for only 156 Euro in road tax – a saving of 400 Euro per annum for an owner of a 2007 who wishes to upgrade to the new vehicle.

MPGs

With the cost of petrol and diesel at historically high levels never before has it been as important to consider the Miles per Gallon of the vehicle you currently own and the vehicle you intend to buy. Newer vehicles always produce more MPGs than older equivalents: as the engine gets older it becomes less economical – a reality with any vehicle purchase. Again, here, drivers switching from petrol to diesel will notice big savings: the price of diesel is pretty consistently 7 to 10 cents a litre less than the price of petrol so for a car with a seventy litre tank that´s a saving of about 5 euro on a full fill. Also the differences in MPGs can mean a driver fills the tank twice per month instead of three times per month etc. which can result in significant annual savings – sometimes one thousand euros or more. Therefore never underestimate the importance of MPGs.

Depreciation

It´s true that new cars depreciate faster than second-hand cars. The biggest drop in the value of a car takes place in year one – in fact you probably often heard it said that the steepest drop in value is when the new owner drives the car out of the garage! Still, after the first three years the price drop levels off. It all depends on how many years you intend to hold onto the car: the more years you hold the vehicle the lower the annual depreciation cost will be on that vehicle for you. But remember, as with all cars, there will come a day when it is sadly worth nothing at all!

Conclusion

These are a few of the things you should consider before you make your purchase. Don´t assume that a second-hand car is always cheaper: as we mentioned above the savings in taxation and fuel can mean a new car is actually the cheaper option for you over a period of years. It all depends on your needs and the calculations you make! Good Luck!

The post Buy New or Second-hand? appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

Bearing in mind that there was a view in the office that the figure for diesel may well fall – diesel cars are much more affordable today than they were pre-2006 coupled with the advantages afforded by lower taxation and higher fuel economy – we wanted to find the current average mileage figure for petrol and diesel aspirated engines: but particularly diesel.  The results are represented on the chart below. You can find more relevant statistics on the NMR site.

Extrapolating* in a similar manner to the previous article we come up with an average figure of 10,232 miles for petrol cars and 13,610 miles per year for diesel cars. The figure for petrol cars compares with the SEI figure of 9,923, but our figure of 13,610 miles per year for diesel cars contrasts sharply with the finding from 2006. Why is this the case? Well, looking at the figures in a little more detail, we discovered that the big drop in diesel mileage occurred after 2008. In fact, before 2008 the average for diesel engines – based on our data – is 14,213 which is much more consistent with the SEI figure. The drop takes place after 2008 and this is likely because of the introduction of the new motor taxation regime for vehicles with lower fuel economy. In 2008 it became cheaper to own a diesel car too – prices started to fall dramatically – and remember that diesel engines have, generally speaking, better MPGs. The upshot is that diesel aspirated cars became more popular in the mainstream and not just among company reps clocking higher mileage. Inevitably this reduced the overall average mileage reading for diesels and this is reflected in our results. So, 13,610 is the new annual average figure for diesel in Ireland.

* For more detail please consult the original NMR article on average mileage by fuel type in Ireland.

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You can view and download the latest edition of our Partner Publication – eDrive. As well as featuring Cartell.ie – concerning our latest well-publicised initiative to track up to 40,000 UK write-offs in Ireland – the magazine has many other interesting bits and pieces: including where it argues that Irish people should buy more ‘interesting cars’ rather than the medium sized saloon in beige with dark interior: which has become the nations’ favourite. You can also check out an extensive range of car reviews: including the Volvo XC60, Peugeot RCZ, BMW 5-Series, Honda Accord, and the Mini Countryman as well as sift through the eDrive Best Buys section.

So if you’re thinking of buying a car in 2011 this edition should be of interest to you – and good luck!

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The modified cars’ were recently observed in Ireland in October and its most noticeable feature is a rotating sensor on the roof that scans 360 degrees for more than 200 feet in diameter, creating a 3D map of the car’s location.

The left rear wheel has a sensor which measures the car’s movements in detail and helps locate it on the map. Near the rearview mirror a camera locates and monitors pedestrians, cyclists, traffic lights and obstacles in the rod and sends that data to a computer onboard the vehicle. There are also radar sensors at the front and back which help locate more distant objects.

Google says the cars have tackled many challenging terrains such as San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, the Pacific Coast Highway and around Lake Tahoe.

However, while the car is technically driven ‘driverless’ there is – at all times – a trained safety driver behind the wheel and a trained software operator in the passenger seat. Presumably this satisfies concerns which law enforcement authorities would otherwise have with a driverless vehicle.

There are videos on the web of the driverless cars in action. Good Morning America also test drove the Google car.  Finally, see our earlier blog on automated car technology.

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From the 15th August, 2010, the new documents – which are easier to understand than the older versions – will be issued for all newly registered vehicles and when there are changes to an existing registration, such as a change of keeper or address.

From the middle of 2011, the new certificate will be issued to all remaining vehicles when they are re-licensed or declared to be off the road. The existing blue V5C will remain valid for these vehicles until it is replaced and DVLA will not be asking for the old V5C to be returned.

The revamped V5C, which is now coloured red, states clearly that a registration certificate is not proof of ownership and also details where consumers can get advice on buying a used vehicle.

The introduction of the new V5C Certificates comes after the theft of a number of such certificates in 2006, which have since been used to sell vehicles which have been cloned. DVLA report that approximately 2,000 of the stolen documents have surfaced so far but the police have advised that as a worst case, up to 400,000 of the documents cannot be accounted for and could have fallen into criminal hands.

Cloned Cars

A cloned car is a stolen vehicle which has had its identity changed to match a legitimate vehicle.  The criminals have since made millions of pounds using the blank registration forms to sell stolen vehicles, but time is now running out for them.

Nicola Johnson, Consumer Services Manager for our UK Partner Company HPI, states: “The new V5C certificate and Buyer Beware campaign from the DVLA is a real boost in the fight against car crime. However, car criminals may continue to use the old style V5Cs that were stolen in 2006, which will still be accepted until they are phased out . Therefore used car buyers need to be on their guard against cloned vehicles now more than ever.”

In addition to the new certificate, the DVLA’s ‘Buyer Beware’ consumer protection initiative aims to help reduce the risk of used car buyers being caught out by criminals, as well as making them aware of the threats and how they can protect themselves. The Buyer Beware message is the V5C document is simply one of a number of the things buyers should check and that also they need to request a proof of ownership such as a sale receipt.

Nicola Johnson – HPI – concludes, “Car cloning is a serious problem that all buyers should be concerned about. The steps that the DVLA have taken with the new V5C certificate and the supporting Buyer Beware campaign will be a massive blow for criminals. Initiatives such as this, coupled with greater consumer awareness, will stop car criminals looking to make some quick money dead in their tracks.”

Thanks to HPI for the information contained in this BLOG

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Average Mileage in Ireland: Some Statistics Courtesy of the NMR

One query we get from time-to-time from consumers concerns the average mileage for a vehicle in Ireland. Understandably potential buyers want to know whether the mileage on the vehicle they are considering buying is more or less than the national average. So the question arises: what is the average mileage in Ireland?

Sustanable Energy Ireland (SEI) were first to reliably report average mileage statistics back all the way back in 2006 which they based on NCT data. They found that:

• In 2005 the average annual mileage of all cars was 16,894 kilometres (10,498 miles) per car
• Petrol cars were found to have an average annual mileage of 15,969 kilometres (9,923 miles)
• Diesel cars, as would be expected, had a higher figure of 23,817 kilometres (14,799 miles)

The SEI article makes for interesting reading: it refers to previous anecdotal evidence which suggested that the average mileage was actually higher than the reality, stating:

Anecdotally the average mileage of a private car was thought to be around 19,000 kilometres (12,000 miles) and some estimates put it as high as 24,000 kilometres (15,000 miles)

When we read this we decided to run a check against our own data (courtesy of the National Mileage Register (NMR)) to see if we could verify the average listed by SEI. We found these results*:

When this data is charted we get the following:

Mileage Readings in the Irish Fleet

Extrapolating to get an average reading we arrive at the figure of 10,827 *** miles per year. This figure is very close to the published figure of 10,498 miles per year from SEI. Therefore we are happy to corroborate their finding!

As expected newer vehicles tend to do higher mileage, roughly 1,000 miles per year more than those that are nearer their end of life. High mileage drivers value reliability on the road therefore preferring vehicles less than four years old. Indeed most lease cars are replaced before their first NCT. If you have an interest in vehicle mileage data, the Cartell article on using telemetry to combat car clocking is well worth a read.

Since 2010 it is worth noting that due to issues like house prices in urban hubs many commuters are facing a longer journey into the workplace and the overall trend in average mileage was upwards until the pandemic arrived. Now with lockdowns, remote learning and working and restrictions on travel in place the average mileage figure is set to drop in 2020 and into 2021 and possibly beyond.

The most recent data we have comes from the Central Statistics Office, and in line with our expectations they estimate that average mileage in Ireland in 2016 for each private car to be aabout 18,000 kilometers annually. Their data also neatly demonstrate the increasing average mileage of the Irish fleet in recent years.

Cartell intends to scrutinise our own mileage data to see what effects the Coronovirus pandemic is having on average mileage values across Ireland and the results of this analysis should be available in early 2021.

Average Mileage Per Year Statistical Notes

*The data presented here derives from a September 2010 snapshot of car sales data and is only valid for the period of Aug/Sept 2010.

**Before 2005 only a minority of Irish vehicles displayed their odometers in kilometers, thus producing a much smaller sample. In the interests of statistical confidence this data has been omitted. ***As data derives from sales mileage, we assumed:

1. An average sales cycle of 3 weeks
2. Most vehicles are initially registered Jan-March.

This allows us perform an approximation that the September 2010 data is 0.6 of a full years mileage.

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Riches, contacts and marketability: no these aren’t just the rewards in motor sport, these are the criteria needed to get into it.

For those of less affluent origin, however, international motorsport exemplifies one of the hardest sporting disciplines to break into. Eddie Jordan said it best when asked how to make a small fortune in Formula 1; “start with a big fortune”!

Who would be racing now if money wasn’t an issue? Would Schumey have been so dominant? For youths wishing to assess their footballing skills, one acquires a flat area, a spherical object, and uses his/her legs to kick it. Becoming a racing driver, on the other hand, requires money, opportunity and fierce determination. The administrative efforts alone of finding sponsors and a suitable class are enough to put even the most ardent talent off; the cost should take care of the enthusiasms of most parents. How many spectacles have we missed due to these hurdles?

Alternatively, how many lame drivers have we had to endure due to sponsor hungry team owners? But in fairness some wealthy drivers have added enormously to international motorsport. Jochen Rindt inherited riches to become F1’s only posthumous champion. Stephane Peterhansel was not short of a few bob either. Messrs Hill and Villeneuve had cash along with the right surname.

In other words, going the money route isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but that’s not to say it should be the most adequate option for an aspiring driver to take. A driver shouldn’t be at the top just because he can afford it; he should be there because he is allowed to, because the only barrier in his way is belief. And this is the problem, drivers who want the opportunity, don’t get it; not because of lack of talent, but lack of resources. That was the case fifty years ago. That was the case thirty years ago. It is still the case today.

Blog reproduced courtesy of John Walsh @ Motorspeak

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Following the appearance of Cartell’s Jeff Aherne on RTÉ News on Saturday in connection with the seizure of stolen vehicles by Gardai in Balbriggan Cartell.ie advise consumers to be aware of an increased risk of unsuspectingly purchasing a stolen vehicle.

Jeff Aherne, Director with Cartell.ie, says: “The unfortunate thing is that an unsuspecting purchaser of a stolen vehicle has no come-back as title in the vehicle can never pass to him/her in this type of scenario and the sad reality is that the purchaser will lose the vehicle. To prevent against that scenario we strongly urge prospective buyers to carry out a Cartell check before purchase. ”

Purchasers of Vehicles should always:

– Ask to see the Vehicle Registration Certificate (VRC) and inspect the watermark;

– Ask the vendor to produce identification (e.g. Passport) and ensure that the name matches with the name on the VRC;

– Check the chassis number of the vehicle to ensure it has not been tampered with (usually located in the cabin on drivers side and under the bonnet)

– Before purchasing the vehicle always conduct a Car History check and ensure that the VRC number and chassis number match with the official records held against the vehicle you are purchasing;

– Observe the selling price of the vehicle (usually stolen vehicles are sold at cheaper prices)

– Finally, inspect the vehicle visually to check for anything suspicious and be aware of the demeanour of the individual selling it.

For more about checking a vehicle before buying, please see our ‘buying advice’

To view the RTE news story click here

END

For further information please contact John Byrne (Cartell.ie) on 087 4199018 or email or check out www.cartell.ie for further information.

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Keith won the championship by 10 points ahead of Welsh driver Gwyndaf Evans with the TEG Sport team finishing in second place in the Team standings behind JR Motorsports. A word of mention for Irish drivers Craig Breen and Robert Barrable who also finished in the top-10 in the Championship!

Well done fellas!

The post Motorsports Update: Keith Cronin wins British Rally Championship! appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

The latest edition of our Partner’s eDRIVE magazine is available to view online. As well as featuring some latest info from Cartell.ie – concerning our recent story about the NCTS collecting VRT – there are some other interesting pieces including: a preview of the first diesel electric hybrid to go on sale – the PSA Group’s Hybrid-4-system – scheduled for Spring 2011;

The new Mazda style direction called KODO (Soul of Motion); important safety information from Zurich about driving when sleepy including some important RSA research in this area; a report on some of the additional benefits that come as standard on some insurance policies, like break-down-assistance; and an interesting article about the financial cost of traffic jams; as well as the usual features of the magazine including eDrive Best Buys; and a whole lot more besides.

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Binary is a two-digit (Base-2) numerical system, which computers use to store data and compute functions (Digits 1 and 0). With that in mind – and the day that’s in it – we wanted to briefly consider how computers have influenced car technology. These days buyers of vehicles will be aware that one of the most striking things about todays cars are the range of technological extras that vehicles now incorporate – often as standard: electric adjustable seats, heated seats, MP3 connection, built-in Satellite Navigation systems, electric windows, parking impact sensors, air conditioning units often with dual-zone control, and things are getting more advanced with the introduction (as in the 2010 Volvo S60) of “Pedestrian Detection” which automatically applies the brakes if a pedestrian is detected in front of the car and the driver does not react in time.

Key fobs too are programmable with Smart Key Systems allowing the driver to start the car simply by pressing “Start/Stop”. Computers have also impacted on engine technology: particularly modern diesel engines which have been purified to such an extent that they’ve become the engine of choice for many of us who are concerned for the environment. Diesels vehicles often have  computer-controlled direct injection where the car’s onboard computer takes readings from sensors, such as the throttle position and engine speed, and carefully regulates  fuel supply, which is injected directly into the combustion chamber. Also diesels do not require spark plugs as the fuel ignites automatically when mixed with hot air.

Another innovation is common-rail technology whereas older diesels had separate fuel lines from the pump to each injector and the pressure and injection timing were dependant on the engine speed: the modern common-rail systems unite all the injectors on a single feed line and operate independently of engine speed. The fuel supply can therefore be precisely managed by the onboard computers.

Of course these are just some examples of how technology has enhanced the physical mechanics of the motor vehicle and readers of this blog will recall we recently looked at some future concepts for production vehicles. And last week we considered the impact of another technology – telematics – in road vehicles.

Therefore no matter which future concepts enter production or where future industry developments lead we’re all quite sure that technology will continue to grow and develop and to compliment the motor vehicle industry in the same way as it has always done. And in many cases those developments will commence with the simplest of digits: 1 and 0.

The post Binary Day: computers and car technology appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

Figures for September show a fall in imported vehicles to less than 3,000. This was the lowest number in three years and a decline of over fifty percent when compared with August (6,144). A spike was seen in August before the new VRT arrangements came into effect on 1 September because total vehicle imports for the months of July and June had been relatively uniform at 4,747 and 4,924 respectively.

One month ago Cartell.ie issued a Press Release regarding the new rules which provide for 22 NCTS Centres around the country, taking responsibility from Revenue for the issuance of Vehicle Registration Tax. However dealers are reporting problems with the new arrangements – including delays – and this may have lead to the decrease in the number of imports for September. The new system mandated a dealer to get a signed letter from the customer, along with utility bills, PPSN and a Bank Draft made payable to Applus+ before the NCTS can register the vehicle. Whereas under the old system a dealer could simply use a T.A.N. number to register the vehicle at the local Motor Taxation Office.

Used Car History Check expert Cartell.ie broadly welcomes the inspection (albeit a visual one) of all imported vehicles as a step in the right direction.  However it will not alleviate the issue of write offs being imported into the State as the inspection is not detailed enough to determine dangerous and defective vehicles. And as a previous 2008 Cartell/HPI UK report showed (issued to the Road Safety Authority): up to one in ten UK vehicles imported into the State was a write off.

Therefore it’s very much a case of caveat emptor and buyers are urged to conduct a car history check before purchase.

According to Michael Grant, principal of Michael Grant Motors in Santry, “The first two weeks didn’t go particularly well – there was an information deficit to begin with and an extra burden on dealerships”.

When asked, the Revenue Commissioners confirmed that there was a fresh burden on traders during the first month of operation, and have subsequently changed certain procedures. For example, Revenue have agreed with the NCTS that company cheques may be accepted by authorised traders under certain conditions and have removed the need for the PPSN of the customer, where the vehicle is registered by the authorised trader. These traders still require a letter from the customer authorising them to register the vehicle on their behalf and a utility bill showing a current address to which the vehicle will be registered.

As regards the criticism that there are delays in having a vehicle registered under the new system, Revenue cite “call backs”, which meant that the registration of vehicles could not be completed in a first visit to an NCT Centre. NCTS have increased capacity in a number of centres. The NCTS maintain the transition is still in its “early days” and that delays in the processing of applications is largely attributable to customers “not having correct documentation”. The NCTS also wish to emphasise that while they take bookings for the VRT they do not handle queries which arise in relation to the vehicle – all queries are still handled by Revenue.

The message therefore for those importing a vehicle either privately or through the trade is to consult the websites of the NCT and Revenue  to establish all requirements before importing the vehicle.

Notes to Editors:

• Cartell.ie was set up in 2006 to help buyers make an informed choice when buying a used vehicle – including imported vehicles – by providing a user-friendly and cost-effective vehicle data checking service.
• Cartell.ie’s comprehensive reports give consumers the information they need to avoid purchasing an unsuitable vehicle and help safeguard against fraud.
• Cartell.ie is a totally independent company and fully Irish owned.
• Further information can be found at their website – www.cartell.ie

For further Revenue Information contact Michelle Carroll (Press Manager) 01 702 4113

For further NCT information contact Sinead McKeown (Press Manager) 1890 412 413

www.ncts.ie/vrt and www.revenue.ie/en/tax/vrt or www.vrt.ie

For further information please contact John Byrne (Cartell.ie) on 087 4199018 and email or check out www.cartell.ie for further information.

Note: since releasing this Press Release the final figure for imports for September is 3113 – which is still at a three-year-low – but shows a jump in the last week of the month: probably due to individuals returning to the NCTS for a second time after issues with documentation on their initial trip.

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As our readers know the “clocking” of a vehicle is when the mileage reading on the vehicle is altered, or manipulated, to display a lower reading than the actual miles travelled by the vehicle. This can lead to serious problems: wear and tear on the vehicle means that parts will age faster, or will require replacing more often. It also artificially inflates the value of the vehicle. In times past the result was achieved by taking apart the mechanical roller mechanism in a speedometer, or hitching an electric drill up to the speedometer drive cable and leaving it running until the desired reading has been reached. More sophisticated electronic odometers are now hacked using computer technology. Foy predicted years ago that telematics technology would be a key weapon in the armoury in the battle against clocking. The first question arises: what is telematics? Telematics is the ability of a vehicle to remotely provide details of its overall mileage. In its most basic current form, a car or truck’s telematics package – its black box – uses a string of time signals from three or more satellites to provide a fix of the vehicle’s location.

That information can then be processed, and passed back via an in-built mobile telephone to a control centre. The positioning data can be constantly updated, at no cost to the vehicle operator, and stored on a microprocessor inside the black box. Most systems also have a connection from the speedometer into the black box, and between that and the satellite fixes it is possible to get an accurate picture of the distances that the vehicle has covered. In fact telematics has long been touted as the next big money earner for the auto industry: Adventis (Australia) projected telematics would become a $20-billion industry by 2010.Foy however mentioned some difficulties with telematics technology. One of these is data protection requirements another is the costs associated with such a system. A cost benefit analysis of in-vehicle telematics is detailed here.

Vehicle companies, for the most part, are embracing the technology – at least to a certain extent – with many offering built-in GPS devices which can assist the driver find a given location. However, the next step: the use of the GPS signal to measure the mileage of the vehicle -is a step too far for many consumers.

We contacted Sean Brennan, Lecturer in Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), who specialises in Developments in Telematics, to ask him whether the Irish are using the technology. He told Cartell.ie that : ‘telematics has certainly developed in the last 10 years but we are a bit slow here to adapt to the technology’. He does however hold some optimism for the future when he says: ‘there are signs that the Irish are beginning to adopt the technology’ and that we are embracing features such as GPS devices in particular.

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Gary returns to action on 16-17 October at the final round of the 2010 season at Auto Polis.

For more information about the driver you can visit his own website: www.garythompsonracing.com.

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Cartell.ie stopped by for a chat about trading conditions back in 2010 as part of our Trade Focus series. It’s interesting to look back and view the automotive industry from a dealer’s perspective 10 years ago and realise how much has changed and how much has stayed the same. The interview below is from September 2010.

“Business is up on last year” says Michael (pictured left) “but things are still far from where they were several years ago”. Like the vast bulk of dealerships Michael had to write off losses last year: “Yeah, it’s no secret that dealerships are writing off losses from last year and we were no different – we had a significant write-down  – less than 100k – but still a lot. Still, things could have been much worse. He talks about how he had plans drawn up in 2005 for a multi-million-euro premises, the so-called ‘glass-palace’ but he didn’t go ahead with it – a move he’s relieved about: “There was a break in the negotiations for a few weeks and during that time I sat back and had a think about things. It was then I decided not to go ahead with it. I was lucky. If I’d gone through with that investment then we’d be bust today – we’d never have survived the downturn. As it is our premises are not to the same standard as they would have been but we’re still here!”

We asked Michael about the trading conditions and if he agreed with the article published this week in the Irish Independent which says the big word in the industry at the moment is credit. “Absolutely!” he says. “I pay money every year, quite a significant amount of money, to have the right to access finance for people – (he points to the certificate on the wall) – but at the end of the day it’s getting harder and harder to access credit for people.” He names a list of finance houses and explains how dealerships like his are limited in the houses they can approach for customer loans these days. “One particular bank will only deal with the bigger dealerships – so that limits our options”.

We asked him whether it’s true that more people are going to Credit Unions. He says “yea, without a doubt, personal loans are more popular these days – but even there we know there’s a pinch”.  On the type of cars that are selling well he says the diesels are popular. He says ten years ago diesels were about 5% of his trade but now they’re about 80%. He puts this down to the advancements in technology and the comfort that diesel engines now afford the drivers – aside from the obvious stuff like protecting the environment and higher fuel economy. Finally, on that big move in 2005 that he almost made when he was changing premises we asked him did he have any regrets? “None!” he says, “no regrets – we were fortunate we made the move we did and I know some other dealers that choose to make large-scale investments are finding the going tough”.

Visit Michael Grant Motors website here

The post TRADE FOCUS: Michael Grant Motors, Santry appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

What is a spoiler for a car? A  car spoiler is a wing or aerofoil attached to the back of the vehicle which causes downforce, or increases drag, depending on the speed the vehicle is travelling. In the case of an airplane, the wing pushes the plane up or creates lift by using Bernouilis principle. When a stream of air hits an aerofoil it is split in two. However both streams want to meet again and do so at the trailing edge of the wing. Due to the shape of the aerofoil, one stream has to travel further than the other. But because they are travelling in a steady stream, they meet at the same time. Therefore the stream of air which has to travel the furthest, speeds up and by doing so reduces the air pressure on that surface. The stream beneath has a higher static pressure and this pressure difference between top and bottom creates lift or downforce. So for an aircraft, the stream of air traversing the top surface of the aerofoil covers the greater distance and for a spoiler this is reversed.

In terms of materials spoilers are usually made of ABS Plastic or Fiberglass, the latter being lighter and stronger and therefore the preferred choice. However, generally speaking, spoilers are of little actual value unless the car is at a racetrack. Compressibility effects which increase the usefullness of the spoiler only come into play above 100 kph and this is why even light aircraft do not take off below this speed even with all of their wing surface area. Most of the time we drive below these speeds. On the road – usually – they are cosmetic and of little real value unless you live in Germany and drive the Autobahns. That being said, car manufacturers are increasingly adding spoilers as standard in a bid to assist in keeping CO2 emissions lower.

The Ford Mondeo Econetic, for instance, includes an Aerodynamically optimised sports suspension, air deflectors, and rear spoiler (five-door only)  to help bring that vehicle into Category B with emissions of 139g/km.

The post Car Spoiler: How They Work and Does Your Car need one? appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

Car manufacturers are being forced to lower their average emissions to an EU level and in some cases this has lead to newer models with ultra low emissions. In a lot of cases, the technology that allows these cars to be so frugal isn’t cheap and they can end up costing more than models with higher emissions.

Newer eco-friendly models, such as the Fiat 500 TwinAir, Audi A3 TDI, MINI Cooper Diesel, Opel Corsa EcoFlex and Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion, now come with emissions of less than 100g/km yet are taxed in the same way as higher emitting versions.

A new VRT band would also encourage buyers to keep buying standard hybrid cars such as the Toyota Prius which loses its €2,500 VRT refund at the end of 2010 yet has emissions of just 89g/km.

Vehicle Registration Tax is a significant revenue generator for central government and is chargeable on registration of a motor vehicle in the State. A vehicle must be registered before it can be licensed for road tax purposes. A vehicle brought into Ireland from abroad must pay VRT by the end of the next working day following its arrival in the State. A completed declaration form together with the vehicle should be presented at any of the 23 Vehicle Registration Offices VRO

Some critics of VRT claim that it is effectively a continuation of excise duty (which was applicable to vehicles in Ireland prior to 1992) and as such is illegal under European union law. It should also be noted that VRT is calculated on the selling price of a vehicle which is in effect a double taxation.

VRT take was down €700 million in 2009 when compared to 2008. A mere €375 million was taken in 2009. There was €328.6 million taken in January 2008 alone. The majority of the fall is due to the 66% drop in new registrations (Cartell.ie was first to identify the sales slump). However, there was a massive shift towards low emitting CO2 vehicles as part of the new 7 band VRT rate system and this would have further reduced the take. Seventy seven percent of new cars sold so far in 2010 are from tax Band A and B which are the lower VRT rate  At the start of the year SIMI predicted that with the assistance of the scrappage scheme, 70,000 new cars would be sold for the entire year. The numbers sold have surpassed this target already in 2010, and this should see VRT receipts increase and swell the coffers somewhat. None the less, the VRT take for 2009/2010 goes to central government and it doesn’t look enough to run the Department of Transports costs of €530 million. Therefore there will be no additional cash available for the exchequer contribution to the local authorities.

All passenger (category A) vehicles must have approved documentation confirming the level of CO2 emissions of the vehicle being registered. Without these registration documents (e.g. Sections 1- 8 of the V5C from the UK) it is not possible for Revenue to register your vehicle.

The registration certificate, issued by the Department of Transport , will be posted to you after you have applied to your local authority motor tax office for your road tax license.

There are various reliefs and exemptions from VRT:

• transfer of residence
• transfer of business activity
• inheritance.
• disability

VRT is calculated as a percentage of the Open Market Selling Price (OMSP) of the vehicle. The OMSP is the “expected retail price” and includes all taxes (Including VAT) previously paid in the state.

VRT Rates pre-July 2008

Current VRT Rates

A new system was introduced with effect from the 1st July 2008. This system moved the VRT calculation for passenger vehicles from being calculated on engine capacity to a system calculated on CO2 Emissions. This system applies to new vehicles registered from this date as well as second hand vehicles imported after this date. Commercial Vehicles remain unaffected.

In addition, Motor Tax Rates have been realigned to reflect these new VRT bands with the motor tax payable being linked to the VRT band.

VRT Category A

Examples of Category A vehicles include cars (saloons, estates, hatchbacks, convertibles, coupes, MPVs, Jeeps etc.) and minibuses with less than 12 permanently fitted seats (11 passenger seats plus the driver’s seat).

VRT Category B

Examples of Category B vehicles include certain car derived vans and jeep derived vans.

The rate of VRT applicable to Category B vehicles, subject to a minimum VRT of €125, is 13.3% of the Open Market Selling Price (OMSP).

VRT Category C

Examples of Category C vehicles include certain commercial vehicles, agricultural tractors and buses with at least 13 permanently fitted seats (12 passenger seats plus the driver’s seat), motor caravans which have an unladen weight of more than .3,000 kilograms.

The VRT rate applicable to Category C vehicles is a flat rate of €50.

VRT Category D

Examples of Category D vehicles include ambulances, fire engines, vehicles used in the transportation of road construction machinery. The use to which a vehicle is put is also considered when a vehicle is being classified for VRT purposes as Category D.

There is no VRT payable on a Category D vehicle.

Motor – cycles

Examples include motor – cycles, scooters, certain All Terrain Vehicles (ATV).

VRT is charged by reference to the cubic capacity i.e. cubic centimetres (cc) of the engine. The current rates are €2 in respect of each cc up to 350 and €1 for each cc thereafter. The total amount is then reduced by prescribed percentages in accordance with the following table to take account of the age of the vehicle.

There is no VRT payable on an electric motor – cycle.

Repayment/Remission of VRT on Hybrid Electric Vehicles and Flexible fuel vehicle.

Hybrid electric vehicles and flexible fuel vehicles may qualify for a remission/repayment of up to a maximum of €2,500. The vehicles must be series production vehicles. The repayment/remission is on a sliding scale depending on the age of the car (See Table below). This provision is available from 1 July 2008 to 31 December 2010:

‘hybrid electric vehicle’ means a vehicle that derives its motor power from a combination of an internal combustion engine and an electric motor and is capable of being driven on electric propulsion alone for a material part of its normal driving cycle.

‘flexible fuel vehicle’ means a vehicle that derives its motive power from an internal combustion engine that is capable of using a blend of ethanol and petrol, where such blend contains a minimum of 85 per cent ethanol.

Electric Vehicles including Electric Motorcycles

Category A and B vehicles and motorcycles which are shown to the satisfaction of the Revenue Commissioners to be series production models of electric vehicles and electric motorcycles are exempt from VRT until 31 December 2010.

The post Lower VRT on ECO friendly cars appeared first on Cartell Car Check.

The Local Government Efficiency Review Group (An Board Snip Eile) has also recommended that tolling charges be extended from motorways to national roads. It has argued this would be consistent with Government policy on the environment by incentivising road users to use other transport. It would also allow a stream of revenue for local councils to invest in local roads.

The Government collects revenue from drivers in multiple ways.

• VRT
• Motor Tax
• Insurance Levy
• Fuel Excise (VAT)
• Tolls and Parking
• Levies and other taxes
  

Minister for Environment, John Gormley has stated that motor tax receipts are paid directly into the local government fund which is ring fenced for local government purposes. Each year, the motor tax receipts are supplemented by an exchequer contribution. The fund is used primarily to finance regional and local roads and the general purpose needs of local authorities. In 2008 motor tax receipts were circa €1.1 billion and this was subsidised by circa €500 million or 30% by the exchequer.

VRT

VRT take was down €700 million in 2009 when compared to 2008. A mere €375 million was taken in 2009. There was €328.6 million taken in January 2008 alone. The majority of the fall is due to the 66% drop in new registrations (Cartell.ie was first to identify the sales slump). However, there was a massive shift towards low emitting CO2 vehicles as part of the new 7 band VRT rate system and this would have further reduced the take. At the start of the year, the SIMI predicted that, with the assistance of the scrappage scheme, 70,000 new cars would be sold for the entire year. The numbers sold have surpassed this target already in 2010, and this should see VRT receipts increase and swell the coffers somewhat. None the less, the VRT take for 2009/2010 goes to central government and it doesn’t look enough to run the Department of Transports costs of €530 million. Therefore there will be no additional cash available for the exchequer contribution to the local authorities.

Motor Tax

An increase in motor tax would be very unpopular given that the entire system was changed from a cubic capacity to a CO2 based system to encourage us to buy lower emitting vehicles. The Board Snip report suggested that a handling fee be introduced for processing motor tax payments that are made in person or by post rather than online. This, the report concluded, would recognise the much higher staff costs of manual processing. However, commercial vehicles require taxing to be done manually as they require a DOE Certificate to be sent in with the payment annually.  Commercial vehicles don’t receive an online pin to tax the vehicle so this could be seen as discriminative to the business community. Furthermore, those whom are computer illiterate or have no access to the internet will find this to be an attack on them.

Levies and other taxes

It is unknown if the motor insurance levy will be increased in this years budget from 3%. It is unlikely however given that it was increased from 2 to 3% in April of last year. Excise and a Carbon tax have increased the cost of fuel over the past eighteen months according to the AA’s Conor Faughnan. Will this rise again in this years budget? The motorist already contributes €2bn from Petrol and Diesel to the exchequer.

Tolls

The idea of putting more tolls on the M50, M1 and national roads is hard to believe. Check out newstalk.ie to see how Brenda Mc Dermot and Tony Toner tackled this issue on Mondays Motormouth. They basically slated it. In fairness, the money has to come from somewhere to fund the councils or local authorities but more tolls especially on national roads is probably too much to bear on the motorist.

The post New Tolls, Levies and Penalties for Irish Car Drivers appeared first on Cartell Car Check.