Still confused on diesel, electric, hybrid

HELPDESK:Answering all your motoring queries

From NF: I am a single lady who has just retired and I want to treat myself to a new car, but do I go diesel, electric, hybrid or stay with the petrol only version? Can you suggest a few options – with a budget of about €27,000?

Your choice should really be determined by your average usage. Diesel now totally dominates the new car market. In some cases it’s the wrong choice, for diesel versions are often more expensive to buy than their petrol equivalents and the savings in terms of fuel may not cover the extra initial cost for several years.

As a rule of thumb, diesel really only makes sense if you are doing more than 15,000km annually and plan to own the car for at least three or four years.

Particularly with smaller cars, petrol remains the best option. Hybrids and electric cars pay off for urban driving, but there is limited choice in the smaller car market for both. Also there is no immediate motor tax benefits for hybrids as the lowest tax band is between zero and 120g/km, so they share the same annual tax costs as many small petrol and diesel rivals.

My advice would be to stay with petrol if your mileage is relatively low and look to something like a Mazda2 1.3-litre petrol if you can live with a smaller car, or the Hyundai iX20 if you need a little more space. Both are good to drive and well able for daily town runs and occasional cross-country trips. The good news is that the most well-equipped version of either car will come in several thousand euros below your budget.

From O O’ T: I’m just organising to put my car-crazy son through his driving test as a present for completing the leaving certificate but I’m shocked by the costs. New rules this year mean he has to complete 12 lessons to get his permit and I have been quoted €400. That’s before we even consider putting him on the insurance. Am I missing something here or has the price of getting on the road gone up dramatically?

From April 4th, all learner drivers are required to complete an Essential Driver Training (EDT) programme to get their first learner permit. That means 12 modules with a qualified driving instructor. Just after the EDT’s introduction, the National Consumer Agency published a price survey for the cost of driving lessons and found that the cost of a one-hour lesson ranges from €25 to €45. This represents a nationwide average price of €33.

The introduction of EDT is to be welcomed in terms of road safety. However, we can’t ignore the extra costs it imposes on learner drivers. The lesson from the NCA survey is that while the first priority should be a reputable instructor, the next should be to seek out a competitive price. The difference can be up to €16 an hour and many centres now offer discounts.

The survey found that on average you can get a 10 per cent discount if you book a number of lessons. The NCA found that of 42 centres surveyed, the average cost for EDT was €365, so your quote of €400 is not outlandishly expensive, but I would suggest you shop around.

Send your queries to Motors Helpdesk, The Irish Times, Tara Street, Dublin 2, or

motorshelp@irishtimes.com