As the July 1st changeover to the emissions-based VRT and road tax laws fast approach, Paddy Comynlooks at the early trends and changes.
IT HAS been as drawn out as the Lisbon Treaty debate, but the July 1st date for the change to an emission-based VRT and road tax system is almost upon us and many of the big car brands have finally shown their hand and released their new car price lists. So what will these changes mean to the way we buy cars from this summer onwards?
TOYOTA
The news from Ireland's top-selling brand is rather good. Starting with their entry-level Aygo range, all fall into the lowest band of VRT - Band A - so they will command just 14 per cent VRT and will only cost €100 per annum to tax. They also drop in price from €1,190 to €1,470, meaning the range starts from just €10,550.
The entire Yaris range also benefits from the new regime. The most significant of these is the €1,745 drop in the 1.4-litre D-4D diesel model. The majority of the 1-litre petrol models fall into Band B, with VRT of 16 per cent and road tax of €150 per annum, making it still the cheapest way to get into a Yaris. These versions fall in price by roughly €1,100 each.
There is likely to be a major switch from petrol to diesel in both the Corolla and Auris range. The Corolla 1.4-litre petrol increases in price by €545 to €590, with road tax of €430 per year, while the Corolla diesel falls by between €1,755 and €1,930. This means that the difference in price between the entry-level Corolla petrol and diesel is now just €370. Also the diesel version will be just €150 per year to tax, so over three years you will save €840 in road tax by choosing it over the petrol. All the 1.4-litre petrol Auris models increase in price as its VRT increases from 22.5 per cent to 24 per cent. Annual road tax will also increase from €320 to €430. The Auris 1.6-litre petrol drops in price by from €235 to €265, with €430 annual road tax, while the 1.4-litre D-4D diesel range in Auris drop to 16 per cent VRT, Band B, with prices falling by between €1,745-€2,010. The five-door entry-level diesel Auris is now just €380 more expensive than the equivalent 1.4-litre petrol. The biggest price drop on the Auris is the 2.0-litre diesel model which falls by a whopping €3,715 thanks to its emissions.
The Corolla Verso petrol models drop increase in price by €1,600-€2,465, with the entry-level 1.6-litre Aura the worst hit. The 2.2-litre diesel versions fall in price by €1,360-€2,700, but its still not cheap. It's likely sales of the Corolla Verso could be badly hit by the changes.
The basic price of an Avensis is also set to rise. The 1.6-litre petrol and 1.8-litre petrol models now command 28 per cent VRT and the 2.0-litre petrol is up to 32 per cent. This means the cheapest Avensis moves from €25,440 to €26,525. However, the 2.0-litre D-4D diesel will now be dramatically less expensive, as it falls from 30 per cent VRT to just 20 per cent and falls in price by between €3,525 to €3,780 with just €290 in annual road tax. With it costing just €240 more to get an entry-level diesel over a petrol model, this is likely to be the new best-seller, especially since a diesel owner will save €930 over three years in road tax.
The Rav4 petrol models increase by €1,030-€1,285, with the 2.2-litre D-4D diesel models dropping by €1,060-€1,245. Land Cruiser passenger models are quite badly hit by the changes, increasing in price by €5,450-€6,810 and all asking for the dreaded €2,000 Band G motor tax for vehicles with CO2 emissions over 226g/km.
The news is good, however, for those seeking to do their bit for the environment. Despite a cap of €2,500 on the VRT reduction for hybrid cars, the Prius falls in price by €3,085 thanks to its 104g/km of CO2 meaning it resides in the lowest VRT Band A.
Rush now to buy:Land Cruiser V8
Wait until July 1st:to buy any of their diesels which will make better buys than buying a petrol now. The Prius
FORD
Over at arch-rivals Ford two-thirds of their models are falling in price. The Ford Fiesta Steel II petrol models fall by €327-€1,415, while the diesel falls in price by €1,826. Tthe Ka falls by more than €400. There are even great savings, however, on the diesel versions of the Fusion.
Ford expects a major shift towards diesel within its range, expecting them to account for 60 per cent of sales in 2009 compared to 30 per cent at present.
Looking at their large-selling Focus range, the 1.4-litre petrol models increase in price by around €400, with the 1.6-litre petrol models actually coming down in price. There are dramatic savings on the 1.8-litre TDCi diesel versions. There is €3,995 off the price of the three-door and €4,060 €off the four-door version as these engines are charged at just 16 per cent VRT. Oddly, a glaring omission from the new price list is the 1.6-litre diesel Focus, which was on the May pricelist, but has since disappeared. It has a CO2 emissions of just 118g/km which would make it VRT Band A, with just €100 per annum road tax.
There are also savings for the diesel versions of the Mondeo range. The five-door five-speed TDCi ECOnetic falls into Band B, with VRT of just 16 per cent, thus dropping in price by €3,600. The entry-level 1.6-litre petrol rises in price by €1,100, however there are special incentives in Ford dealerships to buy this model now. Diesels will again be the most popular version in the Mondeo range, with the 1.8-litre TDCi diesel model dropping in price by €1,830. The 2.0-litre diesel automatic LX version also falls in price by €955. The 1.8-litre diesel has just 20 per cent VRT, with the 2.0-litre automatic diesel 28 per cent.
In the S-Max and Galaxy ranges, the LX TDCi in both fall by €480 and €500 respectively. The 50 per cent VRT rebate for Flexi-Fuel vehicles (FFV) is replaced by a flat €2,500 rebate from July 1st. This means that the Ford Focus FFV will drop in price by €170, while the Mondeo FFV rises by €650. This will still be the cheapest Mondeo however. All models in the new Kuga range benefit from the change in VRT.
Rush now to buy:Focus ST
Wait until July 1st:any diesel Ford
VOLKSWAGEN
The German brand has really enjoyed a bumper year in Ireland, with strong sales across each of the segments. While Volkswagen's July 1st price list has been released, it doesn't go as far as to point out the differences in price or VRT but a quick comparison with the May price list reveals that entry-level cars such as the Polo 1.2-litre will decrease in price by around €700, with even greater savings on the diesel versions. The Polo 1.4-litre TDi Comfortline will be a great little buy, dropping in price by €2,845 thanks to its low CO2 emissions which place it in tax Band A.
Golfs are still commanding huge sales figures, even though there is a new model on the way later this year. The usual big-seller, the 1.4-litre petrol version is going to increase in price - the 1.4-litre five-door Comfortline goes up by €1,060, but the diesel versions will go the opposite way. The 1.9-litre TDi Comfortline five-door drops in price by €2,250 to €25,610. Even the popular hatch, the GTi drops in price, by €120 thanks to its reasonably efficient engine.
At the larger end of the Volkswagen range, the 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine which has replaced the old 1.6-litre increases in price by €640 in the Comfortline range. The diesel models reduce in price, with the 1.9-litre TDI Comfortline falling in price by €875. However the bigger drop in price is reserved for the 2.0-litre TDI Comfortline. Dropping bands from 30 per cent VRT to just 20 per cent, the price falls by €3,205, with just €90 per year road tax.
News is bad for fans of the Touareg range. The SUV jumps to 36 per cent VRT across all models and this translates into a price rise of €6,725-€13,795 depending on what model you choose. If there was a Volkswagen to buy before July 1st then this is it, especially if you want to avoid paying €2,000 per year in road tax.
The Eos range falls in price right across the board, with price drops ranging from €1,040 to a massive €5,150 for the 2.0-litre TDI version.
Rush now to buy:Touareg
Wait until July 1st:diesel models and the Eos
MAZDA
Over at Mazda, the VRT change has been quite kind to their range. The entire Mazda2 range falls in price, thanks to its lightweight design and fuel-efficient engines. The 1.3-litre petrol will remain the entry-point of the range, starting at €14,495. The 1.5-litre petrol model drops in price by €2,200, remaining in Band B, despite its 103bhp 1.5-litre engine. There are increases in price for the 1.4-litre petrol Mazda3, the 1.6-litre petrol remains the same price, probably due to some "price alignment" and there is a considerable €2,500 off the price of the 1.6-litre diesel Mazda3. This means the 1.6-litre diesel is only €1,000 more expensive than the 1.4-litre petrol, whereas it was €4,000 more expensive.
The Mazda 5 diesel drops into Band D, down from 30 per cent VRT to 24 per cent, with a €2,300 price reduction. The 1.8-litre petrol model increases by €1,200 to €28,995. Every version of the Mazda6 reduces in price from July 1st. These range from €170 on the 1.8-litre Sport petrol to €3,100 on the 2.0-litre diesel. The popular MX-5 Roadster jumps in price by €1,100-€1,400, while the RX-8 is the worst hit, with a €7,000 increase as it jumps into Band G. Rather oddly, despite jumping from 30 per cent VRT to 36 per cent VRT, there is no increase in price on the petrol-only 2.3-litre CX-7 SUV.
Rush now to buy:RX-8
Wait:Mazda6 diesel
FIAT
Fiat gave us their July prices recently but there were few surprises since they adopted a policy of passing on the price reductions to customers early in the year. Around 90 per cent of the range reduced in price thanks to their low emissions and models which had not already been reduced include the Panda which reduces in price from €480 to €1,155. There are also major reductions in the Bravo diesel range with €3,450 off the price of the 1.9-litre 8v Multijet Active.
Four models fall into the lowest Band; namely most of the Panda range, the 1.6-litre diesel Bravo, most of the Fiat 500 range and the 1.3-litre diesel Grande Punto. There are some minor increases in price, with €200 increases on the 1.4-litre petrol Bravo range.
Rush now to buy:Doesn't really make any difference
Wait until July 1st:Bravo 1.6 diesel