What is Adblue?

Adblue® reduces emissions in diesel engine vehicles that use a ‘Selective Catalytic Reduction’ system or SCR. Many new diesel cars have this SCR technology and they will not run withoutAdblue®. Adblue® was introduced to meet current and future environmental regulations.

What is Adblue®?

AdBlue® is a soluble colourless solution that looks like water or windscreen washer fluid. It is composed of 67.5% distilled water and 32.5% high grade urea, such as that used to manufacture plastics, cosmetic products or fertilisers. Urea used as a synthetic product is typically produced from natural gas. The composition of AdBlue® makes it a biodegradable, non-explosive, non-toxic and non-flammable liquid. This liquid reduces the carbon footprint of your car and is used in many vehicles, from trucks to tractors, to vans and to cars. Heavy goods vehicles were the first to be affected by the European regulation, being equipped with AdBlue® tanks since 2005. AdBlue® meets the criteria of ISO 22241-1 to 4 and is registered as a trademark by the VDA ( German Association of the Automotive Industry).

Why AdBlue® is important?

AdBlue reduces emissions in diesel engine vehicles that use a ‘Selective Catalytic Reduction’ system or SCR. Many new diesel cars have this SCR technology and they will not run without AdBlue. AdBlue was introduced to meet current and future environmental regulations.

Do I need to fill my Car with AdBlue®?

For most drivers, AdBlue® can last for thousands of kilometres, meaning it would usually need to be refilled at the scheduled servicing. It might be the case though, depending on the usage of the vehicle that drivers would need to “top up” their AdBlue®. HB Dennis Leasing will ensure this is maintained during scheduled service maintenance, but it is the drivers responsibility to ensure that levels are maintained. It is recommended that cars have at least five liters of AdBlue® at all times. If drivers are taking their cars outside Europe, they are advised to fill up their AdBlue® tanks beforehand, and even take an extra AdBlue® container with them.

How do I refill my Adblue® tank?

AdBlue® will have its own tank, the AdBlue® fluid will have to be poured directly into the AdBlue® tank and not in the fuel tank. Your dedicated Account Manager can advise you in relation to this at time of collection/delivery, or at any stage throughout the lease period. HB Dennis Leasing will ensure this is maintained during scheduled service maintenance, but it is the drivers responsibility to ensure that levels are maintained. AdBlue® should not be mixed with other chemicals, nor should it be diluted with water.

Also, In order to refill the AdBlue® tank, the car must be parked on a level surface to avoid overfilling and damage to the AdBlue® tank.

The use of AdBlue® is an additional cost element for diesel engine vehicles. Fleet managers need to be informed on the topic, including the processes and cost elements associated with AdBlue®. Drivers also need to be informed, through a driver’s guide, on how to act in case their involvement is required.

Further information can be found here:

About Adblue®

 

Ireland’s 2017 motor stats so far…

Car sales fall for the first half of 2017 as imports continue to rise

The car trade in Ireland will be hoping for a significant boost from the July registration plate change, as sales of new models dipped again in June. Figures released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) show that 91,189 new cars have been sold so far this year, a drop, compared to 2016, of 10 per cent. Sales in June were down by 14 per cent compared to the same month last year.

 

 

Those figures are set against the background of increasing imports of cars from the UK, which continue to be driven by a weakened Sterling exchange rate. According to industry watchers motorcheck.ie, 13,381 cars have been imported from the UK so far this year, a rise of some 41 per cent.

So far this year, Volkswagen is the top-selling brand overall with 9,220 registrations, followed by Toyota (8,900), Hyundai (8,584), Ford (8,510), and Nissan (7,722). The top selling models up to the end of June were the Hyundai Tucson, Nissan Qashqai, Skoda Octavia, Volkswagen Golf, and Ford Focus.

 

 

With just 1,397 new cars registered in June, the best-selling brand was BMW, driven largely by the market arrival and delivery of its new 5 Series, which was the best-selling model of the month. However, for the year to date, Audi retains the slightest of leads over its premium German rivals. To date Audi has 3,705 new car registrations, BMW has 3,688 registrations, while Mercedes-Benz has 3,556.

UK to ban new petrol and diesel cars from 2040, will Ireland follow?

The UK government is set to announce a complete ban on the sale of all petrol and diesel fuelled cars from 2040, when all vehicles must be fully electric.

It is part of a plan to clean-up air quality amid fears that rising levels of pollutants pose a major risk to public health.

The move follows a similar announcement earlier this month by the French government to take polluting vehicles off the road.

The UK government has been under pressure to take measures to reduce air pollution after losing legal cases brought by campaign groups.

The Daily Mail newspaper is reporting that under the proposals to be announced today, local authorities would be able to charge levies on the drivers of diesel vehicles on the most polluted roads from 2020, if air quality does not improve.

The London Times newspaper says the sale of new hybrid vehicles that have an electric motor combined with a petrol or diesel engine would also end under the plan.

Earlier this month, Volvo became the first major traditional automaker to set a date for phasing out vehicles powered solely by the internal combustion engine by saying all its car models launched after 2019 will be electric or hybrids.

Air pollution is linked to around 40,000 premature deaths a year in the UK, and transport also makes up a significant share of greenhouse gas emissions.

(Source : RTE)

Irish car buyers double spend on UK imports

Imports of UK cars by Irish car dealers and garages surge by a third in first half of year

Irish car buyers more than doubled their spend on importing vehicles from the UK during the first half of 2017 compared with the same period last year.

According to data released by foreign exchange company Fexco Corporate Payments, Irish buyers spent 134 per cent more on importing used cars from the UK than they did in the first half of 2016.

The number of people buying cars rose by a similar level with the volume of cross-Border car purchases increasing by 116 per cent.

According to Fexco, “the combination of the UK’s greater supply of used cars and sterling weakness means Irish motorists can get more for their money when buying cars in the UK”.

The data shows the average transaction size increased by 32 per cent in the first half of this year, to €12,071.

A surge in imports of UK cars by Irish car dealers and garages was also recorded. In the first six months of 2017, they increased the number of transactions by nearly a third and spent 25 per cent more in euro terms on importing cars from the UK compared with the same period in 2016.

“The UK has a far greater supply of used cars but the cost and red tape involved in importing a UK-registered car into Ireland has traditionally put off all but professional or the most committed individual buyers,” said David Lamb, head of dealing at Fexco Corporate Payments.

“All that changed with the abrupt fall in the pound unleashed by Britain’s vote for Brexit.

“One year on from the referendum, Irish car buyers – both individuals and garages – are queuing up to capitalise on sterling’s weakness by importing cars from the UK.”

The payments company analysed 2,000 transactions made by its currency dealers on behalf of Irish individuals or car dealers in the first six months of 2017.

 

(Source: The Irish Times)

Which brands do Irish car owners least consider buying?

123.ie survey of 4,000 motorists reveals the car brands Irish buyers love and hate…

Audi is the most desirable car brand in Ireland, according to a survey of nearly 4,000 motorists. In contrast, Renault was selected as the brand they would least consider buying from a list of the top 10 sellers.

The annual 123.ie Irish car review survey found the German premium brand comes out on top, if budget was no issue. Audi was tops with 15.2 per cent of respondents, followed by BMW (12.7 per cent), Mercedes (12.5 per cent) and Land Rover (9.8 per cent).

It seems Irish buyers don’t really aspire to the luxury/sports car brands: even with no budget restriction, Aston Martin only garnered 7.5 per cent, still well ahead of the rest of the performance car brands, including Porsche (4.9 per cent), Ferrari (4.7 per cent) and Lamborghini (3.5 per cent). Rolls Royce rated top among just 2.3 per cent of those surveyed.

Of the mainstream brands, Toyota topped the list with 3.9 per cent, ahead of Volkswagen (3.3 per cent) and Ford (2.2 per cent).

At the other end of the spectrum, presented with a list of the top 10 best-selling brands in Ireland, 26 per cent selected Renault as the one they would least consider. The French brand also topped this listing last year as well.

(source Irish Times)

Revealed: Ireland’s best-selling car so far in 2017.

HYUNDAI’s Tucson SUV is the best selling car in the country as new figures show sales overall fell last month while UK imports soared due to sterling’s weakness against the euro.

Latest official Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) figures reveal that new-car registrations dipped by 1.7pc to 39,019 compared with January last year. Imports, however, are up by around 60pc.

The number of commercials registered, regarded as a truer indication of economic activity, were down by 2.4pc to 6,394.

The top-selling passenger cars so far are the Hyundai Tucson, Ford Focus, Ford Fiesta, Nissan Qashqai and Volkswagen Golf.

The top-selling makes are Hyundai, Toyota, Ford, Volkswagen and Nissan – but it is early days yet.

A second report out today, commissioned by the SIMI and compiled by economist Jim Power, says the impact of used imports on the Irish market is likely to continue for some time.

After a 51pc increase last year, it already looks like last year’s 72,182 total will be significantly outstripped in 2017.

Of the cars brought in last year, Mr Power’s quarterly review of the motor industry, says nearly half were between three and five years old.

“The outlook for car sales is uncertain,” he says. He continues: “Used imports from the UK and the impact of Brexit on confidence are threats to new-car sales this year and beyond. It looks likely that there could be a decline of around 3pc in new car sales in 2017 – to around 142,000.”

A further contributory factor to lower sales is that demand is lower after a period of strong ‘catch-up’ post recession.

Mr Power emphasised, however, that GDP is projected to grow by 3.3pc, employment is expected to increase, as are personal disposable incomes while interest rates will remain low.

Among other key findings of his Quarterly Review are:

*The Exchequer collected €1.5bn in VRT and VAT on new and used car sales in 2016 – up 26.8pc.

*The average tax take from a new car was €8,759 and €3,097 for a used import.

*Last year, local authorities collected €847m in motor tax.

In the first 11 months of last year, €3.1bn was collected in taxes and levies on motor fuel.

*The average price of a new car was 5.5pc lower last year. Between 2010 and 2016, the average price has declined by 16.9pc.

*Average motor insurance costs in 2016 were 61.5pc higher than in 2013.

*Roscommon had the strongest annual growth rate (30.5pc); Leitrim was lowest (11.82pc) last year.  Dublin accounted for 39.73pc of the market.

*Average emissions in 2016 were 2.5pc lower than a year earlier, and have declined by 30.5pc since 2008.

(Source independant.ie)

The Guide to BIK

If you are considering a Company Car, then you need to consider the tax implication and the cost to you in Benefit in Kind. To understand BIK and how it works there is a good article on the Irish Taxation website click here to read